A hard, dirty day

Today was probably my most discouraging day yet. I continued on with the bathroom demolition, and made more progress, but it is so slow. I think my first day went so well it may have set too high a bar. I have learned that I can only demolish for about 3 hours a day (with an hour for cleanup). After that, it's just too hard physically and mentally. When I left yesterday, I had half the tub surround wall down, and couldn't imagine how the rest would come down. But today I went at it with renewed strength and mental clarity, and got it completely down. Interesting. I left today thinking the soffit over the tub will never come down. I also managed to get rid of the bathroom vanity. It was not fun when I couldn't get the trap unscrewed under the remaining sink and had to whack at it with the sledgehammer and the water sprayed me! Yuck!

The bathroom vanity before:

and now: (I guess it's too late to change our minds!)

The tub surround wall before:

and now that it's gone:

Believe it or not, this picture gives me hope. The bathroom looks so much brighter and bigger without this wall.

Finally, an interesting surprise. This is a hole in the subfloor I found uner the vanity. The bright light is my flashlight beam. Visible in the hole is the sewer line, and around that is, you guessed it, the dirt under the house!


We need plans drawn for a window I want to enlarge. Our whole bathroom plan hinges on it. I called an architecht last night, who didn't call me back. I called another one today who said the job is too small for her, but that a contractor might be able to give the city enough information to make them happy (instead of full architectural plans). This was a good idea. But, she said some things that really concerned me. Because our house is old, we may run into problems. She had a situation where the homeowner wanted to change a window in an old house. The current code would not allow for a window there. So, if they even tried to replace the window, they would lose the right to have one. So, they were forced to leave a rotting, falling down frame in place in order to keep the window. She also said that even if the permit office gives you a permit and you've done everything right (pictures, plans, forms, fees, etc) that the field inspector can still opt not to pass you. Ugh! We're really stuck. Without knowing for sure we can get our window, we can't finalize the bathroom plan, which means the plumber and electrician can't work and we can't order anything. Sounds like there's nothing we can do to know for sure if we can get it.

After demolishing for a few hours I did a lot of cleanup. Our first dumpster is being picked up Thursday and you pay the same whether or not it is full, so I wanted it full. Also, the city is picking up the 24 (!) tires left behind by the previous owner on Friday. They want to come look at the stack to give me a price tomorrow. So I rolled and carried all 24 tires out. Some of them are huge truck tires. I can't imagine how long the pile has been in the backyard. There were vines growing into it, and one tire spilled out some really nice compost. I was glad I did this job last - many of the tires were filled with filthy water that splashed all over me and my shoes until I got the hang of tossing them as I took them from the pile so the water didn't spill on me. By the time I was done, I was filthy with black muck, wet from the waist down and cold and tired. It took over an hour to get all 24 tires out on the front lawn for the inspection and then I have put them out on the curb on Friday.

I'm glad to be home!

A long day

I started today with some phone calls, and then headed off to the permit office. I had a few things to take care of there. I forgot to put one small item on my permit, so I have to add it. I also wanted to find out what was required to make a backyard-facing window into a door. C and I are getting new windows since the old ones are rotted out, don't work well and have bars on them with no release (yeah, in other words, if there's a fire between you and the door, you die). We had been talking about making one of the windows a door, and figured we would do it now rather than spend the money on a window only to change it later. Turns out we can't put it where we wanted it due to the driveway space requirements, and the only other appropriate window is in our bedroom. Oh well, it's good news and bad news. The good news is it eliminated that choice and this item is now not a "habitation" item (e.g. we don't have to tackle this before moving in). The other good news is that the only place left for a door to the backyard is right off the center hall, which is a better place for it anyway. It will just be a longer term project as it will require plans and cutting into walls. The bad news is that we won't have a nice door to the backyard for a while, and it will be a bigger project than if we had used the window to make a door.

The other thing I wanted to check out is the requirements for changing the appearance of a window. In general, we are not changing our windows, only replacing them. But, our new bathroom plan has the only bathroom window now almost in the shower water. I want to enlarge the window and make it mostly glass block (for watertightness and privacy) with a small ventillation window on top. I found out I need an architect or engineer to draw up plans and then it has to go through the approval process. It's not the worst news, but it does add another project to my remodel. I just don't know how else to get around it.

After the permit office, I went to the house for a bit before lunch. I wanted to take down a rusty, wrought iron gate that was attached to the house. I thought it would be one quick thing that would make hauling all the demolition debris easier. It took an hour! The gate was attached to the house with three bolts, and the middle bolt was stripped and covered with paint. Combined with a warped plate on the gate, I just couldn't get a grip on it. I tried all sorts of things. I did a lot of wiggling the gate, hoping I'd loosen the stucco around the bolt. What finally did it was all the movement warped the plate enough that I was able to turn the gate sideways and jump up and down on it and the bolt popped through the warped hole in the plate. Lesson learned: go with whatever works.


I was proud of myself for actually taking a full lunch today. I haven't been doing that, and have been putting in 10 or more hours during the week (not all labor hours, I'm including calls, runs to the home store, meetings, etc. in this) and another 4-6 per day on the weekends. Taking a break really helped, and I figured if I really was a contractor, I'd have a lunch break.

After lunch, I spent some more time demolishing the bathroom today. I have to admit, it was a bit discouraging today. The actual demolition is really fun - it's like solving a series of interlinked puzzles. But I was working on a wall of the bathtub surround and it took forever and I didn't even get one wall down. Anywhere there is tile is really tough - this tile was backed by an inch of cement and chicken wire which was nailed to the framing. It has to be dismanteld layer by layer and the chicken wire needs to be cut or nails pulled one wire at a time. I did make progress, it just feels like not enough. Also, I got so much done last time, I think my expectations were higher.

A nice milestone today - I signed the contract with the electrician and he installed temporary power! There are 4 nice, heavy duty plugs near the panel. Looking at my white board, the temporary power is a huge critical path item for so many jobs. This means I can have any other contractor start at any time! The electric in the house is so bad that he was relieved to see I had all the breakers off and he locked the panel so noboby could turn anything on.

As it got dark, I worked on filling my dumpster since it's being picked up Wednesday. I also made a stop at the home store to get a shovel and bucket. The small dust and scrap from the demolition is getting so thick that it's getting in the way. I want to get it all in the dumpster.

Finally, I spoke to the plumber tonight and checked his references. He should be starting by the end of the week. Now, I'm really tired! It was a long day filled with a lot of different things. Also, demolition is very physical. Try swinging a sledgehammer hundreds of times! Also, today I was working a lot overhead, making it even more of a workout.

Here is the half demolished wall:


Here is a shot of the nasty underlying structure of the tile:

Odds and ends on a Sunday

Today we spent some more time working on the bathroom plan. I think we're nearly final. We're also close to picking a bathtub. We went to the house today and took some measurements and pictures for me to use when I go to the permit office to ask some questions.

We also went to the local home center store. It was a long few hours, but we got a lot done. We looked at windows and doors mostly, and found very cheap countertops for the kitchen. It was kind of funny walking through, because each thing we passed was a place to get sidetracked - it was like "oh yeah, let's look at that real quick, we need that."

A sort of day off....

Today we took some of the day off to go out with friends in the afternoon. Then they all came to see our new house. It was fun to show it to them. After a quick dinner, we got home around 7:00, and decided to work on the bathroom floor plan "for 1/2 hour." We finally called it quits at 11:00.

One nice thing is that we collaborate well together. We each bring really different things to the table, and tend to improve each other's ideas.

Not much to report

I had to work today, so I got minimal house stuff done. I did call the electric company and sheduled someone to come out and "spot" our new panel. Our electrician tipped me off that they may want us to relocate the panel as codes have changed since the 50's. He also said the inspector will want to see the certificate left by the electric company. It's one of those critical path items I think it would be easy to get fouled up on.

I also talked to our first pick for plumbers and his estimate is very reasonable. I am going to check a few references and hopefully we'll have a contract with him by next week. The plumber has to do his rough work in the kitchen and bath before the electrician.

I also talked to the dumpster company and got our exchange (they take the full and leave an empty) set up for next week.

This weekend C and I need to do some serious shopping at the home center.

Demolition rocks!

My day started with a meeting with a landscaper. She was really nice, and I think she'd be great to work with. We walked through the yard, and I told her what the issues are and what our goals are. We also looked through a huge book of photos, and I told her exactly what I liked and didn't like and why. I was surprised to learn I know a lot more about what I like than I thought. I feel really clueless about this part of the remodel, more so than the rest of it. Even though I liked her, I will still interview at least two others.

The porta-potty showed up today on schedule, without even a call. That's two days in a row of things running on schedule! I had the drivers place it in the backyard so nobody walking by will be tempted to use it.

After meeting with the landscaper and talking about the yard, I just couldn't stand looking at the flimsy, falling-down, rusty archway out front. It just had to go now even though it wasn't on the critical path. I went at it with metal shears and a pruner and in half an hour it was down. I did save the night blooming jasmine, which most people think has a nice smell. My mom thinks it smells like urine. I left a good portion of the bush tied to a stake that I cut to the height of the front wall. I'm pretty sure I saved all the snails in the bush, and there were quite a few! Having a dumpster gave me liberty to throw away the rest of the junk the seller left on the front lawn. I only have to get rid of the oil, and it will be dejunked. I still want to take down the wall out front, but it's not a critical path item. I learned today that with all this hard work, sometimes I just have to step away and do something for my heart rather than what the critical path dictates. Just doing this one little thing pumped me up so much and gave me motivation to continue.

Here is the arch before. It looks much worse in person.



Here it is after. The yard still needs a lot of work, but I think it's an improvement.


Around lunchtime, I met with a structural engineer. We wanted him to look at three things - first, the structural soundness of the foundation. There are some large cracks that concerned us. Second, there are some large trees planted really close to the house. Third, we have a concrete foundation out back where the previous owner was going to build a rental unit. We want to rip it out (it's unpermitted) and grass it over. But, we are concerned it may impact the retaining wall between us and our back neighbors. Well, the good news is the house is completely structurally sound. He was not at all concerned, and in fact said our foundation was in excellent condition and had good workmanship. Yay! He felt the cracks were not serious and could be fixed. He also felt the trees posed no threat, as did the landscaper. Yay again! As far as the concrete, I have to have three large holes dug and let the engineer come back for another look.

Sometime recently I must have really bumped my head. I have a huge swollen bump on it near the front. It hurts! The funny thing is I don't remember doing it.

After meeting with the engineer, I went back to demolition. I completely love demolition! It's addicting - I just keep thinking one more piece, one more beam, just that one board. It is really fun and satisfying. It is really a sense of accomplishment with this. I got the linen closet that I started yesterday completely down.

Here is a before shot of the linen closet:


Now it's gone!


I removed the entire soffit over the vanity. I think it was framed to withstand an attack from a band of marauders. Seriously, there were two 2x4's framing a lot of it, and it was just decorative! Inside it was a hanging flourescent light. I shut of all of the breakers for safety and then I disconnected the wires and cut it down. I am learning that demolition is more about finesse, technique, patience and problem solving than brute strength. I am fairly strong and physically fit for a 39-year old woman, but I am no brute. I found that technique works better than force. When starting an area, I first spend some time figuring out how all the pieces connect and which should be removed first. Then it's insert the crowbar, pry a little, wiggle the crowbar, pry a little more, change to a different crowbar, pry a little more, step back and reassess, maybe change techniques. It's also challenging to get the pieces off the ceiling safely while working alone.

Here is a picture of the soffit gone. Unfortunately I couldn't do any better with the light and couldn't find a suitable before picture. Suffice it to say the area over the mirror had a 18" tall by 24" deep soffit in it. The holes in the corner are from my prying with the crowbar.


I also managed to get one sink removed. I started to do the vanity, and then realized it was good to stand on while demolishing the soffit, so I stopped halfway. I had to go under the sink and disconnect the water and drain. It was nasty to see the drain still had water in it after months of no use.





While demolishing the vanity, I was also working my way across and removing tiles. You wouldn't believe how many wacks with a sledgehammer the tiles will stand up to. In some cases it took 4 full strength wacks just to get some cracking. Wow, it's a wonder they ever break.

A short, but satisfying day

I had to work at my job this afternoon, so again it was a short day at the house. I arrived just before 9:00 to meet the electrician only to find someone blocking my driveway with their car! That was a bummer. It's so rude, and I kept the electrician waiting while I dealt with it. To top it off, I couldn't even park in my own driveway. I and several neighbors tried to find the owner, but we couldn't find them so I had to have the car towed. Someone is going to be mad!

The electrician and I walked through the house again, and discussed again what he will do. I've learned a lot after talking to other electricians and wanted to look at the job with those more experienced eyes. He is going to get us a contract this weekend, and we'll have temporary power by Tuesday! This is a big milestone because no work can start without the temporary power. The electricity in the house is so bad that it is not safe to use - people have been getting shocked touching light switches and the home inspector found exposed live wires.

My dumpster arrived today as scheduled, and I didn't even have to make a call! I think I'm so prepared for things to go horribly that when something goes right, it is a pleasant surprise.

After he left, I started demolition on the bathroom. It was harder than it looks! When you see it on TV, the people doing it are pros and know all the tricks. I had to learn the tricks as I went. You'd be surprised how many wacks with a sledgehammer particle board stands up to! The problem is that it flexes instead of breaking. It was interesting problem solving too - I often had to trace through how things were attached - e.g. A to B to C to C so if I want C out I have to find out what B and D are attached to and take them out. I have to say though, this was REALLY fun. I made so much progress in just an hour, and my hard work shows right away.

Here is a before shot of the linen closet in the bathroom:



This is how it looked after an hour:

Progress, but nothing to show

A dental appointment caused me to quit early today. I did manage to get a structural engineer scheduled for an inspection on Thursday. This is not as easy as you may think! There are not that many of them, and many only work on commercial or large projects. A lot of them said and emphatic "no thanks" after I told them where I live. The city where I live is notorious for being really hard on inspections. The building codes are a lot tougher than surrounding communities and the inspectors are more thorough. When we had the place inspected before buying it, our home inspector suggested we have some structural inspections on the foundation and retaining walls.

I also made a quick stop at the home store for some tools and supplies for my demolition, which will begin Thursday.

I'm meeting the electrician tomorrow morning, and our dumpster will be delivered tomorrow as well. Is it strange that I am excited about getting a dumpster?

Got a lot done today!

I started out the day meeting another plumber. He was really great, and I think he's our guy, but I am still waiting for all the estimates to come in. He can help with the General Contractor role, especially with keeping the bathroom remodel on track. I'm very concerned that we are going to run into something later that we didn't think of today that will cost us a lot of time. He also is moving his business toward some design work, and already he had great ideas about the bathroom design. He tweaked what I had come up with just a bit and it went from nice to super! He also does heating as well, so that would be one less contractor to deal with.

While I was waiting for him, I started removing screws, nails and staples from the walls of the master bedroom. I removed 53 just from that room! The other rooms are just as bad.

After meeting the plumber, I went back to the permit office and was able to get my permit in under two hours! This felt like a huge milestone because now the work can start. I'm meeting the electrician Wednesday morning to get started.

I also ordered a dumpster and porta-potty today so I can begin demolition. I also called around and found out how to dispose of the tires the prior owner left on the property.

So, it was a long and busy day but I did get a lot done. It doesn't seem like much when I write it down, but it did take all day. It's an interesting learning process. I find I naturally want to do the more "satisfying" tasks first even though it's not the logical order to do them. For example, I spent all day today on these tasks, and have "nothing to show" for it. Even though the project advanced a lot, the house doesn't look any different. I really wanted to demolish the broken down wall out front. It would do so much toward making the house look better. But, the tasks I did today are on the critical path and are holding up other things. The wall is not. So, I have to stay focused on the critical path and not on what's fun. It reminds me of painting - actually putting the paint on the wall is very satisfying, but the bulk of the work is the less glamorous prep work.

A sort of day off....

C's parents came up for a visit and to see the house today. It was really fun to show it to them because they saw it in the truly before form - even earlier than the before pictures here. Believe it or not it was even worse. We've made a lot of progress so far. I think they can really see the potential now. It was fun to have someone to bounce ideas off of.

I also borrowed some heavy duty tools from C's dad. I have some tools myself, but I needed some additional ones for demolition and was hoping not to buy things I'd probably use only once. C and I did some measuring of rooms, and taped off some room layouts to see how the furniture would work. It's a great technique I learned by watching Kenneth Brown on the HGTV show Redesign. He used spray paint to show the layout of a room. For example in a kitchen, he would spray paint the floor to show where the island, sink, stove, refrigerator, etc are. We used painter's blue tape so it would come off easily. It's a simple, but incredibly effective technique. It allows you to walk into the room and around the furniture the way you would in reality. We found that our bed will work better against the north wall rather than the east. We found that a big bathtub in the same place as the present bathtub will block the door from opening fully. So, it was a worthwhile exercise.

We have been having problems figuring out the bathroom layout. There are so many factors to consider. There are clearances in around each item in the bathroom, door opening, plumbing, towel bar locations, window issues, etc, etc, etc. I think we found an optimal layout though. We have a few non-negotiables in the bathroom - a big bathtub is one, and complying to code is another. We also wanted to make sure that if we are required by code to widen the door we can. It's only 2 feet wide, and we may have to make it wider. After going through our taping exercise today, we really eliminated all the options for where the tub can go except the back wall. We also decided to get just a single sink vanity, which I think was truly the keystone that made the plan come together. There just wasn't enough room to have a big tub and double sinks. We went out to eat afterwards, and I think I sketched the perfect plan on my placemat. I'm off to go put it in my design software to see if it will work.

I had planned on relaxing tonight, but now that I'm on to something, I just have to pursue it. If I can solve the great bathroom mystery, I will be a happy woman. It will also help in dealing with contractors, which if I hope to start soon.

Tomorrow's tasks - meet another plumber at 8:00, back to the permit office, then on the phone for a construction dumpster and porta-potty.

A day off

Today I had planned to take a day off. This week has been really draining, although I am enjoying the project overall. I've been up really late and starting really early, so I've had way too little sleep and could feel my problem-solving and decision-making brain circuits shutting down last night. After talking to C this morning, we then thought we should get over to the house and take care of some small things like measuring and figuring where certain things will go so I can direct the contractors. As we were getting ready to leave, I just couldn't go. I was too tired and needed to unplug.

We ended up doing a small run to the hardware store on our way out to meet friends. We also measure the room we are using as our bedroom (which is not the largest bedroom) and found that our bed will fit. Yay!

Before dinner, our friends came over and saw the house for the first time. We were happy they got to see it in the more or less before state. It was fun to show them.

I was glad I took the day off. I felt much better tonight - a bit recharged and more ready to tackle problems. Interestly enough, C and I solved the problem of providing a construction waste management plan with our permits today, and we were just discussing it casually. Today was a good lesson that sometimes a day off adds more the the project than you lose in time. Also, it was a good lesson in pacing ourselves. This is a long project and we have to approach it more like tortoises and less like hares.

My first setback

Well, I went to the permit office today for my first attempt at getting a permit. I got through the first two reviewers easily, but by the time I got to the third person I got stuck. I need a provide a plan for the construction waste. Hmmm, this is really the first bad surprise I've had. It's not insurmountable, it just sets me back a bit. I was really confused by the form and the requirements, and had to quit the permit office for the day and go to work. Also, the person I needed to speak to about construction waste (who doesn't work in the permit office) wasn't in today. I'll try to work on the form this weekend and hopefully Monday I can make some calls and find out what I need. Part of the problem is that I haven't hired all my contractors yet, and if you are handling your waste by having the contractor haul it away you have to provide the contractor name and where they will haul it. There's a circular logic problem here - I can't complete my permit without knowing who the contractors are. I can't hire a contractor without knowing when they can start, which I need a permit to figure out. I had planned to get a construction waste dumpster for demolition and then ask certain contractors such as the roofer, landscaper and window person to haul away their waste. I also have to provide estimates in cubic yards and tons of how much waste I'll produce in this remodel. Wow, how can you possibly do that?

I felt really overwhelmed by this and I was concerned it would set me back weeks. As I thought about it though, I calmed down. It's like any other project I've tackled to date - I just have to keep asking questions until I solve the problem. I have to remind myself there is a solution to this, I just need to find it. One of my favorite sayings (especially with the remodeling) is "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time."

More plumbers and more dejunking

Today went pretty well. I met the first plumber around 8:30 a.m. and he was pretty nice. The second plumber called and was able to move my appointment up so I was finished with them sooner than expected. Both meetings went pretty well.

During the time waiting for the plumbers and after they left, I finished dejunking the house! Completely! All the trash is bagged and/or stacked and just waiting for trash day. There are currently 40 bags of trash in addition various boxes and large objects stacked about. There is also about two bags full of chemicals to be disposed of. I am recycling anything I can.

I spent about an hour and a half prepping to go to the permit office for the try at applying tomorrow. It's a multi-step process, so I expect to have to go back again.

Here is a before shot of the last bedroom:


and after:
The bathroom counter before:
The bathroom counter after:
The tub before:
Teh tub after:

Still going well.....

Today was another good day. I went to city hall to inquire about permits. I had about two hours to spend there, and I brought a book with me in case of a long wait. Well, after I spoke to a very professional and helpful man at the reception desk, he told me where to sit and the planner came right over. I had an immediate comprehensive one-on-one consultation with him where he answered all my questions. It was really great! I was very impressed. I was pleased to find out all the work I need can go on one permit. It seems like a fairly straightforward process - I just need prepare a list of everything I am doing. It can be in layman's terms such as "Bring all electrical up to code and install a new panel. May include additional outlets and circuits." I was in and out of the building in 20 minutes!

Next, I met a really great plumber. He was very knowledgable and seemed to genuinely care about me and the job. He was also willing to help me with the planning and management of the various jobs. He also knows a general contractor he has worked with for years on many jobs, and this GC does framing, tiling, cabinetry, drywall, etc. This is really good because I am very concerned about managing my critical path and the fewer people I have to coordinate the better. The plumber said he had no problem coordinating the details with the GC. It was a good meeting. Later that evening, the plumber called me back to say he had already spoken to the GC and that the GC was expecting my call. That's good customer service!

The hauler completely finished the backyard this morning. It is like night and day. The backyard looks so much bigger and better. It is our first real progress. I also expect to have the entire house dejunked by Friday, so our first remodeling task is almost done!

Here is a before shot from the end of the backyard looking toward the house:



Here's the after shot:

The BEST day yet

Today was truly the best house day since we put our offer in three months ago. I started the day by meeting a hauler I had called to clear the junk left behind by the seller. The hauler came highly recommended by my real estate agent, and both her and her boss speak of him in with huge admiration. I didn't understand how they could be so excited about someone until I saw him work. I was supposed to meet him between 8:30 and 9:00, and when I arrived at 8:35 the yard looked better already. He was with his wife, who works with him, and two helpers. They really just went to town. They did everything I wanted and more. By tomorrow, the yard should be completely junk free. I'll post pictures tomorrow when they are done. I will be done dejunking the house by the end of the week. C's parents are coming up on Sunday, and we are excited to show them the house. They haven't seen it since before the seller even moved, so they will be pleasantly surprised.

Later, I met with a general contractor. I haven't wanted to hire one both for the cost and because I want the experience of this project and the pride of doing it myself. However, in the interest of being a saavy consumer, we've decided to interview a few to see if it would be worth it. I really liked him - he was very intelligent and a good communicator. The problem is that our job is really a string of many small things and he is more of a construction manager. He works mainly on new construction and is building his own development. He did agree to consult with me on an as-needed basis for an hourly fee. I felt such relief from this option. He is local, so he knows all the local ins and outs. He can keep me from getting stuck on things and make sure my critical path items are on track. One of my biggest fears is that two months from now something will come up that I should have been working on today. Also, I am a bit intimidated by coordinating all the contractors in order and he can help there as well. Finally, I am hoping to get referrals from him or at least check the people I find with him.

As if all this wasn't enough, I got the results of my asbestos testing and there is NO asbestos in my walls (interior and exterior) or insulation! Yay! The contractor I met with today did think that some linoleum tiles in the master bedroom probably had asbestos in the glue. While this will require remediaiton, it is a small job.

Wow, what a day. This afternoon after I met the contractor and he eased my mind and I then saw my backyard coming together, I had such a moment of gratitude and joy. I really almost felt like crying tears of awe and wonder at my good fortune.

I did manage to finish clearing the master bedroom today. Here are some before and after shots. I may ask C to get some better "after" shots. I took these with his camera, and he is really a better photographer than me.

This is a shot from the door of the room. On the left you see the edge of the mirrored closet doors that are mounted on what we are calling the closet "bump out." The prior owner used some industrial shelving to extend the closet about 2 1/2 feet into the room. You couldn't even open the door all the way, and it made the existing closet useless. It was very odd.



Another shot from the door, looking more toward the right.



A shot of the closet bump-out at the end furthest from the door. C's pants are visible in the mirror.


The closet bump-out near the door. You can see why the door wouldn't open all the way.


After dejunking. Looking from the door to the opposite corner. The open window looks out to the backyard. The other window looks out to the side of the house.


No more closet bump-out!

City Holiday

I went to city hall today to talk to a planner to find out what permits I will need. I completely forgot they are closed due to the MLK holiday. Unfortunately, this sets me back two days instead of just one because I am aleady booked tomorrow. I am meeting the electrician to finalize our agreement once I've been to city hall.

I decided to use the time to bag some more trash at the house. I find I can only do it in small chunks of time - 3-5 hours at most. It's overwhelming because there is so much trash and even neatly bagged and stacked, there's hardly room for it all. A lot of it is just loose, small stuff that needs to be picked up by hand. It's very tedious. I usually leave anything sweepable (even if it is larger than what I would normally sweep) to the end and get it with a heavy broom. It's funny because I debated whether or not to buy the heavy broom and dustpan. I just don't like having things that are not useful or things that I have more than one of. But, boy have they already paid off! Today was difficult because I was working in the master bedroom where a lot of electronics were. Each time I'd go to pick one up, it would be followed by a tangle of wires that connected it to other electronics. Each of these "octopusses" were difficult to wrestle into a trash bag. Some were 6 feet long! I also picked up a length of plastic hose and discovered too late that it was for a shop vacuum with the top attached. As I picked it up, a huge cloud of dust spilled out the end and all over the place. Yuck, ew, cough, sputter, x#$%^& !!!!!

On a good note, still no critters sighted!

I've heard such horror stories about contractors that I've been expecting the worst. So far, my worst experience has been just a bit of poor listening and communicating. I've actually met several really nice ones that have gone the extra mile to help out. The guy we selected actually took the time to write out a work flow for the whole remodel for us. He said he had seen too many jobs go awry when the homeowner tries to manage it. I think this is an excellent way to do business - it was a small gesture on his part that wasn't strictly "his job" but that will save us both time, money and headaches later.

I called 10 plumbers and was able to set 2 appointments already. I called in the evening so not a lot of them were in. There are a lot more highly-rated plummers on Angie's List than electricians so the choices are good. I was very pleased to find that several were licensed not only as plumbers but also as HVAC. I found at least two that can do the plumbing, repiping, and heating system. This multi-licensing will be a high item on my priority list as many things in this area (plumbing, HVAC and repiping) are critical path items and it will be great to have just one contractor instead of 3.

I also purchased a white board today and laid out all the different projects and contractors in a flow chart. The arrows make it easy to spot the dependencies and the critical path. It really helped ease my mind a lot. I had to assimilate all the information we have to date and really think about it. There are tons of dependencies, some of them obvious, others not so much so. For example, we need the driveway cleaned (oil and chemical spills) and repaired (cracks and shifting) before we can close off the end of the driveway with a fence as part of the backyard. Another example: we need a structural engineer to look at the foundation and possible tree damage before we have the trees trimmed, i.e. we need to tell the tree person any recommendations the engineer makes. I am glad I got a white board because I can easily change it as I go (I changed it many times just drafting it). Also, I like the visual organization it provides. I plan on wiping things off once they are done - that will make it easier to see the remaining items and give me the satisfaction of watching the remaining items dwindle. Here is my first pass at my plan (it's not as bad as it looks, really!) I think also it looks worse than it is because I was really cooking while I was drawing this, and didn't really take time to make it neat.





I am an organized person by nature, and disorganization causes me stress. So, believe it or not after finishing drawing the tangle above I felt less stressed. I took a little bit of time before I could see how to organize this process, but I am getting on top of it now. I just put together a binder with sections for everything. Even today, while calling plumbers, I was so much better prepared than I was for round #1 when I talked to electricians.

Before and during cleanup pictures

C and I mostly took the day off today except to go to the house and take some pictures to show our progress. Well, that is if you count having almost every conversation eventually make it's way to the house a day off.

This is our living room before any cleaning:


This is the living room now:



The kitchen before:


The kitchen now:


I can't call these the after pictures - we are still clearing debris and there is a big remodel to come. These are really progress pictures. It feels better already!

A day of dejunking

C and I spent 5 1/2 hours today dejunking. The seller was there removing the remainder of his belongings. We got a lot done - the living room, kitchen/dining room, and hallway are broom clean. All 3 bedrooms have much less in them. We disassembled a make shift closet "bump out" which extended the closet into the room about 2 feet with industrial shelving. We bagged massive amounts of trash and stacked recyclables. I think we will end up getting a dumpster. There is just so much to throw away it will take months of weekly trash days. Also, debris from the demolition of the kitchen, bath and front wall can go in there. The front wall is falling down and is a safety hazard so it has to go! The place looks a lot better already. A plus - we haven't found any critters yet!

Props to C today as well - I asked him to make a run to buy more heavy duty trash bags, but forgot to tell him to get several boxes. He came back with 50 bags and a snack for me! Way to go to my fabulous husband!


Our trash pile - chemicals on the left, trash in the middle and recyclables on the right. It is sure to get larger before it gets smaller.

Almost ready to hire electrician

I met another electrician today, and it just confirms what I have already figured out. Communication is key! I had called the company earlier in the week and described what I wanted - e.g. that hubby and I had just bought a fixer that needs all new electrical as well as some upgrades and we wanted an estimate for the job. The receptionist said to fax our home inspection report, which I did with a note saying "To Jane Doe, From M, for estimate." The electrician showed up today with tools thinking he had a quick fix-it job to do before running off to another job. Then he thought he was doing an inspection. Huh? How did this get so bungled? It's not like the request went through 50 people. He was also a poor communicator. While we were in the bathroom, I described how things would be arranged, and that a linen closet made of cabinetry would be gone. We were then talking about a 4-switch lightswitch plate to be installed near the door. He kept saying there wasn't room, and I told him 5 times that there was room because the linen closet was being removed. He finally got it after the fifth time.

In the garage, I asked him 3 times what is the minimum amount of work to be done to make it up to code. The first two times he gave vague, wandering answers that were not what I asked. The third time I got a vague answer saying that it depends on the inspector - some will let existing things go even if not up to code. I gave up.

Toward the end, I asked him when and how I could expect an estimate. He kept telling me he was off to do another job. After several rounds of this, he said I should call the office as he had no idea. Not good! I mean doing and estimate has to be a routine thing for electricians, how could they send him out so clueless to the obvious question of when and how I would receive it? Well, I don't think this company will be getting the job.

Another interesting thing is that I learn from each person I talk to, so what I've told the later electricians is different than the earlier ones. That makes already uncomparable estimates even less comparable. Thus, my emphasis on trustworthiness. I'm also learning how things go over budget. Since we're doing such a big remodel, it seems only logical to add things in as long as we're not living there and they are digging into walls and such. But I think it's these small charges that add up. For example, someone yesterday asked me if I wanted lights in my closets. At first I said no (trying to save money and focus on just the essentials). But then again, lights in the closets are really nice and we may pay twice as much to do it later. So, I'm not sure.

There are so many decisions to be made! Just consider one small thing - light switches. There are several different styles - the regular kind you switch up and down, the kind that look like a recessed rectangle where you just touch the top or the bottom, dimmers, etc. Then I was asked if I want white or ivory. How can I know that yet? That's something I would decide later after decorating. I have to give the specific location of every plug in every room, and if I want a quad or a two-plug. How many dedicated circuits do I want and where? Wow. This is one reason why I want someone I can really work with and talk to again and again over the period that the job takes.

I may try to buy some of my materials myself. One of the electricians suggested it and gave me a wholesale place where they buy theirs. At first I though no because I assumed that even with a markup that the electrician could get a better price. He said no, that it would be more expensive because I would have to pay the electrician's time. Makes sense - I would have to pay the full rate to have him shop for me.

Making progress

I met with another electrician today, and boy is it confusing. Every one give us very different information, even on simple things like what is required for code. I've added a third priority to my criteria (the first two are trustworthiness and locally based). The third one is communication. Some of the people I've talked to are really good, clear communicators and some are really bad at either listening or giving information. Today's guy kept telling me again and again that he couldn't install conduits in the walls for our future use (our idea is to have a vertical conduit in each room that runs up to the attic so anthing can be easily attached). The other contractors all said this would be done. After 10 minute of asking questions, he finally said it could be done but he would have to rip out the plaster in a section of wall. Ugh! I told him multiple times that we know significant holes will be made for electrical and plumbing and we don't mind.

I got a taste of typical remodeling drama this morning as well. One electrician was supposed to call between 7:30 and 8:00 am and let me know what time he would be there, which was sometime before noon. At 8:30 I called him, and got "Oh yeah, I was just looking at my schedule and thinking I should call you. One of our trucks broke down yesterday and we're running behind schedule. We won't be able to make it today, can we reschedule." Of course I understand that vehicles break down, but how about a call? I did reschedule him though, and he said I'd get a good price. We'll see, I'm still interviewing.

I also took samples today from the exterior stucco, the interior plaster and the attic insulation. These will be tested for asbestos. One of the electricians said it was common for interior plaster to have asbestos in it for houses built when ours was (1952). I found a testing company that will take mailed-in samples. I decided to do all three in one shot, just to be sure. I hope to be doing a lot of the demolition myself, but not if there's asbestos! I'm concerned about this - it could add another huge job to the remodel that it unanticipated and would be huge on the critical path. We may need to rip out all the asbestos-containing material and redo it. I should have the results on Tuesday.

I also set up an interview with a general contractor. C feels like the project is moving too slow and is so complicated that we are bound to miss something and have a delay later. I agree with him that it is very complicated, so we are going to interview a few general contractors and see what is covered and what the cost is. Even though we have to pay the GC, it may save us money in time delays, mistakes and materials. I'll be a little disappointed if we have to hire one though. I've always wanted to do this and am really enjoying it. I love showing up in my work clothes and donning work gloves. I love everything I'm learning. I don't just want to be the woman of the house who shows up at the end to pick out tiles. But, I have to be realistic.

Tomorrow is trash day, so I made a point of filling all my trash cans with the prior owner's left behind junk. I want to make sure I at least do that every week. I also swept the sidewalk and the part of the driveway that doesn't have junk on it. It's been so long since they've been cleaned that it took an hour to do a small area. It helped a little.

Another day

We started today with another meeting with an electrician that our realtor has recommended multiple times. He was really great and actually agreed to prepare an estimate! I feel like a contestant on "The Bachelor" who has just been given a rose and can proceed to the next step. It's really a multi-step process - after checking them out, I call the contractor and describe what I want and they tell me if they will even do an estimate (the first rose ceremony). If they show up, that's the second rose ceremony. If they agree to do an estimate, that's the third rose ceremony. We're hoping to get the recommended three estimates before choosing one. It's been really interesting though - each contractor says very different things (one says we need to upgrade to 200 amp service, one discouraged us from doing it because we don't need it), and each estimate will be very different so I think it will be difficult to compare.

I've learned that two things will be very important in my selection - first, we have to trust and like the person. We're getting really different information from everyone, so we want to make sure that we have a trustworthy person. Also, this is going to be a long-term relationship with lots of decision making and compromise. Today's contractor told me this could take 3 months start to finish with all the inspections and final work. Second, I think I want someone who is based nearby. I can see all sorts of problems popping up if someone is going to be travelling a long distance almost daily for several months.

So this is how remodeling is...

Well, the day started with a great meeting with a great electrician. It went downhill when he told us he couldn't do the job. He works by himself and our job is just too big. We need the entire electrical system rewired, the panel replaced and we want a few upgrades while we making a mess.

Dumpster #2 was supposed to be here yesterday. When I called at 3:15 yesterday, they said the driver was on his way. When I called today, they said they thought it was a removal, not swapping a new dumpster in for the old (even though they were told Friday and Monday that it was an exchange). The seller should be handling this.

In the last two days, I called 15 electricians and managed to set 6 appointments for estimates, including the appointment I had today. I felt like today was a successful day. I'm really learning as I go - not only about electrical systems but about dealing with contractors. I check each one on the state website and Better Business Bureau. I have perfected my spiel telling them what I want. I'm gradually compiling a list of everything I need to discuss with each contractor. I've learned something from every contractor I've talked to.

A mixed day, mostly good

Today I was really able to get started with the work. C and I have decided to have the electrical done first. Our thinking is that no other workers can get much done without safe electricity to use. The house was built in 1952, and the electrical has had various ugly, non-permitted, unsafe grafts since then. There are live wires running amok in the attic, and almost every outlet in the house is vomiting up it's contents. One of the agents got shocked switching on a light.

I spent an hour or so this afternoon calling electricians. I'm a pretty thorough person, so I felt prepared when talking to them. We were able to get one referral from our agent, and I also use www.angieslist.com to find contractors. It's a site where consumers such as myself can rate contractors. I started there with contractors who have multiple ratings and high averages. Then I looked them up on the state contractor licensing site and on the Better Business Bureau. I called anyone that made it past this point successfully. It was a pretty good day - I called 9 contractors and actually set two appointments. I'd like to set at least two more. I've heard that it is good to get at least 3 bids before deciding on a contractor, so this way we'll still have our 3 even if someone doesn't show. The first appointment is tomorrow.

Since there is still so much debris on the property, I really want to go in and bag trash. But, given the time lag with the contractors, I know my time is better used in setting up appointments. It's a learning process, and I am learning that I have to focus on "critical path" items, not the ones that give me immediate satisfaction.

A small setback - we were waiting for construction dumpster #2 to show up. The seller called on Friday afternoon and the company said it would be out on Monday to take away the full one and replace it with a new one. At 3:15, it still wasn't there so I called the company who said the driver was on his way. As of 9:00 tonight, still no dumpster. I think this is par for the course in home remodeling projects. I just don't understand where the miscommunication could have occurred - I mean, how many different ways are there to interpret "on the way?" So, first thing tomorrow I have to call the dumpster company again.

Hurry up and wait

Nothing happened today. We are waiting for construction dumpster #2 to show up tomorrow, so there isn't much to do. There just isn't anyplace to put anything right now. Our big push now is to clear the remainder of the seller's stuff, much of which is going in the dumpster.

Clearing debris

Yesterday C and I spent the day helping the former owner clear 30 years of debris. There was so much stuff - a whole group of people worked all day and still didn't finish. The good news is that we cleared enough to start working on the house. This is a big milestone and I am really excited. Hopefully, I will at least have set some appointments for estimates by the end of the week.

A new homeowner moment

I had an interesting moment today as a new homeowner. We are moving out the last of the things the previous owner left behind tomorrow, so I went to the home center to buy some supplies. Among my purchases was a large push broom and very large dustpan. At first I balked at buying them - why have more than one broom, why have two large implements, would I use them, do I need them, etc. But then I realized that owning and maintaining a home requires stuff. Due to the yard and shedding trees, I will need a big broom and dustpan. I'm not used to this - I hate clutter and am constantly trying to downsize my possessions. It felt a little cumbersome at first, like getting more tied and less free. Don't get me wrong, I am happy to be a homeowner but it was just a bit of a turning point for me.

Hopefully, the place will be cleared out tomorrow and we can't do a quick clean up and get the first of the contractors in next week. Yay!