More progress, tighter deadlines and a design dilemma solved

I met another roofer today, and interesting enough his quote was exactly the same as the first. I'm not sure who to pick (feels like I'm The Bachelor, on the tv series of the same name). The first one is more personable and professional. The second one was less professional - their office staff was not very impressive and they didn't see why I needed or wanted to be here when he came by ("Can't he just come out and measure? Why do you need to be there?") Uh, how will I ask the 20+ questions I have written down? How will I see if I like him and if he's professional? What if he doesn't like me? What about all the little items I want to point out that may factor into his estimate? I can't believe they would even ask that. On the other hand, the first one does not regularly work in my city, and it is notorious for being brutal on inspections. The second one works here all the time and is used to it. So, I'm not sure, but I'm interviewing my third one tomorrow, so hopefully I'll know then.

The plumbers continued to make progress. The ducts leading to the registers (for heat) are almost done. They look really good.

Here is one of our new heating duct. It will be covered with a register.



There is some concrete in our backyard we want to have removed. The engineer told us to have holes drilled so he can see what's inside and make sure we can remove it without being in danger of damaging the adjacent walls. Here the concrete guy is beginning to jackhammer the hole. I considered doing it myself, but it was cheaper to have him do it when I considered the cost of renting the jackhammer and buying proper safety shoes (that I'd never need again). It also would have taken me much longer.


Here is the completed hole (although, can you dig half a hole?) I'm really hoping we can remove the concrete.


Here is our heater waiting for the installation to be completed.


Some duct work waiting to be installed.


My friend Trish stopped over to help me solve a design dilemma (She just completed a 2 1/2 year remodel). There's an enclosure in the kitchen where the heater, laundry and pantry are. It's set up pretty inefficiently spacewise now, and I don't particularly like it. Also, I don't think the framer and drywaller can get in and cut out/repair all the damaged area with the enclosure in place. She helped me step through my ideas and figure out what to do. I'm going to demolish the area and let the repair crew come in and get rid of the rot and mold. After putting in the water heater and washer/dryer, I'll use a modular shelving system that can be customized to maximize the available space. Then I'll hang a nice curtain in front of it. I think this will add some interest, and it is a cheap and attractive solution. I don't want to spend a lot of money on this as we plan to do a kitchen remodel in 5-10 years. Trish pointed out too that with a curtain, especially a nice one, it won't be obvious I'm hiding something. It will look more like an intentional design item. Mom, are you reading this? (Mom of M is an excellent curtin maker).

I'm feeling the pressure a bit now. The deadlines are getting tighter and any delay now will cost us time. A lot more things are now set, and we can't change our minds. I have more going simultaneously and the dependencies are getting greater. I can have a framer as early as Friday, and I haven't even selected one yet. I have a huge order to place at the home center, and I'm not even close to ready. I need to have it placed by the end of the week. It's more pressure, but it's a good thing because the project is moving.