On Thursday and Friday, the contractors took care of the final touch-ups in the bedroom and bathroom. We are still waiting on a custom made linen cabinet in the bathroom, and I still have to take care of some closet organizers in the walk-in closet, but for all intents and purposes. that phase of [...]
Cont'dDay 28: Grout and trim
Thursday, 23 April 09
Six weeks since the massive renovation started and we are now in the final stages of the first phase. The toilet base has been installed, the baseboard trim has all been nailed up, and the tile has been grouted. There are just a few finishing touches left before we can move into the new bedroom. [...]
Cont'dDays 26 and 27
Tuesday, 21 April 09
Over the weekend, I started framing the walls in the new workroom and storage room. It’s been a couple of years since I’ve done any kind of DIY thing, and it took me quite a while to settle into a rhythm. Unfortunately, I was just hitting a decent pace when my daughter was ready to [...]
Cont'dDay 22, 23, 24 and 25: Painting and Flooring
Saturday, 18 April 09
The renovation project is in overdrive now. The transformation this week has been astounding. The main floor bedroom, bathroom and laundry room are nearing completion and preparations for the final phase, the kitchen, are under way.
Monday
While we met with the architect at a local tile store, the contractors sprayed and back-rolled the primer on all [...]
Day 19, 20, 21: Tub installation, drywall and mud
Saturday, 11 April 09
Early Tuesday morning, the tub was delivered. The contractors took it apart outside and brought it in one piece at a time. While one contractor worked at installing the tub, the other set about applying compound to the drywall. The tub is beautiful but I am a bit disappointed.
Glaringly obvious is the lack of the [...]
Day 18: Comedy of Errors….
Tuesday, 7 April 09
It would have been funnier if it wasn’t costing us so much money.
On Monday, the contractor and I went to that members-only showroom to pick up the tub-shower which had finally arrived on Friday. One small problem: Even though it is a three piece unit, it was shipped assembled as a one-piece and was too [...]
Day 15, 16 and 17: Insulation and drywall
The insulation was put in place on Wednesday and most of the drywall was hung on Thursday and Friday. Only the bathroom is left, as we wait on the tub shower unit. Everything is coming together and looks fantastic. Unlike professional sheetrockers that we’ve seen on home improvement shows, these guys worked at a somewhat [...]
Cont'dDay 14: Wiring, Duct work and Heating
Sunday, 5 April 09
On Tuesday, the contractors roughed in most of the electrical wiring, I roughed in the communications wiring, and the HVAC contractors re-routed heating lines and air conditioning ductwork. That’s five of us working in the same area of the house trying not to trip over each other, and it was mostly smooth sailing.
This is how [...]
Day 13: More structural support
Friday, 3 April 09
Another area where there was insufficient structural support was in the basement. The main support beam stopped at the chimney. Between the chimney and the other supporting wall, there was a doorway to the boiler room which did not have a proper header, and the stairs going up to the main floor.
With the chimney out [...]
Days 11 and 12: adding some new, fixing some old, and a little more destruction
Thursday, 2 April 09
On Thursday, the hole in the bathroom floor was finally patched. Where the jacuzzi tub was sunk in the floor is now solid and level. The plumbing drains and vents were also installed.
Friday was great fun. The rest of the chimney came down. The contractor a few years ago had removed the chimney to below [...]