3rd electrical panel inspection

Today we had our third electrical panel inspection. I once again tried to get the same guy we had last time and was unable to. A third guy came out today. The problem with different inspectors is that each one can give you a whole new list of things the first ones didn't find. We had to get one thing inspected 4 times. So, I was somewhat nervous when yet another guy was coming out today. I just didn't know how much longer I could keep the electric company at bay. Fortunately we passed and the city will let the electric company know that all if fine for them to re-meter us.

I did some more tiling today, and I cannot believe how slow it is. I laid 36 tiles that were each 12"x12" over the last two days. It takes anywhere from 15-30 minutes to lay one tile and get it level. I'll be glad later though when the floor is done right. It is a real sense of accomplishment. The only tiles left in this area are ones that have to be cut, so we'll do those over the next few days after we can walk on the the ones I've laid already.

Things are looking good for the plumber to come on Friday. That's the big push right now is to be ready for them and get a functioning bathroom. I've fought so much with the plumbers already I think they'd kill me if I postponed them now.


Here is my two days worth of tiling. The door is a side door in the kitchen. The back wall will have cabinets housing the water heater, pantry cabinets and washer/dryer.






Here is the bath tile with the tub deck and face done and the first row of wall tiles. The wall tiles are square glass tiles. The tub deck and face are green "subway" tiles that are laid like bricks.

Electrical panel inspection

Today the contractor continued to work on the bathroom. The plumber is coming on Friday, and we are really hoping to have everything ready for him so he can finish once and for all. I started tiling the laundry/mud area by the back door. I've never tiled before, so it was a really educational day. Tiling is really hard! It's not that bad putting the tiles in place, but what is really bad is leveling the heights of adjacent tiles. I definitely got better as I went along, and the contractor was tiling the bathroom at the same time so he mixed the morter for me. He was also really helpful in coaching me - in fact it was his idea that I tile while he was there so he could help me. It will also make the project a little smoother - the cabinets and washer/dryer can sit on top of the finished floor. It also means I can get the washer and dryer sooner! Yay, no more laundromat.

We had our second inspection of the electrical panel today. The electrician connected our old meter to the new panel and the electric company doesn't like that, even though the panel can be read and we can be billed. The panel is inspected toward the end of the project and the electrical service is "released" to the electric company meaning that the city certifies that everything in the house is safe and the panel can be re-metered and re-connected to the street. The guy that did the first inspection told me to come to the office early in the morning to make sure he got the inspection so we wouldn't get stuck in paperwork. I did that, but it had already been assigned to someone else and he was unable to switch. So, a second inspector came out today and gave us a brand new list of corrections to fix. This is a problem because the electric company is threatening to turn off the power and I told them we would pass today based on what the first guy said. Fortunately, I was able to hold them off for one more day. The electrician is coming out today to make the fixes, and we have another inspection tomorrow.

Memorial day, and still working

Even though today is a holiday, we still were hard at work on the house. The crew got in at 9 a.m. and C and I spent the day setting up, trying to organize and running errands. It seemed to help a little with the chaos.

A second day off

Today was another much needed day off. It was really nice to wake up in the house. It's really quiet, there are birds chirping and I have a parking space whenever I come in without driving around. I feel like I'm in a resort. Wow.

A much needed day off

Today I declared myself off-duty, and adamently refused to address any one of the thousands of things that need to be done in the house. It was one of the most exhausted I've ever felt in my life. My brain just wouldn't handle any more.

Busy, but on a treadmill

Today was a really busy day, but like running on a treadmill, I got next to nowhere. I started with the walk through inspection on the apartment and we passed no problem. We'll get our full deposit back. I checked my email, and my replacement cell phone/pda got shipped to the old address, so I had to keep checking back all day to get it. I went to the library to try to track it down online, only to realize I forgot to print the tracking number. After going to two places with internet access and finding it down, I went to the copy store and the card reader ate my card and then the computer froze. I did manage to get what I need and the cell phone showed up at 4 pm.

I spent the afternoon at the house, did a small food shopping run (no room to buy a lot) and then collapsed at home exhausted.

The bathroom tile looks great. Here is a shot of it more completed than yesterday.



Here is the master bedroom fully painted. I like the paint color. On the left is the closet which is painted the same white as the ceiling.


Another shot of the bathroom tile.

And still another shot of the bathroom.

A productive first day in the house

I spent the morning trying to replace my cell phone/pda. It was a bit of a drama, requiring multiple trips to the library and copy store to use the internet (ours won't be working in the house for two weeks or so).

We had to work with the gas company to get them to reinstall the meter. They didn't want to do it because they had already done it once (we had to have the plumber disconnect it for the gas pressure test at inspection). I wasn't there, but the contractor managed to convince them to do it. The satallite company also came to connect the tv, and got it working in a few hours. Props to C for handling this so smoothly!

C and I made three trips or so to finish the apartment and we are ready for our inspection tomorrow.

Here is the beginning of the bathroom tiling. I really like my choice. It is hard to do - you have to get each row perfectly level or it will be way off at the top.


Here is more of the bathroom tiling completed. I like the color variation in the tiles. I think it makes them look hand made.


Here is our living room

And what a treat to have an actual light on a switch!

Here is our de facto dining room. There's no place to really spread out and eat in the house without getting in the way of the people working. (This is in our garage with most of our stuff).

Moving day, aka chaos day!

Today was it, moving day! It was a day full of chaos and drama. I had to be at the house waiting for an inspection and managing two different crews working. The plumber showed up right at 8:00, but the general contractor (who has been functioning as an intermediary when the plumber has been difficult) was stuck in traffic and late.

One of the first things we discovered is that the toilet rough in (the hole the toilet sits on in the floor) was wrong. It was supposed to be at 12" (standard for new construction as well as what the plumber told me to buy for the toilet) and it was at 10.5 inches. This isn't even a standard size (they are either 10, 12, or 14 inches). The plumber tried to blame me by saying he and I talked about it and I told him to do it this way which is not true. We argued vehemently for a while, and then he finally gave in and then hung up on me! How unprofessional and high schoolish! Then he wanted to charge me to pump the gas line full of air (for the pressure test for the inspection). I told him no way, I'd do it myself (you use a bike pump or air compressor). He insisted that I couldn't do it myself, but of course couldn't give me a reason because it's NOT TRUE! I had already done it myself several times. Maybe he was just thinking I'd cave because he had me over a barrel. He didn't know who he was messing with!

C handled the whole move at the old apartment with the help of his family. I was supposed to be there, but could not free up from the house all day. Even though it was chaotic, we did manage to get mostly done, and we spent our first night here. At 11 pm, I dropped by phone/pda which damaged the screen. All I can say is, not a good day for that!

We have a working toilet, but no running water. Our "kitchen" consists of a microwave and refridgerator. We will be going back to the apartment for the next few days to shower (and then using the local public pool). The house is in shambles - construction dust everywhere, you have to wear shoes inside, tools everywhere, etc. We are living in one small room and the rest of our stuff is in the garage. It's paradise! I actually mean that - it is so good to be living here. I hadn't realized how draining it was to manage two homes and always figure out where to be when. The house is great, quiet, cool, pleasant to be in. Yay!

Our bathtub is temporarily stored in the kitchen.


Our new toilet. It works, but will have to be pulled up and then reset permanently to allow for flooring and painting.

Our new sink and vanity. I'm very happy with the combination. It's a relief because you never know how things will look until they are put together.

Here is the moving truck mostly unloaded.

Our "kitchen."

1 day to go, and it's a go!

Well, it's official. We are moving tomorrow. It's going to be a long, wild day but tomorrow night we'll sleep in our own house. What is a little scary is that it will be such a long time before the place is really any semblance of done.

I started today by waiting for the termite people to certify the house for re-entry. They actually come and test that the gas has entirely dissipated. We passed with no problem. I think some of the gas settles on the surfaces because it had a strange, chemical smell that tasted of metallic to me.

After packing for a few hours, I went back to the house to wait for the gas company and to let the general contractor in. The gas has to be turned off for the termite tenting, and they were coming today to turn it back on. When I got there, the contractor volunteered to wait for the gas company since he had to be there anyway. What a break - I got to go home and work on packing. It's a funny thing about packing - I keep spending hours doing it and it seems I never make a dent. About 3:00, I got the strangest phone call from the contractor. The gas company had come out to turn the gas on and the meter was gone! I have no idea how that happened. We think maybe the guy who turned the gas off took it since it wasn't connected to the new gas piping we installed. Or, somebody came to read the meter and took it for the same reason. Either way, it was gone and the guy who came out today said it was no problem and hooked up a new meter. He also connected the gas piping to it, which the plumber said could not be done without jackhammering out the surrounding cement stair landing. Ha, looks like he was wrong or just wanted to use the jackhammer at my expense!

We got it changed and while the gas man was there the plumber showed up to go through (for the THIRD time what work we are having done tomorrow. Can't he take notes or something? It was a funny thing watching him work with the general contractor - the plumber creates problems and the GC solves them. I am really sick of this plumber and will never use him again. He mentioned multiple times "if I have to do work twice, it will be a charge." Does he think I'm stupid or that I can't hear him? I think he is still having sour grapes because I refused to pay him for fixing his own mistake before.

Anyway, now that the gas man did his thing, the gas system won't pass a pressure test (the piping must hold 15 pounds of pressure for 15 minutes when filled with air) which I still need done. I'm not sure why because the system was leak-free when he attached the meter (he tested it himself). I will try to get him back out tomorrow. The gas company is actually really good at service.

Another long day of packing. It is 12:30, and I am finally off to bed. I can't wait for tomorrow to be over! I had to change the posting time date to get this on the right date.

2 days to go

Today the termite tent came off, but they have to come back tomorrow to test the air quality and certify that we can go back in. I waited from 8 until 9, when the office opened and then I called to see what time they were coming. I wanted to be there while they were working to make sure the house was properly locked up and to make sure nobody gave them a hard time or tried to enter the house. The office told me they'd be there between 10 and 11, so I ran out to do some pre-moving errands and got back at 11. By 12:30 they still weren't there so I called back and they ended up showing at 1:00. They finished around 3.

After a quick lunch and some packing, I ran out to get more boxes. I needed more smalls, which don't get too heavy when full and are easier to fill with like items. I packed for a few more hours, ran to an evening meeting and then came home and packed some more. C joined me, and we worked until about midnight.

These saucers contain a tear-gas like substance designed to keep people out of the house while it's being tented. The gas is lethal and there have been cases of people dying while trying to rob a tented house.


Before removing the tent, they use a powerful fan to suck the gas out and vent it up this sleeve about 15 feet in the air.


The tents are made of huge pieces of heavy plastic that are sealed all around.






I've often wondered why the tent material is striped (it looks like a circus). I think they use the stripes to help fold the pieces.



They protected the corners of the house with pieces of carpet before tenting.

3 days to go, and packing a lot

Today was Sunday, and the house was under a termite tent so the only work we got done was packing. We spent several hours this evening and even went to Home Depot to get boxes. They were sold out, which was a bummer. I've moved a lot of times and usually I can pack pretty fast but this one is a little more difficult because I have to be more concious of what comes into the house (as little as possible). I also have to be aware of prioritizing what gets unpacked first, second, third etc because we will have very little space for a while.

Catching up on blog entries

I just posted 6 days today, so I'm finally current. If you haven't read in a while, you can read back to catch all the days I just put up. It's been a whirlwind week.

4 days to go and keeping the faith

OK, things do not look good at this point, but we are really determined to make this happen. It has been such a long and arduous push that we both really hate the idea of missing our move in date. It is really keeping me going, the idea that we'll be living there soon. Anyone who has every crunched to make a deadline and then had the deadline pushed back again and had to crunch again knows what I am talking about. You can push yourself for a finite period of time, but to keep extending that period is really had to deal with.

So, today we were supposed to have termite tent put on. It is a large, circus like tent that covers the whole house and is sealed with gas inside to kill the termites. We're on a tight schedule as is (down to just hours of worktime left), so every minute counts. They were supposed to start between 2:30 and 4, and I got this time frame from the company yesterday. When we arrived at 2:00 to do final preparations and get a few things out of the house, they were done and long gone. I was really mad because there was a specific thing I needed to work out with C before the plumber shows up on Tuesday at noon, which is when we will be able to get back in the house. Now we won't be able to do that which fouls up the schedule. The general contractor also had to stop working two and a half hours early so now we are not ready for the plumber on Tuesday. We had to fight just to get the plumber there, and now I'm going to have to change it.

I was really mad and called the termite company. Someone there told the person I was talking to that she talked to me and told me of the schedule change. This is a total lie! She did not talk to me. I would have told her they couldn't start early. I was shocked she would lie and then insist on it while I'm on the phone. Some people! Anyway, even though our schedule is all fouled up now, they promised me a discount on the price to compensate for the inconvenience. Sometimes it pays to speak up. So, we got very little done today.

We are still planning on moving on Wednesday. We have movers lined up and C's family is coming to help us. So even though things look bleak, we still think we will make it.

Here is a shot of the garage under the termite tent.

Here is the back of the house and the side of the garage under the tent.

5 days to go, we'll make it happen

After opening up, I spent the next few hours going back and forth between the house and packing the apartment. In the kichen, the crew put down a vapor barrier and the durarock (cement board) that goes under the tile. This will be in the back area of the kitchen. We wanted to get this in so the cabinets can be put on top of it and removed from the rest of the house where they are getting in the way. One bedroom got a first coat of paint, and I was pleased that I liked the paint colors I choose. The white on the ceiling isn't as white as I'd like so I may change it later. Things look bad right now, but we are still moving on Wednesday. We are even thinking that we may have to run back to the apartment to shower for a day or two, but at least we'll be living there.

Here is a shot of the back end of the kitchen. The granite tile will be where you see the grey cement board. The first tall pantry cabinet is in place. The flooring will end under the cabinet just in front of the legs. The fact that the flooring doesn't go all the way under will be concealed by a toe kick.

6 days and seems like it won't happen

Even though it seems like we're really behind, the contractor has assured me that we will be ready for the plumber on Tuesday afternoon. I think it may be the kind of thing where the prep and behind the scenes work takes a long time and then the actual finish (tiling, painting, etc) happen pretty fast. I mostly left the crew to work at the house by themselves today. I picked up locksets for the interior doors (new ones should be coming next week to replace the ones the door store got wrong) and I also picked up paint for the bathroom. It was hard to do because I couldn't try any swatches since there aren't any walls up yet. The rest of the day I spent packing and organizing for the move.

This is a panel we had to build in the shower. The pipes and valves carrying the water couldn't go in between the studs because there was too much in there already. Even though we "had" to do it, I really like it. I picked handles that are very modern and artistic, so having the panel will set them off and make them look more like art.


Here is a shot of the tub area. The vertical rectangle in the middle is a niche built into the wall for shampoo, soap, etc. I like the repetition of the tall, skinny rectangle in the window, niche and panel on the left.

7 days and not looking good

I started today extra early by going to the permit office to speak to one of the inspectors who has been out a few times. The inspectors, while tough on code issues, are very nice and helpful to homeowners. I went to see him to find out about getting the electrical panel inspected prior to our final so that the electric company doesn't shut it off. We'd also like to avoid having to pay for installation and removal of temporary service for just a few weeks. I got some good information from him that I think will help me.

I went back to the house to work on some scheduling with the contractor. Even though things don't look good now, he thinks we can still move in by next Wednesday. My biggest concern is that I want to be ready for the plumber to come out on Tuesday. That way, we can have a toilet and hot showers. We have electric, so we'll be able to prepare food and keep it cold. Everything else can happen after move in.

I went and picked up the door molding (we're using the same as the window molding) and looked at some flooring. I think I want bamboo in the master bedroom. Both the guy at the flooring store and the guy at the home improvement store thought that installing hardwood flooring is something an first-timer can do. I've seen it on TV, and it looks like something I could manage. A project like this is also a "low risk" project. Unless it is really screwed up, it should look good enough and there is no structural issues.

I stopped by the house at about 8, and the crew was just leaving. The bathtub is framed and has the plywood skin on it with the bathtub coutout. I am thrilled with the design! You never know how something will look in real life when you lay it out on paper. This is my first design ever, and so far I really like it.

Here is a shot of the bathtub. The raised part on the right will have an opening on the front to hold towels and a drawer below to hold other stuff.

8 days to go and having doubts

Lots went wrong today. This late in the game, this is does not bode well.

Today started with my waiting for the delivery of the interior doors. The store said to call in the morning and get the delivery window. Of course, nobody there had a clue what I was talking about and the one person who could tell me the delivery window was not available. When he finally called back several hours later, he said the drivers would be there in 30 minutes. They did arrive on time, but the doors were wrong. Since we are staining the doors and jambs and not painting them, they need to be "stain grade" wood. This is as opposed to "paint grade," which is wood that has blemishes or visible joints. In our case, the doors are pine and the jambs are fir. The doors they delivered had the wrong jams on them and had to be taken back to the store. As of the end of the day I hadn't heard when we would be getting the replacements.

After that, I worked on getting ready to install the granite tile in the laundry area. When I actually looked at the time frame we have, I just decided there was no way a novice like me could possibly do it so fast. There are several layers, and the tile had to dry completely before you can morter it. Then it has to set for three days before you can seal it and finally walk on it. I let the contractor know I could not do it so fast, and it should not be a problem. The only reason we were pushing it is that it would be nice to have the water heater on the permanent floor and it would mean less tile cutting. We can simply put something of appropriate height under the water heater and tile around it. That is what is being done with the cabinets too, so it should work fine.

I got a call from the electric company about the meter. I thought we had solved the problem by reconnecting the meter and some outlets. They can now generate an accurate bill for all power being used. But no, it cannot be so simple or logical. The woman I spoke to said "you can't put that meter on your new panel." Why? "You can't put that meter on your new panel." Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. They are supposed to put a new meter on when the final connection to the street happens after final inspection. She was also completely unfamiliar with the inspection process in this city so she could offer nothing except what was in the script. What will probably end up happening is that we will have to pay for a temporary pole to be installed for a few weeks and then pay again for them to remove it later.

In the afternoon, I went to the permit office to find out about adding a back door. The process shouldn't be that difficult, and we can add it on to our existing permit. We both really want a back door and we're even sacraficing the biggest of three closets to get it. As it is now, there is no good access to the back yard from the house, and the yard is the best feature. You either have to go out the front door and squeeze between parked cars and the house to get out there or you have to go out the side door and walk past the trash cans, dryer vent, TV cables, etc and then step up a 2 1/2 foot wall with no steps. The back door will make a huge difference.

The other thing that went wrong is that we need to have the backerboard inspected for the tiled area in the bath. I've had about 8 inspections so far, and you can always schedule them for the next day. I called today, and there is no inspections until Monday! Due to fumigating for termites, I wouldn't be able to have the inspection until next Wednesday, a full week's delay. This is really bad because the plumber is all lined up and we've already given notice on our apartment. I'm going to the permit office early in the morning to try to sort out the electric situation and this. This will definitely change our move in date and will be a bid disappointment for us. We had really hoped this would be the day, and that goal is keeping me going right now.

One good thing is that the bathtub rough framing is in, and it looks really good. I just love the luxorious look of a large tub in a small bathroom. It is really unusual.

This is a drawing the general contractor did on the wall to help me visualize the bathtub layout. The leg is drawn actual size based on his leg. We were trying to figure out if we should raise the tub deck by 2" so that we could have all full rows of tiles. There are drawings like this all over the house.

Here is the beginning of the bathtub framing. I really like how the bathroom is shaping up, and I am very psyched that I did the layout. I've really learned a lot by watching design shows. I also used a book I got at Home Depot.

9 days to go, and not looking good

After opening up for the day, I went through some things with the contractor. I am really going to try to tackle the granite tile this week. Yikes! I was able to borrow a tile saw and several tools from a friend (and fellow "handy ma'am") who did some tiling in her house. This was great because one of my fears is that I will end up with a garage full of tools I've used one time. I have having stuff around like that. Clutter and excess stuff drive me bonkers.

One room is completely primed, which is a big milestone. It looks better already. The old paint was just so gross. Painting really seems to renew the place.

The electrician came out today and reconnected the meter and turned on some outlets. We now have electricity in the house! Yay!

Here is a shot of the now properly framed master bedroom window.

Here is the primer going into the first room. What a difference!

10 days to go and tiling prep

C and I stopped by for him to check things out and for me to check on the plumbing. There doesn't seem to be any more leaking, thank goodness. In the evening, I spent about 4 hours going through a tiling book and making plans to lay the granite tile in the laundry area. I was going to wait on this, but the water heater is in this area, and it is best if the heater sits on top of the finished floor. Also, by tiling the whole area, there will be fewer tiles to cut than if I tried to tile around the cabinets. It's stressful to try to take in all this information and have to tackle my first tiling job under pressure, but it's also a good thing. It will be done quickly, I can't keep doing research and it will be one more thing done before we move in.

11 days to go and more plumbing problems

As the plumber was fixing the leaks yesterday, he advised me to stop by today (Saturday) and make sure another leak hadn't started. I got there at noon, and sure enough there was another very fast drip! I have to say this is not confidence inspiring. There are three pipes in the lower part of the shower/bath piping. I called him back to fix leaks in two of them yesterday and the third leaked today. This is especially bad because they seem to be time lapsed leaks that don't start right away. The problem with this is that this spot will soon be covered with durarock (cement and fiberglass board that goes behind tile) and completely hidden. What if another leak starts then? On the plus side, this particular guy is much better to deal with and schedule than the guy I usually work with at this company.

I called the plumber to come fix the leaks, and I stopped back at 5 pm to check on it and it seemed to be fixed.

12 days to go - whoa!

Today was a blisteringly busy day. In addition to the general contractor, I had a plumbing crew and an asbestos removal crew in the house today. The walls are mostly done with being mudded (patching the drywall). The plumber got in the valves and pipes for the shower and bathtub controls. Because there wasn't enough room between the two studs, the valves and piping for the shower and tub had to be installed just outside the space between the studs. To compensate, we are going to build a raised panel which holds the showerhead, volume and temperature controls. Even though we "had" to do this, it will actually look really cool and be a "design element." I'll have to remember to mention that I did this "on purpose!"

The asbestos crew showed up and worked for about 3 hours removing the asbestos tiles from the master bedroom. They are linoleum tiles, which quite commonly contain asbestos (as does the sticky glue used on them.) The crew removed the tiles and a layer of plywood under them so the glue is completely gone and we are down to the bare floorboards, which is great. It feels really good to have the asbestos taken care of. The plastic containment has to stay up all weekend, and then on Monday we'll get the lab results of an air quality sample. If it is clear (it usually is), we can go back in.

The plumber left at about 2:30, and by 3 or so I noticed two of the three lower pipes in the shower piping were dripping fast! Ugh. I called him back and he came at about 5 to fix it and told me to check it again tomorrow and call him if there was another drip.

So far, we are on target for our move in date. A lot needs to happen, but it is looking possible. One room will be primed and possibly painted with the first coat on Monday!

Here is a shot looking down the hallway at the asbestos "airlock." This is a multichambered plastic booth that the crew uses to change their suits and package the waste.


This is a shot of the bedroom window sealed with plastic by the asbestos crew. The hose sucks air out continuously to grab any particles that might be looosened.


Here is the shower piping. The top is for the shower head. We located it as high as possible for C (he's tall) but made sure I could still reach it. Below it are three handles - one adjusts the temperature, one controls shower off/on/volume and one controls bathtub off/on/volume.






These are little drips of metal from sodering the pipes. They look like drops of water or wax.

13 days - can this really happen?

After opening up, I worked on shoveling out the mystery pipe for about an hour. It's going to get harder because the pipe goes downhill (to aid drainage) so it gets buried deeper as it goes. I then ran out and picked up the tub spout, which I had to have plated to match the rest of the bathroom fixtures. It is the one piece in the line we chose that doesn't come in the finish we picked (brushed nickel). While out, I picked up labels for the move and a hanging garment rack since we don't have any closet bars. It would be simple to put them in, but since we only have two closets in the whole house, I'm going to install closet systems with drawers, shoe racks, hanging space, etc.

After returning to the house, I went through the bath layout with the general contractor in antipation of the plumber showing up. After ducking my calls for 48 hours, he finally sent someone to do the work. When the plumbers got there, we were able to work out what was to be done today. The rest of the work we need for move in will be done the day before we move in. Wow, this is cutting it close but they can also work the morning of move in too if necessary. The plumber thought this would be more than enough time to just get the essentials going.

Our electric meter has been off because we had to replace the panel. We thought they would just continue to bill us on an estimate, but since we are new to the house there is no history and they can't. We have to have the meter back on within 10 days or they are shutting power off. The electrician said this won't be a problem since he is coming back soon to start turning on the outlets in the house. He can reattach the meter and the problem will be solved. I was thinking "one more headache" when I got the notice, but it is actually not a big deal.

So, we're moving in 13 days - we have no toilet, no bathroom, no water heater, no floors in some areas. Can this really happen?

Here is a shot of the last window to be installed. You can see there is no proper framing and that the diagonal "let in," which stabilizes the wall has been cut. Fortunately, my contractor is framing it properly.

14 days to move in

Whoa, things are moving fast. I can't believe we're supposed to move in just two weeks. There is so much still to do. We had the drywall inspected today, and we passed without a problem. I also had to have length of pipe that was replaced inspected and signed off as well. The inspector checked that the pipe was changed, but wouldn't sign off until he saw it pressure tested. The pressure test involves filling the gas lines with air using a bicycle pump and attaching a pressure valve. The pipe has to hold 15 pounds of pressure for 15 minutes. The inspector who wrote the correction didn't mention that it had to be re-tested for pressure, although it makes perfect sense now. So, I wasn't prepared and couldn't get it signed off. We should be fine to get it signed at the next inspection though.

The termite company who inspected the place before we purchased it came by to update their inspection and give us a new estimate on fixing the damage. It was significantly lower because a lot of it was fixed by the roofer. We're still trying to determine how much of the damage we need to have fixed. None of it is in areas that really show, so we only have to fix structural things.

I'm still having difficulties with the plumber. He said he would be out on Wednesday or Thursday, and he ducked my calls all day today.

Here is a shot of the bathroom drywall. It is called greenboard, and it a special kind of moisture resistant drywall used in bathrooms.


This is a wierd, bear-clown looking face that showed up on the greenboard. The plumbing penetrations make the eyes, nose and mouth and the chalk smears make the rest of the head and ears.

15 days to move in! (hopefully)

Today I am really feeling like the pressure is on. So much has to happen before we can move and I'm just not convinced it will happen. It really feels like a whirlwind. But in a way, it's good. It will be a real push, but at the end of two weeks at least we'll be living there and all our hard work will begin to pay off. This is a time when deadlines are my friends. I could see this just dragging on and on if there wasn't a deadline in place.

I met with an asbestos remover this morning. We have linoleum tiles in the master bedroom which contain asbestos, as does the sticky black glue used on them. We arranged to have the company here on Friday to remove the asbestos.

The general contractor and his crew were working mostly on drywall. We spent some time planning as well. I also spent some additional time planning. There are so many details to keep track of! I met with a third termite company to get an estimate on treating the termites. It's good to have 3 estimates and we'll pick one company to do the work. I stopped at the house at 8 pm to drop some stuff off and I was surprised to see the contractor and his crew still working. They are really pushing to finish by our move in date which is nice.

This is a shot of the bathroom ceiling. This is a special kind of drywall for bathrooms called greenboard. It is more moisture resistant.


This is the door jamb of one of the interior doors. The crack is probably due to someone trying to kick it open at some point. Three of the four interior doors have this mark.


Here is a shot of the finished kitchen drywall. Yay! It really looks like a room now!

Lots going on today

I met the contractor at 10 this morning instead of 8, which was a nice break. When I got to the house, the electrician was already there. He's been really great - he just had some time in his schedule and came by to work on stuff. I got a second estimate on termite treatment (the first was during closing). I still want to get one more. I have another company scheduled that does alternative treatments as well as the chemical treatments. We want the termites treated before we move in so we don't have to go through that while trying to live there.

I then came back to the apartment and spent a few hours on the phone just doing various things. One of the things I did was call the city to pick up the shopping cart someone left in front of our house. I found out we will have at least some outlets ready to use when we move in. Yay! I was thinking we would have to run a long extension cord to the temporary power outside. We are still looking good (translated: not impossible) to meet our move in target of Wed May 24.

This was one of the tasks the contractor worked on today. This area of the floor had a lot of water damage and needed to be replaced. Unfortunately, I had already had the plumbing done when I hired the general contractor so the GC had to work around the plumbing.



He cut a piece of plywood to the exact size of the missing floor and drilled holes to accomodate all the plumbing. This required a lot of precise measuring. He cut the plywood in half so that each opening for plumbing was cut in half (fortnately all the plumbing was in the wall so it was in a straight line). Then he slid the plywood into place on either side of the wall so the two halves of plywood met and surrounded each plumbing opening. (This piece had to be cut in half on this side so it would fit. The other half went in next).



This is the drywall going up on the wall between the bathroom and the kitchen. It's been open for some time.



And finally the bath and kitchen are two separate rooms again!

a quick stop by to check on progress

We were mostly off today (oh, how good it is to be able to take a day off!). We stopped by the house for a bit so C could check out the progress.

Another day off

Wow, things are actually slowing up enough for us to have days off. We went to an animal sanctuary today and played with pigs, emus, goats, sheep, chickens, turkeys and bulls. What fun! Who knew that pigs like belly rubs?

Fasten your seat belts!

I met the electrician at 8 am today to try to solve a lighting problem in the laundry area. We had an overhead in place, but the area will now be filled with cabinets so there can't be an overhead. He came up with putting in 4" cans in the ceiling that can be angled toward the washer/dryer and cabinets. I ran to Home Depot to pick up an additional can (he reused one I was going to return).

Next, I spent about an hour on paperwork with the general contractor. We've changed quite a few things since he started and we had to get the paperwork settled and come up with some timelines. C and I had discussed a move in date of May 20, but I had to move that back a few days so we could have some asbestos removed and termites taken care of. But we seem to be on track! Yahoo! Hold on tight though, it's going to be a wild ride for the next two and a half weeks!

After doing paperwork, we went to the door store to actually place an order for the interior doors and to decide on an exterior door for the new back door we are adding. We also looked at some molding, but I was having major "decision fatigue" and just couldn't make any more good decisions. I held off on the molding, but have enough information that I could call my order in. This is a case where "deadlines are our friends." If we want to move in by May 24, I just can dally on these decisions, nor can I go to 50 stores.

After a late, quick lunch I spent the rest of the day trying to work on setting up asbestos and termite treatments.

This section of drywall on the wall went up today (on top of and to the right of the door).


As I've mentioned before, our house is becoming the neighborhood dumping ground. Nice. People can be so rude! Here is the latest find:

Lots of odds and ends

After opening up the house, I spent some more time shoveling. I then headed off to the door store for another exploratory look. I have to get the doors ordered soon, and the contractor is going with me on Friday.

We got the first of the kitchen cabinets up - an exciting moment!





10 of 13 windows are now up! Here is one of the master bedroom windows. The view isn't great - it's the walkway of the neighboring apartment building. We will have our bed in front of this with a thick curtain over the whole window.



I spent a few hours late in the day sorting all the receipts I've accumulated since this project began. I'm a really organized person, so I don't like having to hunt for things or not being able to find them. This was a relief because I have some lighting to return to Home Depot and couldn't find the receipt. It turned up today.

Tired today

Today I was very tired, so tired that I think I may be getting sick. Or, things may have slowed down enough for me to actually feel how tired I am instead of running on adrenaline all the time. I worked on digging the ditch to remove the mystery pipe for a while. I've been trying to do 1/2 hour to an hour a day. It's good exercise and I'm accomplishing something at the same time. It's also fun and sort of "zen-like" for about an hour and then it gets tedious.

Here is a shot of my ditch. You can see a small water pipe vertically at the very bottom of the screen. There are two of those and a 4" sewer pipe that have to be dug out all the way to the end of the yard, which is about 20 feet. It's about 2 1/2 or 3 feet down and will get deeper as I go.


Home depot - ran into chris
doors - very complicated!
lunch with k
home- more door research




We haven't had too many surprises during this remodel, which has been good. This was a bit of a surprise though. This window is in the master bedroom and looks out to the backyard. It was not original to the house. When it was installed they didn't do it anywhere near right. I didn't know this but windows and doors don't actually support any weight. The are framed with strong framing all the way around to support the weight of the roof, walls, wall material, etc. Once a window is properly framed, you could actually leave the opening empty and the house would be structurally sound. The window is inserted into this opening and tacked in place. There is a header across the top and then studs down the sides that hold the weight borne by the header.

So, anyway, when this window was installed they just cut the wall and put it in. You can see there is no header and no side studs holding the weight. As if this wasn't bad enough, they cut through a diagonal support in the wall called a "let-in." In general, wall studs are 2x4's placed vertically. Then there are diagonal and/or horizontal pieces places as well to keep the vertical studs from being able to move back and forth. Fortunately in our case, this seems to be the only place where the structural integrity was breached so there probably hasn't been much movement (i.e. this "wiggly" wall is surrounded on all sides by perfectly rigid ones so there is no room to wiggle). This should really be fixed either by removing all the stucco on the outside or the drywall on the inside and properly framing it. Either way it's a drag because there is already insulation and electrical wires running throught the wall.

To even further complicate matters, this window is about 10 feet from where our new back door will be. Since any wall penetration effects the rigidity of the wall, this may require an even bigger fix. Fortunately, the contractor I am working with is really concientious and will fix this right. He has structural engineers that he has worked with in the past who can guide us through this as well.



I thought this was an interesting shot. The contractor is mixing "mud" for drywall patching. It reminds me of pancake batter . It's a bit of an art to get just the right degree of wetness and it depends in part on the conditions. In our house, the mud takes forever to dry to they use the fast dry mud and mix it a bit dryer. The "20 Minute" mud takes more like two hours to dry in our house. Interesting - makes the mold situation that was there when we bought the place a bit more understandable. I think the only high-risk area we have is the bathroom. I've purchased a strong fan to vent the moist air and it has a heater in it too. This is in addition to a regular room heating duct in the room. We will also have a heated towel bar which runs constantly and helps with moisture. A heated towel bar uses only the electricity of a light bulb.


Here is a shot of the cabinet assembly room. It's too full to assemble any more - there are two left.




After digging for a while in the morning, I ran to Home Depot to look at doors. Like everything in the remodel, they are much more complicated than you could imagine. While trying to sort out the various components (door slab, trim, hinges, jamb, door stop, locks, etc) and matching all the wood to some degree, I ran into the general contractor. What a stroke of luck that he was there! We spent about 20 minutes looking at door stuff and then went our separate ways. It was really helpful. After that, I met a friend for lunch and she came to see the house. I spent the afternoon researching doors on the computer.