We're supposed to get about 2" of snow today, with another 3-4" falling overnight. That's 6" of snow on the ground by tomorrow morning.
Our yard is a swamphole, so they can't bring in cranes to put the trusses on. No trusses = no roof = still victim to all of this weather.
Really. Who has 2 weeks' worth of weather delays out of the first six weeks of construction?
Monday, February 11, 2008
Thursday, February 7, 2008
We have framing!
Pictures to follow - I got a new computer today and don't have Photoshop installed yet to make nice labels for the pics.
I wish I could say that we now had a definitive answer in the "it looks small," "it looks huge," "it looks small" saga. Some rooms seem small; others seem quite nicely sized. The master bedroom seems narrow but long. The half bath is more than sufficient; the kids' bedrooms seem smallish, and given the placement of doors and windows, I have no idea how we'll position some of the furniture in there.
The second bathroom seems cramped - we knew it wasn't spacious, but, well, now it seems cramped. The laundry/mudroom also seems cramped - only four feet from the door to the broom closet, and the short length makes it seem like there really won't be much room to walk around in there once the washer and dryer are in.
The pantry seems OK, but it only has 3 walls, so that fourth wall might really close it in a lot. The den/office seems small, too (less than 10' deep and maybe 11' across) - our fault for chopping off 2' for closets. But I think it'll be perfect as an office.
The master bath isn't fully framed, but it seems big, too (as we knew it was).
...... update ......
Dennis just got back from the lot and has professed all of the rooms to be huge. Funny guy. (I'm sure the rooms are fine. I'm just envisioning them with furniture, and maybe the furniture in my head is bigger than the furniture in reality.)
I wish I could say that we now had a definitive answer in the "it looks small," "it looks huge," "it looks small" saga. Some rooms seem small; others seem quite nicely sized. The master bedroom seems narrow but long. The half bath is more than sufficient; the kids' bedrooms seem smallish, and given the placement of doors and windows, I have no idea how we'll position some of the furniture in there.
The second bathroom seems cramped - we knew it wasn't spacious, but, well, now it seems cramped. The laundry/mudroom also seems cramped - only four feet from the door to the broom closet, and the short length makes it seem like there really won't be much room to walk around in there once the washer and dryer are in.
The pantry seems OK, but it only has 3 walls, so that fourth wall might really close it in a lot. The den/office seems small, too (less than 10' deep and maybe 11' across) - our fault for chopping off 2' for closets. But I think it'll be perfect as an office.
The master bath isn't fully framed, but it seems big, too (as we knew it was).
...... update ......
Dennis just got back from the lot and has professed all of the rooms to be huge. Funny guy. (I'm sure the rooms are fine. I'm just envisioning them with furniture, and maybe the furniture in my head is bigger than the furniture in reality.)
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Subfloor
We have subfloor!
Actually, we've had subfloor for some time. Almost a week, even. But then it snowed. And then it rained. And it's still raining. The photos below (without snow) were taken last Thursday (Jan 31), when the snow was just starting to fall.
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These photos (below, with snow) were taken on Saturday and Sunday (Feb 2-3), when the snow was starting to melt.
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The forecast for the next few days doesn't look all bright and shiny. It'll be OK, but not great. And it'll probably be bad if the 22-degree high projected for Sunday ends up being on a weekday instead.
Actually, we've had subfloor for some time. Almost a week, even. But then it snowed. And then it rained. And it's still raining. The photos below (without snow) were taken last Thursday (Jan 31), when the snow was just starting to fall.
..
..
These photos (below, with snow) were taken on Saturday and Sunday (Feb 2-3), when the snow was starting to melt.
..
The forecast for the next few days doesn't look all bright and shiny. It'll be OK, but not great. And it'll probably be bad if the 22-degree high projected for Sunday ends up being on a weekday instead.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
We need a design mantra
So I was browsing around today and found this from a guy working on a remodel:
Thanks to Mike G and his "making of a parent" blog: http://glodeck.blogspot.com/
Throughout this project I've had a mantra. It's "simplify and black". With any decision that needs to be made I think of ways to simplify the look which I believe will give me a more modern feel or I wonder if black would be appropriate. The doorknobs are all black enamel and that inspired the black thinking. Example: Picking wall colors. Black is not appropriate. So I thought of ways to simplify. In the end we are painting the trim and walls the same color (different finishes but the same color). This cuts down on the number of color decisions that need to be made (simplifying my life), and it unifies the rooms making the space feel larger. This is pretty common in "modern" homes and I think it'll make our historic home feel more contemporary.
I also needed to make a decision about tile for the entryway. We had all of our wood floors refinished, but there was a space next to the front door that had different flooring that had been removed. I thought of my mantra and it made the decision easy. I ordered some flat black ceramic tiles with onyx colored grout. In the end it will be very elegant and tie in with the black floor in the kitchen at the back of the house. In a future project I'll probably have an alternate mantra (sunflowers and shiny? rectangles and stone?), but having a simple plan helps keep the project cohesive.
Personally, I think this is GENIUS! Not that I would have the same mantra (I wouldn't), but a mantra would definitely help, since without one we are pretty much all over the map. For the wedding, we were shooting for "classy, fun, and relaxed," and I think it worked pretty well. I don't know how one goes about determining one's Design Mantra, but I'll have to figure something out. (HGTV's "Find Your Style" page only yielded pretty generic information.)Thanks to Mike G and his "making of a parent" blog: http://glodeck.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Weather forecast
It's not looking good. After 2 days down last week due to extremely low temperatures, it looks like this week might not be so productive, either.
On Monday, the floor joists went up (see previous post). On Tuesday, the weather was gorgeous in the morning. When I went to lunch, it was 68 degrees. Within 6 hours, the temperature had dropped more than 50 degrees to 17. I think we bottomed out Tuesday night around 12 degrees or so.
It was cold today, but not freezing, so there's a chance the subfloor is up... just in time for SIX INCHES of snow! We're due for thunderstorms turning to snow on Thursday, with more snow Friday morning and an estimated accumulation of six inches.
I wonder what 6" of snow does to an exposed subfloor. (Maybe they'll cover it with tarps at least?)
Oh well. I guess that gives us that much more time to decide on lighting and flooring and countertops and the like.
On Monday, the floor joists went up (see previous post). On Tuesday, the weather was gorgeous in the morning. When I went to lunch, it was 68 degrees. Within 6 hours, the temperature had dropped more than 50 degrees to 17. I think we bottomed out Tuesday night around 12 degrees or so.
It was cold today, but not freezing, so there's a chance the subfloor is up... just in time for SIX INCHES of snow! We're due for thunderstorms turning to snow on Thursday, with more snow Friday morning and an estimated accumulation of six inches.
I wonder what 6" of snow does to an exposed subfloor. (Maybe they'll cover it with tarps at least?)
Oh well. I guess that gives us that much more time to decide on lighting and flooring and countertops and the like.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Floor Joists!
After a 2+ day weather delay last week, we have floor joists!
Sadly, it was dark by the time I got over there to take pictures, but I think you can still see enough. There was good weather yesterday and this morning, but temperatures are going to drop 40 degrees in the next 4 hours or so, probably with thunderstorms and even snow, so I guess we're back to no progress tomorrow.
Tonight, we're meeting with the kitchen/bathroom countertop guy. I am dreading it - I really wanted to do something a little different with the countertops, but I'll apparently be getting the same countertops as every other suburban housewife. You'd think I'd be used to this by now.
The weather-related slowdown is a little frustrating, but I'm sure it'll be OK. I hate to think about us moving in July or August - it's entirely too hot to move then. But I guess it won't be the end of the world.
More updates soon, I hope! (At least when there's a construction delay, it gives us plenty of time to get out there and take a few progress pictures in the daylight.)
Sadly, it was dark by the time I got over there to take pictures, but I think you can still see enough. There was good weather yesterday and this morning, but temperatures are going to drop 40 degrees in the next 4 hours or so, probably with thunderstorms and even snow, so I guess we're back to no progress tomorrow.
Tonight, we're meeting with the kitchen/bathroom countertop guy. I am dreading it - I really wanted to do something a little different with the countertops, but I'll apparently be getting the same countertops as every other suburban housewife. You'd think I'd be used to this by now.
The weather-related slowdown is a little frustrating, but I'm sure it'll be OK. I hate to think about us moving in July or August - it's entirely too hot to move then. But I guess it won't be the end of the world.
More updates soon, I hope! (At least when there's a construction delay, it gives us plenty of time to get out there and take a few progress pictures in the daylight.)
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Our first construction delay
Apparently it's too cold to do anything. Somehow, we managed to get concrete walls and footings, but now it's been SO cold for SO long that the heavy equipment just isn't cooperating. I can believe it - heck, my car didn't even want to go to the grocery store last night - but still, it's disappointing.
I mean, you know in your head you're going to have delays, but of course you always hope you'll be the magical exception to that rule.
Warmer temps are forecast for next week, when we are apparently expected to have floor joists and subfloor! Woo hoo!
I mean, you know in your head you're going to have delays, but of course you always hope you'll be the magical exception to that rule.
Warmer temps are forecast for next week, when we are apparently expected to have floor joists and subfloor! Woo hoo!
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