Remodel, day 1

[gwyn]

I set my alarm extra early today so that I would be awake and all wrapped up with stuff before the lead carpenter, Brent, would show up at 7 a.m. For some reason that I can't figure out, my alarm never went off, even though it's set correctly, and I had to answer the door in my robe and be all apologetic about the few things left undone. Fortunately, he is very nice, and also fortunately, he was late. Not so the rest of the week, though, he warned.

He ended up having to do all the demo today himself, because I guess they found asbestos in the middle layer of flooring, and the abatement team wasn't available. He said that was actually preferable, because the guys at the place they usually use are "animals" he emphasized many times. At first I thought he meant because they had "really bad potty mouths" but it turns out they hurl things everywhere, they're loud (and curse like mad, which I assured him that once he's around me, he will rethink his comment that they swear more than anyone he's met), pigs, and they make more work for him because they damage stuff he'd rather not repair, so he didn't mind in the long run, even though it's more work for him. He moved all my appliances himself, and built the wall around the work area, so I have this lovely plywood wall now in my living room. Olive adores him, but she was pretty freaked out by today's events, and I think it'll probably only get worse.

Anyway, here are pics of the almost demolished kitchen and porch. I don't think I will do a daily update because that would be boring, but I'll post pics when things of interest happen, especially for you, Jay!




My lovely new living room wall.


The view toward the office and bedroom area. My whole life is going to be on that microwave cart now and in that fridge. Most people have other spaces they can make into a makeshift kitchen, with running water, etc., but this is all I've got, so no laundry and such. It's even hard to get the electric kettle into the shallow bathroom sink.


This was where my sink and four square feet of counter space used to be. It was pathetic. I will not miss it.


More demolishment.


Big piles of rubble in the backyard.


Bye bye, kitchen!


Olive does not approve.

Speaking of Olive, I took this picture about a month ago, and I really loved it. She was sitting in the bedroom window, and the soft, gauzy blue curtains were wafting over her, and she looked so pretty, so I took a closeup, but of course she moved while I was trying to catch it. This was the best one I could get.

Comments

[mlyn.livejournal.com]

Goddamn, dude does a lot on his own!

Yay demolishing! Yay Olive!

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

Yeah, and when you think how much time was spent looking at plans and yammering, it's even more amazing. Not to mention all the phone calls he had to make that no one is returning.

[movies-michelle.livejournal.com]

Yay, movement!

Like mlyn said, he sure does a lot on his own.

[nagasvoice.livejournal.com]

I don't know if Olive has a tendency to explore little teeny holes on her own, but we have one who does, so we lock them *all* up. This skinny lil thing managed to slink through the hole around the toilet pipe in the floor, when some demolishment was being done in the bathroom a few years ago. Nothing like as thorough as you're doing! Drove us crazy trying to find her. Eventually we heard her, couldn't see her, until she came up close to the foundation vent. I eventually dragged her out through the screening I destroyed on the vent. We've been horribly careful about construction holes in the place since, which is probably a good thing.

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

Ooo, that's a great point, this one, she does like to get into things. And she's having trouble because the back door is now sort of blocked for her, and I'm trying to teach her to use the front door, but she's not getting it yet, so she's happy to bolt through the new wall door when I have to go talk to Brent.

[trelkez.livejournal.com]

That guy did all that in one day? He's cruising.

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

Yeah, and we wasted an enormous amount of time yammering and discussing how to make the least impact and such. He showed me pics of his pupster. ;-) Still managed to get a hell of a lot done, and I was impressed.

[mystic-savage.livejournal.com]

Here's some kitty love to get you through the remodel (see icon). And that plywood wall is a real blessing, although I could see how you might want to dress it up with some shelf paper or hang concert posters on it or something.

good luck on the remodel!!

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

You must come see sometime when it is finished! I haven't seen you in an age.

[keiko-kirin.livejournal.com]

Oooo, demolition! And on the road to a new kitchen! I'll be excited to see the progress and outcome.

And Olive is such a beauty! I love the gauzy picture. How is she doing?