Like A Phoenix Rising

OK, no ashes, although we did have quite a mud pit and then a dirt pile going for a while. Today, seemingly overnight, we have walls. It is the most stunning single-day transformation since they knocked the old place down. The picture taken from our Master Bedroom (I've showed this view day after day) is nearly unrecognizable. The other shot shows the new great room.) I'm feeling really good about the plan, too. After seeing and walking in the new space, it feels properly scaled, highly functional, and possibly very beautiful. I hope it gets better and better as everything gets filled in.

We're Floored!

We did pass the under-floor inspection, as I discovered at 7 am when various workers arrived and started installing insulation and sub-flooring. Our ampitheater is gone (and without a single concert) and we have a footprint. It really changes the look of the whole structure and makes it all the more real. I'm not sure how much will be done tomorrow and then everyone's off for the holiday until Wednesday. We've got a busy few days anyway. I'm hoping to do some re-measuring of everything that's been installed and roughed in, just to be sure. I think this is definitely a job for our Middle Man, Mr. Junior Carpenter himself.

If I Had A Hammer

I'd hammer in the morning! I'd hammer in the evening! All over this land! ... I'd hammer the love between my brothers and my sisters! All over this land! Pete Seeger? No, apparently my intrepid carpenters, who hammered the living daylights out of the place today, including -- to my unexpected delight -- framing my office (the space which was formerly a formal dining room and which we transformed into a family room/office, but in reality was an ill-conceived blob of a room which included the entryway and the former formal living room, which we transformed into a music room/office, whew!).

We were supposed to have a City inspection of the "under floor" stuff, which I assume means the newly installed piers, joists, plumbing, and HVAC. Apparently the plumbers are a bit behind so it was unclear whether the work would be completed enough to pass inspection. I don't know whether the inspection took place or whether we passed, but stay tuned, results will be reported tomorrow.

The Dog Ate My Homework

Computer problems precluded last night's post. Really, teacher, it's true. I think something's wrong with the power cord to my trusty laptop because the battery got completely drained and it didn't recognize that it was plugged in. Don't even get me started on the spyware issues I've had.

Anyway, the exciting news is that the laundry room is framed in. We have a new room! Unfortunately, when I measured again, I realized that the Pottery Barn (a place a love and that dh loathes) entry bench and hooks (an "entry system") will not fit by the door. So I'm going to use the IKEA hooks I had before with a smaller bench. Should still be very nice. The key for us is backpack and lunchbox management, leading to paper management. Everyone dumping their stuff in a huge spreading pile by the door just doesn't work out that well. As long as the backpacks are hung up -- or in the case of the rolly ones, "parked" neatly -- we have a fighting chance of getting the essential items cleaned, processed, and ready to go back out the next day.

We also had a lot of plumbing roughed in, as well as HVAC folk getting started. It gets hot here in the summer, so in HVAC we definitely trust!

I was stranded at home all day long yesterday because the van wasn't working well. Turns out it needed new struts and more. Annoying and expensive, as if we didn't have enough of that around lately. But the ransom has been paid and I have the van back. Now I can go spring the dry cleaning from the laundry hoosgow.

The Framers' Intent

Strict constructionists look to the intent of the so-called Founding Fathers when interpreting matters of constitutional law. (Modern feminists and others now often refer to the FF as "The Framers" as if calling a bunch of slave-holding white rich guys Framers rather than Fathers will somehow make them more diverse, accessible, and politically correct. I'm what you might call a modern feminist and I think it's pretty silly since Martha, Dolly, and the rest of the Colonial Mothers' Club had what might at best be called an indirect influence over the drafting of these important documents of American History and Politics.) Sometimes, looking to the intent of the people who wrote the Constitution or a law really does help in its interpretation.The problem is that with the passage of time and natural progression (regression?) of society, the intent of these guys becomes significantly less relevant than the underlying principles to which they adhered. Attempts to figure out what they were really thinking tend to lead to rather absurd conclusions, which at times is just what the client ordered when preparing a brief.I myself now have small-f framers at my house and what a blessing it is. These guys display indomitable spirit and formidable carpentry skills. They are also strict constructionists when it comes to best building practices, at least as far as I can tell. Look how much we've done today! We have floor joists galore! Our super-nifty, super-thrifty (we hope), super-efficient tankless water heater has arrived and is fastened to the garage wall. The washing machine, alas, is no longer fastened, although I hear rumors that it will be relocated and become operational once more. My very favorite part about the new water heater (since I haven't had an endless hot steamy shower yet) is the warning label on the front. It includes a rather graphic drawing of a person on fire. Constant Vigilance!

Our New Family Mascot

Not much news on the construction front, since it's Sunday. Venti (and yes, I do think I'm terribly clever, thanks! if I can't amuse myself, who will?) went on a fab playdate with her BFF to the local water slide park. Grande went on a fab playdate to his BFF's house to trade baseball cards, go swimming, and eat dinner. Tall had to make due with a fab playdate with Mommy at Target and is understandably feeling a tad ripped off. We did score some new fans at Target for the kids' rooms, nice! Tomorrow: the framers kick it up a notch.

Granite Heaven

More on the granite shopping trip. It really was a fascinating experience. We went to the yard, really a huge warehouse. We walked through, picked out a few we liked. Then they were hoisted up on special trucks and carried outside so we could see them in the sunlight. That was extremely helpful, as they look different in the light. When we decided on the one we wanted, we went back in and they pulled up each individual slab so we could reserve the three we liked best out of the whole group of them. I asked for a sample and one of the guys grabbed a hammer and broke off a corner (very sharp and useful as a weapon!) for me. Now all we have to do is give them our fabricator info (and pay them lots of money). It sure is gorgeous stuff, and I felt like I was in a candy store, or, even better, a yarn store. All those amazing colors in combination and incredible textures and patterns. Yummy!

Let's Get This Party Started!

Yesterday (Friday), the heat backed off a tiny bit, probably only a 98-100 degree high, and visible progress was made. The carpenters started framing, laying wood over the foundation and beginning to set the floor joists. They also started framing what will be the wall between our Master Bath and Kitchen. Our contractor tells me that the plumber will be here on Monday to work on roughing in plumbing and that the unexpected replacement of all the existing ducting will cost us an additional $9500. Yikes.

On a personal family note, the kids have had it (and they're not the only ones). The heat and dislocation have pretty much undone them completely. Venti and Tall completely refused to go to swim team practice and Tall had a near-sit-down-strike at swim team Buddy Night. Grande claimed with some vehemence that he hates swimming and thus was going to refuse to swim at camp, despite the heat. (He did end up swimming, or at least brought home wet swim gear.) It's the incessant whining, complaining and poking at one another that really grates, however, especially since I'm working non-stop to find fun activities, especially tasty food, and other comforts to make up for the difficulties we're all enduring. Fortunately, I made a semi-savvy Priceline bid on a hotel in a nearby business area (cheap cheap cheap on the weekends, no business travellers) and we headed over there, where we turned up the air, took long showers and slept in. It wasn't a complete cure, but it was pretty nice and we'll probably do it again, especially if another heat wave strikes.

Today (Saturday) was a real treat, the whole family headed over to the stoneyard and picked out granite. Although dh and I have a widely divergent vision on the style of an ideal kitchen (he fancies an all-stainless steel commercial look, I want a warm sophisticated yet comfortable and family-friendly faux Tuscan), we were able to come to an agreement on a truly beautiful group of slabs. They're blue, with a wavy pattern that is soothing and oceanic without being crazy or distracting. Gorgeous! Should have taken some pictures there, oops, was busy trying to pick out the perfect pattern and trying to keep the kids safe.

As Seen On TV

Today, as promised, the cement truck and cement pumper truck arrived bright and early and cement was pumped into the forms without incident. Given the blistering heat today (103!), we're pretty certain everything is already set up nicely. Next up: framing!

We Passed! (Part 1)

Quiet day today, although once again sweltering. All was in preparation for the City inspection of our foundation forms. We passed, no problem. Hooray! The pour is still on for tomorrow, which should be fun to watch.

I had stern words with the appliance supplier, who forgot briefly that I had bids from three different places, all of which were identical. After I explained once again that I didn't need the stuff until late August or September and that no, I wasn't interested in paying in full right now (a 50% deposit seemed more than sufficient), and yes, I did expect them to hold the stuff until I needed it, we came to an agreement. Which was the agreement I thought we had before. Glad we got that worked out.

Hammering It Home

There was lots of noise today, mostly hammering, and I am literally covered with sawdust as I write this, so a lot must have happened at the homestead. It's not apparent from the photos, however. I don't think putting those little pieces of wood on top of the cardboard forms would be that loud. The big piece of wood covering the big hole in the floor in what used to be the kitchen is more promising, but I still don't know exactly what they're doing there. The carpenters working on the forms did have a compressor going for quite a while and seemed to be up in the attic. Perhaps there was an electrician or plumber as well?

There were roofers here also and much of the existing roof is now covered with plywood, which is good. Not so good was the way roofing materials were flying and rolling off the roof all day. It was hot and they worked pretty hard, but they can't compare to my regular guys, who are not only skilled and hardworking, but clean up after themselves and strive not to endanger my family. Tomorrow: The City Foundation Inspection. Stay tuned!

On a more personal note, my muscles are comfortably sore from a long gym workout yesterday. It's so embarassing to just go to the gym for a shower, so my husband and I are both working out as well, something we used to do a lot and haven't done as much of late. Home remodelling project as motivational coach and personal trainer: I like it!

Just Fine, Thank You

<------ Construction of the foundation forms continues. Today cardboard tubes appeared, along with flourescent plastic thingies, and octagonal wooden pieces all of which are scattered about, lazily covering the holes drilled for the new piers.

The veneer of civilization is wearing a bit thin of late. I fear we'll become like those people who tease their hair a tiny bit more every day only to wake up looking like Marge Simpson, or people with 37 cats, or something. The small adaptations and eccentricities are piling up and we're just getting through, barely noticing.

Communication difficulties abound, mostly with the majority of people who continue leading normal lives as if nothing unusual is occurring on a daily basis. Harmless, but galling, news of the day is that our washer and dryer are actually still hooked up and functional. Until next Monday. Ouch, wish I'd realized that before I dragged five loads of laundry to my folks' house. Clean sheets and towels for everyone, on the house!!

TGIF

No it's not Friday, it's Thank God I've a Fan! And I don't mean a supportive and enthusiastic reader of this blog. I mean a small electric fan in the bedroom. It was just the ticket for the near-100 degree weather we had the last couple of days. While the wheezy old (circa 1970 original to the house!) Montgomery Ward air conditioner is still hooked up, it's hopeless with no roof and few walls, so we just turned it off. The little fan was remarkably effective in cooling our hot stuffy bedroom and allowing us to sleep comfortably. I'm not only grateful for the fan, but also for the joy something so simple has brought us. Perhaps this stripping down of possessions is having a positive effect after all.

Yesterday, Saturday, our hard-working construction guys were here all day in the sweltering heat installing more concrete forms and rebar in preparation for the foundation pour. Inspection still planned for Wednesday, pour on Thursday. It's so nice to see things being built instead of just torn down.

Finally, a very Happy Father's Day to my two favorite Dads: my own terrific father and my wonderful husband, father of my kids. Hope you both had a great day!

Red Hot and Blue

The weather has pretty much covered the full June spectrum this week. Last Saturday, it was cool and overcast. Last Wednesday, it actually rained. Today, it is hot hot hot which is not not not my kind of weather. Naturally, the pool is closed for repairs.

Although our contractor does not usually work much on Fridays, he and the foundation framing guy came and worked quite a bit. As you can see from the photo, rebar is being installed. The plan is to have the City foundation inspection on Wednesday and pour on Thursday. Sounds good to me, I just hope we don't all melt completely before then. Or perhaps I should say, melt down. Father's Day at our place is cancelled because it is logistically impossible; we'll be heading to my folks' place, laundry in tow.

The Full Plate

Today I fled the premises and went to a place called The Full Plate (www.thefullplate.com). Essentially, it is a do-it-yourself catering place. You pick out meals and go and assemble them. All of the ingredients are ready and prepped as necessary (e.g., the onions are chopped). Each menu item has a step by step recipe and is packaged and labelled for future eating. I couldn't pick out anything requiring stovetop or oven cooking, limiting me to the grill, toaster oven, and microwave. Still, the entrees seemed spicy and interesting ; I was able to pick things like Tandoori Chicken, Chicken Morocco, and Pulled BBQ Pork Sandwiches. The real test will be if the kids will eat the stuff. I ate one of the Ham, Cheese and Broccoli Calzones I made for lunch, and it was very tasty. (It also contained two different kinds of cheese and 16 Weight Watchers Points per serving, but that's another issue.) Once my incredible new kitchen is installed, I won't have much use for The Full Plate, but for now it is a yummier and slightly cheaper alternative to take-out. (There was a mom-daughter team there making meals for after her soon-to-arrive baby makes its appearance and another couple was also making meals for pregnant friends; it seems to be a particular niche of the business.)

On the construction front, things were much quieter volume-wise today, which was a relief. After yesterday, we'd all about had it. The guys worked hard, as usual, and the huge dirt pile in the street in front our house is gone, as is the mudslide down the driveway. They've actually installed some of the forms for the foundation work. We've decided to go with a full-blown French drain on the side rather than the sump pumps. As of right now, work is slightly ahead of schedule, despite the water difficulties.

Water, Water Everywhere

There's a very large hole where my back patio used to be and unfortunately, it has a lot of water in it. Our neighborhood has a lot of drainage issues, some of which have been resolved and some of which haven't. While our lot is unusually flat for our area (why we were so attracted to it in the first place), the slope of the hill behind our property causes a lot of water to sluice over our lot as it heads downhill. We've installed a lot of drainage over the last few years and we already have two sump pumps which have helped a lot.

I was standing center stage on the ampitheater with our contractor looking at the water and we agreed that ignoring the situation wasn't going to help. Since a plumber will be on site tomorrow and since the space is now open, we're going to go ahead and install one, perhaps two, additional sump pumps before the foundation work covers up the area. I think this will solve the problem until we install additional French drains when we do landscaping later (a couple of years later). Now if we could just get our next door neighbors to stop overwatering so much, we'd be golden.

As if that wasn't enough, it started raining at the swim meet this evening. Remember, we have no roof! However, it was just a drizzle and when I got home it looked like everything was dry at our place. A rainstorm wouldn't have been a disaster, but I'm glad we didn't get any rain because we sure don't need any more water on this project.

Dude, Where's My House?

So much excitement today. The second Bobcat had to come pull the first Bobcat out of the mud. We also had a dump truck taking away what used to be our patio. And, of course, we lost the remaining portion of our roof and studs, leaving a beautiful ampitheater where we used to have a house. If there'd been room for an audience and fewer nails and staples sticking out of the "stage" the girls and I would have gotten out our instruments and had a concert.

My dh arrived home early this afternoon from a hearing hoping to do some work at home. Fortunately, the guys decided to start going at the interior hall tiles with a jackhammer at that moment, so dh decamped to our nearest Starbucks. I was thrilled that he got a little real time taste of the noise, dislocation, and dust that we've endured so far while he's been at work. The kids were happy to score some hot chocolate and cinnamon twists after swim team practice.

Demolition is officially over tomorrow, which is a relief because if any more of the house is demolished, there won't be any left. Every milestone completed is another big check changing hands, but in this case, our contractor has worked very hard and stayed on schedule so we're happy to oblige. We're looking forward to some building very soon.

The Unbearable Lightness of Being

One of my fans (and thank you to both of you) requested a current photo of the kitchen. Which completely does not exist at this moment and thus is difficult to photograph. We are in a state of lightening, lessening, and destruction right now. The space which will become the new kitchen is right now just that: space. And it isn't exactly the Final Frontier at this moment.

Before the kitchen can be installed, we need to build the addition which will become the kitchen. Based on the sheer amount of noise happening right now (the concrete patio in the left photo is being removed and what remains of the roof in the photo on the right will be removed also) more demolition is in order before the construction can begin.

The Temple of Laundry

Behold the Laundry Room before -------->

Actually, not a room, just a washer and dryer tucked next to the water heater in the garage. The dryer is vented improperly (and unlawfully, I might add). It seems that the State of California just doesn't approve of huge amounts of flammable lint wafting its way out of the dryer through a cheap bendy hose into a nasty bucket of slimy water as a method of venting. I am truly thankful that we never had a fire.

We are a tad nostalgic about the machines themselves, as they, along with the refrigerator, were one of our first purchases as newlyweds, right after buying the first house. Like the refrigerator, they've lived a good 13+ year life and are now breaking down, becoming less efficient, and generally not working all that well. Unlike the marriage, which we're keeping, we're ditching the applicances and getting the newest, sexiest, and most efficient models that we can afford.

The new front-loading, pedestal-sitting, Energy Star rated washer and dryer will hold a place of honor in our new inside laundry room, which I have dubbed The Temple of Laundry. This is in part because, with three young children, laundry is a Big Deal at our house. And partly because the new inside laundry room is approximately half the size of the dining room which was currently in that space. I'm not sure I'll ever love doing laundry, but it will be a lot less painful in the new beautiful room. And I won't have to worry about stray socks and pairs of underwear dropping on the floor of the garage, hooray!

PODS Away!

We had a quiet few days, overall a good thing as it gave us a chance to recover a bit from the shock of all the moving, packing, demolition, and the last week of school. We managed the rest of the packing and moving (oh, all right, I still have some rearranging, tidying, organizing, and miscellaneous to do), the garage is cleared and ready for further demo and the loss of the washer and dryer (ouch), and the PODS unit was removed on Sunday.

If -- and it's a fairly big if -- all of our stuff wasn't destroyed in transit and the storage location is in fact safe and secure, then this PODS thing will have turned out to be wonderful. It saved us a lot of loading and unloading to be able to have the unit in our driveway.

What's not so wonderful is the sheer amount of possessions we have. I really feel like an ugly, greedy, imperialistic person. How can we have so much when so many have nothing? Yet how can we live in our world, our society, our community in a truly different way? Sure, recyclying, composting, and conservation are terrific life philosophies to which we adhere. It's just that it seems awfully insignificant in the face of the reality of our astonishing consumption of resources.

Are Wendy and Bob an item?

When my son was 4, Bob the Builder was his hero. Our kids don't watch TV (story for another day) so he only saw the videos at our weekly movie night. But it was love at first sight. Bob was ever so cool, hung out with talking machines which features various aspects of a human personality, was always problem-solving, frequently saved the day, and most notably, got to build lots of neat stuff. My son, now nearly 8, is still a builder. He's done stints at a great carpentry program for kids in our town and he aspires to be a Lego BrickMaster (for real, not the club you pay for). Like most childhood idols, however, Bob has fallen pretty much by the wayside, except for the occasional nostalgic viewing of Bob's Christmas.

My husband and I, forced to endure endless showings of various Bob the Builder movies, always had this question: are Bob and Wendy an item? Obviously, they are business partners and friends and they do not live together. However, the question of a greater relationship is not clear. Bob's Christmas video does feature a hilarious scene where Wendy's sister visits and hits on oblivious Bob. Was Wendy jealous? Bemused? Was Bob available? Or is he gay (hey, Elton John was a featured guest and Wendy is pretty hot to ignore)? Hmmm.

Speaking of my husband, I must say this: YOU ROCK, HONEY! Despite a brutal work schedule and a bad back, the man has completely stepped up. The PODS unit is full and most of the boxes are close to packed and stored. Working together, even when it's an icky job (we describe such things as "suckaroo," not sure why), always makes me feel closer to him and better about the whole situation. I definitely married a good one.

It's Not A Cabana, It's A Palapa

Silly me. My dh assures me that the wreck of a structure that is half our house is not a cabana, it's a palapa. A lean-to structure, generally covered with palm fronds. If I were anywhere near done packing and moving for this project, I'd go get some fronds, faux or not, cover the roof eaves and have a helluva margarita party this weekend. As it is, we're looking at a swim meet, birthday party for 5 year olds, and mucho packing moving and general distress.

The roofers came today, starting settling in and then left, claiming it might rain on Sunday. Huh??? I figure this falls completely in my contractor's court and he's OK with it, so I'm OK with it.

In only 5 days, I'm reduced to near despair. The children are a mess (it didn't help that it was the last day of school today, always emotional and bittersweet) and us 'rents aren't in much better shape. I'm trying to remember why this seemed like such a good idea and so very essential. Mindless packing and moving of our remaining belongings is the only solution to this problem. That and a few margaritas.

Destruction Junction, What's Your Function?

If the project continues at current pace, we'll be done next week. Not only do we have no kitchen, no master bath, no dining room, and no living room, we now have no walls on the back of our house. Tomorrow, part of the roof is gone. We have gained enough grit to make a small beach, however. Which is only fitting, since a substantial portion of the house now resembles a cabana. A third rate cabana. During the off-season. After a hurricane. Not a fruity drink with a parasol in sight. Yikes.

A Day (or Two) Late, A Dollar (or 50,000) Short

Let the remodel begin! Alas, after 5 years of planning, hoping, and saving ... we're not ready. We've packed and cleared, tossed and boxed, rinse and repeat, endlessly. Our fabulous contractor arrived Monday and started ripping the place to shreds. I've been playing catch-up ever since. We're pretty low today, the grit is settling in and stuff still isn't where it should be.

But we're getting there, we haven't slowed down the guys yet, and things are looking up.

I even got the blog up, only 2 days late. (The photo shows the "before" kitchen, so much ickier than it appears. Please note the fake wood laminate cabinets which are falling off the walls, the fake stone vinyl flooring, the unspeakable light fixture, the dangerous path of travel, and so much more.)

So, look forward to the hilarious history of the project, including the side-splitting tale of the overpriced fixer bought while hugely pregnant; The Encroachment; The Designer-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named (and his evil cousin, the First Contractor); and much much more. Along the way, I hope that the transformation won't be limited to the physical plant. Always an overachiever, we're looking for personal transformation as well. It's going to be a wild ride!