Remodel, days 2 through 5

[gwyn]

So, the lead carpenter is turning out to be a Mother Jones-reading, staunchly anti-Bush feeling, pro-anyone should be able to marry anyone else leaning kinda guy -- not the type you usually meet in the construction industry. He also has kitties and a sweet little red dachshund named Lucy (for Lucille Ball). He's incredibly careful about encroaching on my space, more so than I even expected anyone to be.

I can't say it hasn't been stressful, though. One week in, and living in this tiny space, with everything on this little microwave cart, is getting tiring. A couple more months to go... arg. I can't even access my CDs but I need to get one for a vid I was going to start working on. Olive's paws are perpetually filthy from all the stuff she's digging around in. (See pic below, for the funniest construction related moment ever.) She slept through jackhammering the old concrete back steps, though, so she may be handling this better than I am!

I have to keep my eyes on the prize, but it's hard. And the noise is going to get worse -- when they tear down that old chimney, it's going to be unbearable.




This is the wall where my cabinets and sink/countertop used to be. Apparently, there was tile! Who knew. It looks like they had a tile backsplash and the old farmhouse type sinks, along with the wall mount faucets that I always wished I'd been able to have.


same wall after taking off the... well, wall.


After one application of amazing Ceiling-be-Gone!


This used to be the wall where my fridge, microwave, etc. was. The only wall where there was room to put anything.


And here there used to actually be a wall. It was this really awkward layout where you had to go around this wall and then snake around the corner of the wall in the previous photo. Tiny narrow opening, and I hated it. They also had a soffit coming down, so my head just grazed the top of it. It never made any sense to me at all. But now it's gone, daddy, gone! I couldn't envision this AT ALL before it came down, and now I can see how open the floor plan will be, and it makes me so. very. happy.


This is the sink corner again, but now with the wall gone, you can see down into the dirt crawlspace, with all its attendant spiders and other nastiness. One of the planners found out that my tub, which you can see in that open space, has a drain that goes uphill slightly. I said, "Wow, that explains a lot!" The plumber is coming next week to do some work and he's going to fix it. Yay!


This is the back corner wall by the back door. You can see how badly put together things are when you look at the laundry drain pipe, which has like 30-year-old masking tape around the pipe because there were holes in the wall, going out to the siding. It's just... sad.


This is looking up to the roof along that back wall. You can see the roof vents, and if I look closely, which I'd rather not, i can see all these elaborate and old spider webs. Shudder.


Back of the house, sans porch, old broken down cement stairs, some siding, and pretty much anything else that used to be there, including raspberries.


This will probably be my favorite construction-related pic ever. Even the kitty paw prints in front of the garage doors can't compare with this. After the lathe and plaster came down, it opened up access to the crawlspace, and of course Olive had to investigate. I was sitting there, watching TV and reading, when I saw her come marching proudly in wearing a little crown of... filth. That's not even insulation, it's just decades of dust and dirt and cobwebs, all perfectly ringed around her ears like a little kitty tiara. I couldn't get a good picture because I had to hold her while she was squirming and complaining and try to aim the camera as best I could. But at least I got her little pink tongue.

Comments

[black-bird-777.livejournal.com]

Wow. I didn't realize the place was such a mess underneath anything. Consequently, the remodel is doubly worth it - making things wonderful AND safer and less prone to breaking.

My house and laundry room are always open to you.

And yeah, best construction photo ever. Keep posting the photos - they're fascinating!

[movies-michelle.livejournal.com]

That last picture of Olive is great.

And, wow, this is going to be quite the transformation. Thanks for posting the pictures.

[keerawa.livejournal.com]

Kitty filth tiara, teehee!

I'm rather horrified by these photos. If my home is held together with 30 year-old masking tape, I do not want to know.

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

Well, i think a lot of homes are in better shape than mine, mainly because someone who lived here at some point fancied themselves a DIYer and they were ultra-incompetent. Most people i know have cosmetic problems from past owners, but mine are serious structural often, and I'm basically paying for all their bad work.

[agentxpndble.livejournal.com]

Ahhahaha! Filthy kitty! You'd think she would have brushed that off right away... Zelda flips out if anything is on her for even a second, not to mention all that!

You're a braver woman than I, tackling that remodel... I'm afraid to touch *anything* after owning the money pit I did a few years back. What a nightmare.

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

This cat is a mystery to me, at times. I have never met a cat who seems so happy to be covered in crap. She was quite happy with herself when she came in like that. I wish I could have gotten a pic of her then, because in this pic, the tiara is coming off, but it was very artfully draped at first!

[zebra363.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't mind a new kitchen one day, but I don't think I'd ever be willing to go through that mess to get one! Looking forward to seeing the finished product.

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

The carpenter has said to me a couple times that while it seems really awful now, when it's done, it will be fantastic. He says he's never regretted anythng he's done on his house, no matter how depressing it seemed while the work was being done. I think it will be worth it, just... a long hard walk getting there.

i know it's expensive, but...

[talking-sock.livejournal.com]

lots of people go to motels during this to avoid the stress.
olive sure is a pretty color!!

Re: i know it's expensive, but...

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

I think it would stress me more to go to a motel! The worst stuff happens during the day, but I have to work here, so... I might try working at M'lyn's at some point and see how it goes there. Or dad's -- the big problem is that I have to tote my references and crap around with me, as well as the work laptop.

[(Anonymous)]

Holy cow. This is not a remodel, it's a reconstruction. Or a do-over. Or a start-from-scratch! I had no idea what you've been describing would be this big. So glad that your construction guy seems to be on top of everything. He not only communicates, he commiserates with you -- but I believe him about the positive outcome. Best wishes during this trying time and I can't wait to see more pics as this progresses. Wow.

[claire.livejournal.com]

My kitty (who lives with my mother, back in Australia) would be very envious of Olive's new accessory. He is the type of cat that loves to get dirt and leaves and cobwebs in his fur, and will go out of his way to collect them. I've seen him do it ;)

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

There are some cats that just do not seem to get the cat code of conduct. They want to be as disgusting as possible. Emma would never have stood for it! But Olive is like a pig in shit, I think.