A landmark day

Today I made our first meal in the oven. It was just a frozen pizza, but it was really nice to have something cooked at home not in the microwave. Here is a shot of me cutting the pizza right on the granite inlay we put in our countertop. Granite it super strong and you can cut right on it. We did the inlay in order to have a surface for pizza dough, pie dough, cookie dough, etc but more importantly, since I almost never make these things, it looks cool!



I also ran the dishwasher, and I'm pleased to say both the oven and dishwasher worked perfectly!

Good news today

Today we met with another general contractor to get a price on stucco, the cooktop and the bathroom floor. We really liked him, and on paper all is good. We hired him to do the cooktop and bathroom floor, which I am really excited about. These are the last two things we need to do to close out our existing permit, which means we are one step closer to getting a new permit for our back door and deck in.

Yahoo, real silverware

Yes, it's true, we finally have real silverware. After 8 months of using plastic, it finally turned up. I had lost hope we would ever find it. I thought maybe it just got lost in the move. But I did find it hidden in a box of old paper files. We still have lots of unpacked boxes, and it's not that we don't want to or can't unpack or have been too busy or lazy, it's that there is no place for things to go. We still can't use a lot of the kitchen cabinetry because we are having a soffit installed. There are still no closets in the house (I removed every last thing the previous owners had installed. They did some strang things with industrial shelving, and the closets were just gross! There were brown stains, greasy dust and filth everythwhere. I am finally almost able to outfit one closet now. )

I also found a cutting board as well, and it will be such a treat not trying to cut on a plate. I got the spices in order too, and while this may seem like a small thing, it is an improvement in our quality of life to not have things falling on your head as you try to find the chilli powder. Each small area we can get moved in to helps.

Here is a shot of my newly organized spice cabinet:




One question or comment I get a lot reflects the fact that people think nobody lives in our house. It is quite discouraging since we have owned the place for over a year, and have lived here for 8 months. It is also a problem because we don't want people thinking the place is vacant and breaking in at night. Sometimes neighbors will stop by and ask, "Oh, are you the new owners? When are you moving in?" I'll say we've lived here for 8 months, and they get that look that people get when they ask a woman when the baby is due and she says "I'm not pregnant." It is surprising to me that people would assume the place is vacant - all the signs of life are there - cars in and out, trash cans out every week, newspapers and mail taken in, lights off and on, work done every day, etc. In addition, the place looks better than it has in years, even if it still looks bad.

Oven and Dishwasher today

Ok, this is a big accomplishment. After 8 months, we have an oven and dishwasher! I called the appliance installer recommended by the place where we bought the appliances made an appointment for an estimate. This is the way this company does things - they have to come out for an estimate before they'll agree to do the job. At first, I was very disappointed because the technician took one look at the cooktop and said "We don't do this kind of work because it requires cutting into the subfloor and throught the foundation." I was upset because I thought he was going to try to charge me $50 for the estimate when I told the person who answered the phone and set the appointment exactly what I needed done. He agreed with me that she was wrong to even have him come out since they don't do this kind of work, so he said he wouldn't charge me. Also on the work order was for him to look at my oven for an estimate as well. He said it would be really simple to do and that he could install it on the spot if I wanted. Of course I said yes!

He did a great job, and with a little problem solving and FOLLOWING THE INSTRUCTIONS, he was able to do what my previous general contractor was unable to do. The oven is installed, level, and the door doesn't hit the dishwasher door anymore. What a concept! It was clear he knew how to do this, and it also became clear that the general contractor did not. So, all in all, it was a great day.

Small progress today

Today I got the first draft of the contract from the general contractor who may put in the back door and deck. It looks pretty good, but we still need to do some work on it. Not much else got done today due to a few things that came up. Some days are like that!

A new way to look at things

I've been reading daily emails from Flylady (www.flylady.net) and I have to say it has really changed the way I approach things. She's an organizational/housekeeping/self care guru who has learned through her own experiences and freely shares her knowledge (literally freely, the website and daily email are free). She has so many great, small ideas about making progress in small steps. She is very encouraging and positive.

One way she has helped me in this remodel is with tackling small amounts of housework every day. Given that there is construction debris, dust, and tools everywhere and the place is generally chaotic and disorganized due to the fact that we can't really put much away, it would be easy to just say it's not worth it to clean. But, by spending just 15-30 minutes a day, the place has really shaped up. It is such a huge improvement. One of her slogans is "Progress, not perfection." So, even though I can't have a "clean" house right now, I can have a much cleaner house which makes life so much better. The things I can clean, like the kitchen and bathroom, are always clean because I do a little bit each day.

Another example of how she has helped me is with her idea of tackling big, overwhelming tasks 15 minutes at a time. I never really thought of doing things like this - I would always say "I'm going to to X" and work on it until it is done. If it is a particularly long, tedious task this can be really unpleasant. I am applying this to finishing the windows in the house. It is a really long, really tedious task (hundreds of hours if not more). At first, I would say that "today I am getting a coat of shellac on the windows." It would take 5-6 hours to sand, vacuum, tape, buff, and paint and I'd be burnt out and doing sloppy work by the time it was done. I was also not making very fast progress because let's face it, how often can you set aside 6 hours of time for one job? Now I tackle them in 15 minute increments. I do 15 minutes a day no matter how much I don't want to and little by little they are getting done. As flylady says, you can do anything for 15 minutes.

a good day

The contractor we were working with finally signed the separation agreeement, so we can now move on! Yay!

I am also working on two fun things. We finally have the linen cabinet installed in the bathroom, so I can now put away all the toothpaste, soap, shampoo, etc that has been sitting in a box on the floor for eight months. It is so nice to be able to just open the door and grab what you need rather than root through a box on the floor. I was also ending up with either none of something or 5 of them because there was no easy way to tell what I had. What a luxury!

I am also working on the coat rack/closet, which is also a small luxury. We've had no place to hang coats, or drop purses, backpacks, keys, etc so I am really looking forward to this. I also LOVE to organize things so this has been fun and rewarding for me.

We are also talking to a landscaper and general contractor about putting in our back door and deck, and we are really excited about those projects. These will be a real increase in our quality of life, as opposed to all the "necessary" projects we've done so far. So, all in all, things are looking up and we are making some progress.

Progress with holdup

Today I am still waiting on the contractor to sign the separation agreement. It is really frustrating because I am being really generous by letting him walk away, and he it still stalling. I can't hire anyon else until I am sure I have no more obligations to him. On a plus note, I did find my winter coat finally, and am thrilled to have it. It's been a cold winter, and I've been wearing lots of layers. FYI - the reason I couldn't find my coat is that when we moved in May 2006, we were only supposed to be living out of boxes for a few weeks. 8 months later, most of our stuff is still in boxes in the garage and we can't unpack it because there is no place to put anything. I am gradually bringing things in as I can. By the time we are done, it will be like moving more than once because almost nothing can be in it's final place right now.

One fun thing I did today was to go to The Container Store, one of my favorite places in the world! I am making a coat rack/closet out of a small, unused, oddly shaped nook in the hallway. We have no coat closet or place to dump things when we come in, so I am really excited about this project. The space is too small to frame in with drywall, so I used a shelving line called elfa
to make the rack/closet. It's a great product, very versatile and adjustable, and they make it easy to buy if you go into the store. A closet designer will walk you through the whole process and use their computer design tool to help you.

Another project I am working on (and have been for a while) is the window finish and trim. I am finishing them in shellac (clear), and each surface needs 3 coats with steel wool sanding in between. The final coat also needs to be buffed with denim. I work on it in small increments every day to stave off the boredom and tedium of the job. It's amazing though, because I am making progress in 15-20 minutes a day. Out of 13 windows, 1 is completely done (trim and all), 2 are ready for trim once the surrounding drywall is patched, and 2 more are 2 coats from ready for trim. We currently have newspaper and plastic taped over the windows and have had that since we moved in 8 months ago. We are really looking forward to shades and window coverings!

Here is one of my favorite tools for working on the windows. It is a paint edger made of really thin metal. You can use it instead of taping when painting (or shellacking) and sanding. It saves so much time by not having to tape

A bit of excitement is brewing

Things are looking good the general contractor we have been talking to. He gave me 7 references (as opposed to the usual 2 or 3). I called 6 of them, and spoke to 3. They all had great things to say about him. But, I always take the reference check with a grain of salt. All it really proves to me is that the person is smart enough not to give me people that will trash him. But, it is a good sign that he has 7 people who are very satisfied with his work. Several invited me over to see the work. He also gave me kitchen and bath remodel references, and these projects are way more complicated than mine.

He gave me an address to drive by, which we did yesterday. It happened to be for sale and open today so I dropped by. I happened to catch him at the very end of the open house, and he took me through and showed me everything he did. It was great to see, and his work looks good.

We are quite excited about this project as it is the first project we are doing that isn't really necessary but is an "improvement." Having a back door, deck and cleaned-up backyard will be a huge quality of life improvement. We are very excited. It also seems like a smaller project than the one we've done so far, so the permit should be open a much shorter time. Yay. We are also looking forward to adopting two puppies when this phase is done.

The previous general contractor we have been working with finally sent me an email and let me know he got the termination agreement and will send it by Tuesday. This means I can start moving forward with things and get our existing permit closed.

Looking a bit better

Today I had a really positive interaction with a general contractor we may bring in to do the back door. I met him on Wednesday when he was here with the landscaper we are considering hiring. I left it with him that I would go to the permit office either Wednesday or Thursday and get some information and call him afterwards. I didn't get to go until late on Thursday, so I didn't call him. When I got back from my morning workout, there was a message from him!

I was pleasantly shocked! Not only did he remember I was supposed to call him, but he even remembered what it was about. He actually acted like he was interested in my business. What a concept! He also saved me quite a bit of money by sending me back to the permit office to check on two things. When I was there yesterday, they specified that a licensed engineer or architect would have to do extensive drawings for the back door and deck. When I went back today and asked about that again, I found out that due to the small scope of my project and low deck height that I do not need a licensed engineer or architect to do the drawings. I draftsman or even the general contractor can do them! I also don't need quite as extensive a set of drawings as I was first told.

So, things are looking good for the next phase of the project. I have to check his references, license, insurance, etc and get a price from him, but it is encouraging.

More progress

Today was a good day. The handyman service I found was scheduled to be here at 8:00, and at 7:48, the handyman was here as promised, in uniform and in a well-equipped truck. I was testing the service out by hiring them for a few small jobs. It is not cheap, but you get what you pay for. The technicians are highly skilled, and supervised by a licensed general contractor. All employees are bonded and insured. You just call up, describe what you need and they send the appropriately skilled person. What a convenience! You can save money by buying your own materials, which I did. By buying them myself, I didn't have to pay for shopping time for the technician. The owner talked to me yesterday and told me exactly what to buy. I also liked that the bill was laid our ahead of time with no surprised - you only pay for time at a specified rate and materials. The technician even had the correct wall anchors to install the linen cabinet where there were no wall studs. He did a great job and I was pleased with the service.

I am going to hire them to do the bathroom floor. It's a bit of a tricky job because it requires three trades - they have to pull up the toilet, prime and paint behind it, install the flooring, and reinstall the toilet on top of the new, higher flooring. The flooring itself is easy to install - it is "click together" cork floor boards (like hardwood). My concern is pulling all of it together and doing it in one day so we don't have to spend the night in a hotel due to having no working toilet.

I did have to make a shopping trip while the technician was here. The vent covers I bought for the attic vents were wrong. I went to Home Depot and a building supply place and neither had them. Luckily, a contractor saw me leaving Home Depot with my old vent cover and nothing new in my hands and directed me to a nearby mom and pop hardware store. It's the kind of place that hasn't changed in 50 years. It is jam packed with all sorts of things. It looks kind of jumbled, but the help is really great, and they had the exact vent cover I needed. That's twice they've had what I needed when I couldn't find it elsewhere. I'm glad they haven't changed! It's got to be a good place to shop - the place is filled with contractors every time I go.

Here is the work the technician did. First, he installed the linen cabinet in the bathroom. I am so excited to have one more space I can move into, even if it is small. For seven months, our toiletries have been in a jumbled box on the floor. It's no fun rooting through a box to find a new package of floss. There is also stuff in the garage we haven't been able to get to. I haven't cleaned my rings or worn makeup in seven months because we haven't been able to access these things in the garage and even if I could, there was no place in the house to store them. Yay! It's funny because I am learning to appreciate each thing as it happens - you don't know how nice a small thing like a linen cabinet is until you don't have one. We won't actually be storing linens in it since we have a towel cubby built into the bathroom.




I had the handyman replace all of the crawl space and attic vent covers. Many were missing or broken, and I have had constant fears (including a few bad dreams involving mice and other critters in the house!) of animals finding their way under the house or into the attic. They also just look so nasy and realy contributed to the junkyard look of the place. It is a job I could have done, but I am routinely doing 10 hour days, and just cannot get to everything. Plus, it seemed like a low-risk project to use to try out the handyman service.

Here is a before shot. I actually forgot to take before pictures, so this one is not that bad.


Here is an after shot. What an improvement! I also had him put a "critter guard" on the roof vent for the bathroom fan. The contractor we were using installed the fan seven months ago and never covered the top of it to keep critters out. What a relief to know they cannot get in now.

Whirlwind day

Wow, what a tornado today was. We started by meeting a foundation repair guy at 9 a.m. He requested that we both met with him, and I'm glad we did because we were able to sign the contract on the spot. Before he was even gone, the landscaper we really like was here to take measurements of the yard. He had a general contractor with him, so what was to be a simple measurement which I didn't even have to be home for turned out to be a long, complex meeting. The landscaper has worked with this GC for five years. If we are able to put a deal together, this could save me a lot of work and headaches, stomachaches, backaches, etc. Basically, I need to coordinate having plans drawn, getting permits, getting the back door put in, followed by stucco, followed by building the deck. Between the landscaper and the GC, they can do all of this and can coordinate their own schedules. I'm leery of hiring a GC I have no knowledge of, but I'll do my due diligence and we'll see. I need to go to the city and check into what is required for the permit on this.

After handling some miscellaneous tasks around here, I went to Home Depot to try to buy materials for some work we're having done tomorrow. I found a franchised handyman service where all the workers are supervised by a licensed general contractor. All of the work is guaranteed and the employees are bonded and insured. I scheduled them to do a few small jobs to try them out. If it works out, it will be a great resource for some of the more complicated jobs. I had to buy covers for the vents in the crawl space. Even though I measured the size I needed, of course it required a second (and eventually third) trip. They have a million different vents, so I bought a whole bunch of different ones (13 of each, thank goodness they have a good return policy) and none of them worked. I ended up going back at 8:30 at night after pulling one of the covers right out and taking it with me.

Watching the mail

I emailed the separation agreement to the contractor on Friday night, and so far I haven't heard from him. The good news is he didn't see it and balk. The bad news is that I should have had it back by now, which I don't. We did discuss everything that is in it, and he agree verbally so I am hopeful we have an agreement soon. I already feel so much better being able to get on with it.

I got a lot done today, but not a lot on any one thing. After taking some time off at the holidays and getting back on track last week, I was super productive today. I had the electric company come out and fix a loose wire coming into the house that the electrician thought was causing us to have mini brown-outs whenever we ran appliances. I also met with a foundation repair company to do some repair. We have some cracks and shifting and the technology is so much better now than in 1952 when the house was built. We want to have this done, then the back door, then stucco then the deck out back.

I also spent several hours designing the master bedroom closet. Since we have really small rooms, there is not room for dressers and a king-sized bed so we have to have everything in the closet. I have been looking at closet organizers every day for weeks and trying to balance cost, flexibility, ease of installation, etc. It is more complicated than it seems. I think I may have found a really good, creative solution. I'll post more on it after I've decided.

Progress today!

After a gut wrenching three days, I think we have some progress. I mean it was literally gut wrenching - my stomach has been killing me! We came up with the idea of proposing an "amiable separation" to the contractor. I told him last night, and he didn't like the idea. I asked him to think about it and call me today. He did, and initially he still didn't want to do it. We discussed it for a while, and I explained that I felt this was the best option for both of us. I also explained we could sign an agreement which would alleviate any concerns either of us had. I sent the agreement over to him earlier tonight.

I really do think it is best for several reasons. I can get on with the job, and he can move on to other things. He is too far away and too busy to get here with any regularity, and I've found local people who I think may work out. Aside from installing the appliances and bathroom floor, a lot of the work could be done by a carpenter or handyman. It's time to get someone in here who wants to be doing these small jobs. I feel much better about being able to take action instead of waiting around.

I feel a huge sense of relief tonight, and can't wait to move forward. I already found a franchised handyman service with a local branch. They have excellent ratings on the Better Business Bureau and Angieslist.com, a consumer referral service I use a lot. All of their techs are bonded and insured, and they are supervised by a licensed general contractor. Their prices aren't cheap, but for some of the jobs that require more skill they would be a good match. I've already hired them for a small job not related to the contractors work in order to test them out. If it works out, I'll have them do the bathroom floor. We are installing cork flooring in the bath, and the toilet needs to be pulled up, the flooring put down, behind the toilet primed and painted and then the toilet needs to be reset. It's not that difficult, but the connection between the toilet and floor and sewer pipe needs to be adjusted when the floor height changes. I've seen first hand the damage a poorly installed, leaking toilet can do. The water leaks out and damages the subfloor, finish flooring and possible the joists. If this happens, it is a huge repair.

I also got a few referrals to installers for the appliances from the place we purchased them. I'll be calling them next week.

So, all in all, I feel really hopeful at this point. The stagnation was the worst part. I like being in action.

Back and forth with the contractor

Today I got almost nothing done because I was trading emails with the contractor. It was a miserable and stressful day. We are seriously butting heads, and he is seriously backtracking on things he said he would do. Not good.

Happy New Year and back to work!

Today I happily got back to work after a sort-of break last week. It was great to be back to making progress, and I got a lot done. The contractor emailed me a list of what he thinks needs to be done, which is quite different (read smaller) than the lists we have been trading for several months. Hmmmmm, I don't like where this is headed.