tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52015219433690152372024-03-13T11:43:29.126-07:00A work in progressA story of a remodel in progress.LJKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16543430087785120618noreply@blogger.comBlogger45125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5201521943369015237.post-10496626669075855162010-02-02T05:12:00.000-08:002010-02-02T05:14:50.056-08:00updatewe are really almost done,. they are painting the trim today. I have given up updating, the laptop at home decided to die a slow and impending death. things at work got busy and then hit warp speed. it's just one thing after another but it is ALL GOOD. I'll shut this blog down soon, as it was only intended to offer my (wretched) friends and family who said, "Oh but you MUST keep a dairy of the process....and who have probably read this thing maybe...twice in its lifetime...you wretches....<br /><br />so there! :-)<br /><br />if you've got my email address, and really want to know, drop me a line. there's a lot going on on the domestic front - the house and elsewhere and it has been good.<br /><br />The half ironman looms :-( and yes I am training.<br /><br />ta ta!LJKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16543430087785120618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5201521943369015237.post-6576598432215369122009-12-25T11:03:00.000-08:002009-12-25T11:04:39.745-08:00Merry XmasWe return to our regular if belated posts of the progress or lack thereof tomorrow.ljkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03187935151154651945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5201521943369015237.post-88672714126304783412009-12-21T15:59:00.000-08:002009-12-23T18:42:23.880-08:00Monday Day 49What a week. The emotional stress of that wretched kitchen. <br /><br />This weekend saw us cleaning the dark hole that is the garage. Why anyone would put crap in the garage and leave two perfectly good and somewhat expensive cars outside is simple a sign of the abundance that is America. Of course, leaving cars in the driveway is also now seen as an additional deterrent against crime. <br /><br />We tackled with some grimness the boxes that were piled in the garage. Throwing away a good many. It reminded me of the disaster that was our tiny storage unit when we first moved here and didn't have a place for our extras (we lived in a very large mansion overseas) and by the time we got to those boxes, several boxes of paperback books were ruined.<br /><br />So it is looking a little better in the garage because you can actually see the floor. But we've got a ways to go and the threat, aye, threat of the sheet rocking looms. <br /><br />So we felt somewhat productive this weekend. Apparently the cement fellow came to measure the patio and the driveway. We will be getting an estimate on what it will cost to pour a new driveway and a patio. I'm not convinced we really need to do either. I'm rather fond of the idea of doing a simple sand foundation and putting big pieces of flat stone on top.<br /><br />For someone who dislikes driving, I have spent an inordinate amount of time driving from one place to another with mapquest directions, and getting lost since I didn't reverse said directions, or simply setting off with some faith in verbal directions, only to get lost and remember why the f#$^ I don't like driving.<br /><br />"Are you coming from west or east?"<br />"I dunno"<br />"Well are you coming from downtown?"<br />"I think so"<br />"ok, so turn north."<br />"Is that right or left?"<br /><br />This past week saw me tackle the slate for the patio on some highway I've never heard of, in some part of town I've been to once in 7 years. I saw a vast assorted of rocks, and learned about granite. The company specialises in "exotic" granite. Apparently, it's all in the detail. Builders usually buy granite that lends itself to less waste. So if you're going to cut counter tops, you want to minimise waste and get granite that will look good and not be difficult to match at the seams. You might only need one slab for an entire kitchen.<br /><br />"Exotic" granite isn't that generic and hence you might need two slabs just to get it to look flawless.<br /><br />Today, I sped off to another show room to pick out tiles. There's a heck of a lot more than I realised and I find myself deeply nostalgic for the days of living in third world countries where you had a generous two choices. <br /><br />Fortunately, my choices are very basic and simple. Show me what's in my budget and then show me what's in the lower range of that budget. Then show me a tile that is durable, doesn't wear more sparkle than a 2 year old, and lends itself to grout that won't show evidence of how messy we are. That's it.<br /><br />After that, I went to a "sister" showroom, tell me do they ever have brother showrooms or maybe even the Mother of all showroos?, and proceeded to be intimidated by the stacks of enormous pieces of granite stacked throughout the warehouse in no discernible order. It was throughly distressing as there no evidence of order.<br /><br />"Is it...alphabetical? I asked the young man hopefully as I put on the rather flimsy orange mesh vest. I assumed the vest was supposed to help a fork lift operator see me since it certainly wasn't going to help if a slab fell atop me.<br /><br />"No," h said cheerfully, "it's just kinda all over the place. You just walk around and pick what you like." <br /><br />"What about colours? Does it go from dark to light, or maybe from highest price to lowest?" I offered hopefully.<br /><br />"Nah...."he shrugged. "Cathy will be here soon and she'll come find you."<br /><br />And find me she did as I was contemplating walking out and going online. Surely I could get Amazon.com to ship me a slap of granite in the exact colour. With Amazon prime, I'd probably get free two day shipping too.<br /><br />We took care of business in 5 minutes and though she said I was welcome to continue looking, I gratefully escaped with the samples she gave me and took off without a backward glance.<br /><br />Because, as you know, I was still trying to figure out where the hell I was and how I was going to get back to where I needed to be.ljkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03187935151154651945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5201521943369015237.post-67560761049803759482009-12-18T17:08:00.000-08:002009-12-18T17:13:58.302-08:00Day 45 FridayThe designer came back with the plans for the kitchen yesterday, three options. They all look good. What doesn't is the "at least 35k".<br /><br />I'm not crazy about the idea. I don't see the point of tearing up a decent though not enormous kitchen. Granted, it's not spacious and I've struggled with lack of counter top space. But with a pantry to store items in, this might not be an issue or as much of one.<br /><br />I contacted the tile/granite company to ask about removing the slab of granite and moving it, and the woman said they did that in their showroom and it worked fine. The fabricator said it depends on how it's done and how it's anchored to the cabinets. So they will come out on Monday and look.<br /><br />I feel strongly that we can and should salvage and use what we already have rather than tear the whole thing out.<br /><br />Also some of the options like a double oven while "nice" might really not be that practical for us. I don't bake as much as I used to, and I have no fantasy of turning into a kitchen goddess. <br /><br />We passed electrical inspection yesterday. Today was structural and the men were completing the siding on the upper level on the back and siding the front of the garage. The electricians were there this morning in preparation for the sheet rocking which we are apparently only a few days away.<br /><br />If we tear out the kitchen, we're looking at an overall 3 to 4 week delay. Not something I want to do!ljkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03187935151154651945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5201521943369015237.post-686601666082582952009-12-17T17:16:00.000-08:002009-12-17T17:43:08.172-08:00somewhat unrelated remodel issuesYesterday R calls me with a hint of concern in his voice. <br /><br />"We have a lizard emergency."<br /><br />The lizard is a western fence lizard aka blue bellied lizard that D2 caught in Taos,NM this summer, which we then kept for D1's boy scout reptile merit badge. The boy scouts have a lot to answer for in this household....<br /><br />Thanks to craiglist and the internet, the most fabulous terrarium was created (required for webelos naturalist merit badge). We fed him generously and he rewarded us with much larger piles of lizard poop than I thought possible from such a tiny thing. <br /><br />With the remodel coming up, I farmed out with lizard with not so subtle hints about meeting requirements for merit badges to the boy scouting community. Family 1 took it and survived although webeloe mum reported that C was "grossed out by cleaning out the poop."<br /><br />I was too...<br /><br />He/she/it is currently on his/her/its third family. <br /><br />"Does it ever hide in the sands during the day?"<br /><br />"oh yeah..." I said thinking of the times when I thought the wretched reptile had escaped SOMEHOW and caused me to doubt my own sanity and memory(which I do often anyway....).<br /><br />"Yes, but does he stay down for more than 8 hours?"<br /><br />"Well.....I think so...I mean, he's disappeared on us before and then he reappears."<br /><br />"I sifted the sand gently and I didn't see any evidence of him."<br /><br />How well I know....he had us so baffled with his amazing disappearing act that we took to calling him Houdini. The first time he pulled that stunt, I realised I had become rather fond of it, and was rather worried that he had run away never to be found. We took the top of the terrarium off, put some crickets in, left the heat lamp on and were so pleased to see him sunning himself the next day that we never interrogated him about his whereabouts.<br /><br />We finally figured out he never got out but went underground when he disappeared on me one evening. One minute he was there and the next he was not, and the top of the terrarium was firmly attached. 30 minutes later, he was on his sun rock.<br /><br />R was still speaking on the phone, "We had it under control until yesterday when the cleaning lady came in. She didn't realise it was in K's bedroom and she left the door open. The cat was on top and his weight bent the netting a little. I thought I fixed it. I can't imagine how it could have gotten out even if there was such a small opening......" <br /><br />"Maybe it went deeper underground if it was traumatised?" I suggested. R was much more worried about the lizard than I was.<br /><br />He sighed, "Or maybe....it got eaten..."<br /><br />Suddenly a poopless future glimmered. It had been two months since I had seen the lizard. With four demanding kittens that we rescued 3 months ago, scooping up lizard poop seemed to add just a little more work than I was prepared for.<br /><br />I quickly reassured R, "It's fine. Worst come to worst, don't worry about it."<br /><br />"Well worst come to worst....what did you say it was?....we'll get D2 a rejuvenated one...."<br /><br />"No no...REALLY....you don't have to BUY us ANOTHER one...."<br /><br />"Oh no...tell D2 not to worry...."<br /><br />I looked over at D2 who was happily playing with his friends and had not mentioned or seemed to remember the lizard at all.<br /><br />"Um...ok..."<br /><br />"I'll send you an email if it resurfaces."<br /><br />A full 24 hours later..an email pops up. 'Just when I had given up hope, I come home and there is the lizard sunning him?self on his sunning rock, acting all innocent.'<br /><br />Shit.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBjf_WeRjUj0NDYM1XNg0mv-OTX1nebKm3K5klEUVW2jg57vn3VifwmTknl4f2UjQmqjL5_yuNs3u4y3-qdC8aUqGjvNvbk1rcEvz9nOg5T1Kq_WZBd6VIMmJslGjNi4eWjdbuNlPtPfRc/s1600-h/summertrip2+1409.jpg'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBjf_WeRjUj0NDYM1XNg0mv-OTX1nebKm3K5klEUVW2jg57vn3VifwmTknl4f2UjQmqjL5_yuNs3u4y3-qdC8aUqGjvNvbk1rcEvz9nOg5T1Kq_WZBd6VIMmJslGjNi4eWjdbuNlPtPfRc/s320/summertrip2+1409.jpg' border='0' alt=''style='clear:both;float:left; margin:0px 10px 10px 0;' /></a> <div style='clear:both; text-align:LEFT'><a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a></div><br /><br /><br />Picture of Houdini with his late best friend, the Giant Grasshopper. Houdini used to sleep on the plants before he discovered the security of the caves we built him.ljkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03187935151154651945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5201521943369015237.post-34635440986450327162009-12-16T15:23:00.000-08:002009-12-16T15:24:14.008-08:00Wed Day 44Mechanicals passed inspection today. Wish I could say the same for 26% of my students.ljkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03187935151154651945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5201521943369015237.post-76338932974233710412009-12-15T09:03:00.001-08:002009-12-15T11:29:25.945-08:00Tuesday Day 43I think one of my strenghts is that once I decide to take on a project, I rollup the proverbial sleeves and power through it, pushing all and any obstacles out of the way. Of course, one of my failings once I decide to take on a project is that I rollup those same sleeves and power over any and all obstacles in the way..<br /><br />The kitchen is going to be done. I am not convinced it necessary but that is likely because I spend a great deal more time in it than any other human being in this household and I'm much more aware of the reality rather than the ideal.<br /><br />"Why would I need a double oven?"<br /><br />"Well wouldn't it be nice for the holidays?"<br /><br />"I leave during the holidays. That's why it's called a 'holiday'"<br /><br />We're going to re-use the upper kitchen cabinets in the garage, though I don't know that the bottom ones can be salvaged as we will have to tear up the granite. I've become rather fond of that granite, so we're going to attempt to salvage some of that and put that in the utility room. We're not going to be able to use it in the secondary bathroom as the counter top there is about 6" and the huge slab we have is just about 5". Personally, I'm not fussed about seam here or there.....<br /><br />However, apparently the real cost of the granite is not the stone itself but the labour. <br /><br />I've contacted the designer that Jeff recommended as we need it fast. And we'll meet on Thursday and get this sorted out. <br /><br />I went to the builder's office and met with his highly competent manager who showed me a selection of granite and tiles. I didn't really like any but there is a huge difference between a 12 inch square and a counter top. Granite I didn't think I liked actually looked quite nice on a counter. They had a small sample of counter tops. I said I would prefer to use remnants as I did in my bathroom remodels. She got on the phone and called the fabricator to set up an appointment for me to go through the bone yard. Doesn't that sound positively deliciously ghoulish....<br /><br />As for the tiles, I have an appointment next Monday to go pick some out. I really don't mind the remodel. The stress comes from having to have these choices. I'm sure some people embrace these opportunities. I just don't really care much for it. I once knew an older (ergo different generation) woman who lectured me that "the house was the most important part of a woman's identity and that's why 'we' take as much effort to make it beautiful" <br /><br />I dunno about you but my house is just a place I live in and my home is where my family is. I don't much care for the bells and whistles that adorn many new million $ houses today, but I do ask them to pick their flipping c%&p off the floor so I don't trip over and break my neck. And to pick up their socks,for heavens sake.<br /><br />Beyond that, I don't really think of what I live in as my "identity" and not being an overly domesticated individual, having to make choices between one finish over another strikes near terror in me. What if I make the incorrect choice? <br /><br />What I do care about in no particular order is<br />1. How easy is it to clean it?<br />2. How durable is it?<br />3. Does it show dirt easily?<br />4. How much does it cost?<br /><br />Steve from the tree company came over and we walked the front and back lawn. He gave us a very reasonable estimate to trim the redoak and water oaks and various trees as well as deep fertilise.<br /><br />The electricians hooked up power to the temp meter and there was LIGHT!! It was very exciting....and they are going to drop the wiring into one of the old bedrooms for a tv outlet later. We also picked out a spot to put the cable wiring, though now that I think of it, I might hightail it back and ask if another spot can be used instead....<br /><br />The ac inspector came....and went...and we passed inspection.<br /><br />I better get back to the house now that I think about what I want to do with the cabel wiring...ljkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03187935151154651945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5201521943369015237.post-34349161239936117622009-12-14T09:07:00.000-08:002009-12-14T18:32:11.453-08:00Monday Day 42Tomorrow will be the start of the SEVENTH week.....<br /><br />We went over the kitchen "plans" today which consisted of conversation and a follow up rough sketch. I am sighing inwardly because this will probably delay the project by a week or two. However, we are adding to the project so I'm not too fussed about it.<br /><br />Apparently there is a small leak somewhere in the older section of the roof.<br /><br />The electricians were collecting as I left for my run. <br /><br />I will lose my much anticipated walk in pantry which I had so looked forward to. I said to Jeff that when I was packing up the kitchen, I realised I had beautiful china which never saw the light of day in nearly 7 years (if not longer in other assignments) because they were placed in very high cabinets and I'm not an amazon.<br /><br />Ergo, I had planned to put some of them in the pantry to allowfor easy access and to remind me that I do have them. I'm not sure why I have one particular set other than it was de riguer to get a wedding set because it really isn't my style at all...so yes, I could always sell it.....<br /><br />In lieu of the walk in pantry, I am trying to find a closet pantry in the design. Jeff shot back a rough sketch and I added some notes to it. <br /><br />Let's see what happens this week.<br /><br />Update: the siding is all done and the electricians were packing up when I turned up. I do not know if there is a positive correlation between their disappearing and my appearing.....apparently they have one more day of work, and then inspections on Wednesday.<br /><br />I'm realising that with the kitchen remodel which we have now tacked on....we will see them...yet again...sigh...<br /><br />They are good people and do good work, I'm just rather anxious to get them out and my family in.ljkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03187935151154651945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5201521943369015237.post-90127889369263987832009-12-11T19:01:00.000-08:002009-12-11T19:37:54.931-08:00Random musingsA woman I admire greatly, let slip that her boys are usually in bed by 830pm. It is almost 9pm now and I'm looking over at D2 who is doing something probably high tech, frighteningly advance and hopefully still legal, on the internet. The child shows no signs of going to bed.<br /><br />It's occurred to me at various times that the remodel represents more than just additional square footage to me. It represents hope that a certain type of lifestyle or home environment will develop.<br /><br />Given that I devour any book with the words "declutter" in the title and line my bookshelves with books on home and time management, I confess to feeling slightly guilty that somehow my/our lifestyle has necessitated adding on more space.<br /><br />Significantly more space.<br /><br />In self defense, it's one of those "oh while you're here...." and "if you're going to be tearing THAT down, why don't you...." scenarios. Witness how we are contemplating enlarging the kitchen now....<br /><br />We started with four bedrooms, two bathrooms, kitchen, family room, dining room, formal living room, breakfast nook, utility. Now we will have who knows what by the time we are done.....seriously....<br /><br />It took us several years to get to this point. D2 is looking forward to his gameroom which is now much larger than planned due to the design/engineering issue. Silver lining indeed. He loves to play with playmobile and has elaborate sets out at any given time. A friend once walked into the family room to find playmobil battle and all the fiddly bits and pieces all about and commented, "You're good to let them play out here."<br /><br />I gathered that "out here" meant "Wow, you let him make such a big mess in a public area?"<br /><br />During the last two months before we moved out, I asked him to move his play into his bedroom. Chaos reigned.<br /><br />So,it is with great anticipation that I too, look forward to the boys having a dedicated area to play and set up their eloborate battles and not have to put it away because company is coming, because if you're in the middle of the Napoleonic or Revolutionary wars, it's all dreadfully inconvenient to have to complete the battle in 30 minutes just because someone is coming over. After all, it took them nearly 100 years to get through all that fighting.....<br /> <br />There are other things I'm looking forward to- having a walk in pantry. Someone said, "How much storage does a family of four need anyway?!" We'll find out for sure.<br /><br />The mudroom. Whereas previously, the backdoor opened into the utility/catch all room, I will now have a separate utility room AND a proper mudroom with closets....<br /><br />My own office. Having kicked both boys upstairs, I can claim one bedroom as a study. For those who share offices, or work in an open home office, bless you. You clearly are nicer people than I am. I can't work with any noise in the background. In my defense, working with itty bitty numbers and having to check all the decimal points makes anyone a bear to be around. And yes, I know I do have an office at work, but since I can work from home, I do.<br /><br />A study area/computer room for the boys. D1 started middle school when I took over the dining table to complete my thesis. I learned that he is a "spreader" (and a procrastinator...clearly the apple did not fall far from this tree). I'm a firm believer in having a dedicated study area. I believe it fosters better habits to have his books in the SAME place all the time, and to have it removed from all other distractions. It's just a personal opinion and not judgement on anyone else who manages without. The spreading habit is just his way of working. And unfortunately, the procrastination means that he doesn't always start or stop on time. Pushing papers to the side so we can set the table if he's on the kitchen table, or so I can locate my own stuff if he's on the dining table led to a few stressful moments.<br /><br />So the long of it is that the additional space represents an ideal of how I want my family to live. I'm aware that many families do more with less space, but we haven't managed at all, much less well. It required far more energy and discipline that I could afford over the past few years with the sword of Damocles hanging over me. (I should bloody have that diploma bronzed).<br /><br />So while I'm anxiously looking forward to the end of the remodel, some of that anxiety stems from wondering if like every idealised goal I've nursed, that somehow reality won't quite fit.<br /><br />So perhaps rather than expecting a major life makeover, I set smaller manageable goals such as - not having to waste time looking for the #$#@#%%^#@ thing that I JUST LAID DOWN on top of all this C#%P....<br /><br />or even simpler....enforcing an 8.30pm bedtime.<br /><br />Incidentally, if anyone is STILL wondering why the heck anyone would need so much space, here's my answer:<br /><br />Because it's Texas and everything is bigger here.ljkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03187935151154651945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5201521943369015237.post-83102244647705472162009-12-11T14:01:00.000-08:002009-12-11T14:30:19.615-08:00Friday Day 39The roofers are almost done. The people who put the siding on have started on the second story. And the electrical work will be done by next Monday. Next week is a slow week due to inspections for mechanicals, electricity and structural.<br /><br />In the process of talking, Jeff noted that it might be a wise investment to enlarge the kitchen as the rest of the house is much larger.<br /><br />This may involve giving up my intended library and extending the kitchen lenghtwise....<br /><br />And it will probably be between $10k to $20k depending on scope,or beyond.<br /><br />I have a sinking feeling this is the right thing to do, and the sinking feeling comes from not having thought it through in the first place.....<br /><br />We will make a decision on Monday.<br /><br />Apparently we are doing so well on time that it will only add a "few" weeks to the schedule. Oh man...I was so looking forward to being done early....<br /><br />He said the sheetrock will take place after Xmas and before NY. Then flooring,and painting.....<br /><br />Oh well....we'll see what happens.ljkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03187935151154651945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5201521943369015237.post-52958307598442633822009-12-10T16:58:00.000-08:002009-12-11T08:21:00.652-08:00Wed Day 37Thursday Day 38The roofing looks near completion. The weather has co-operated and the men appear to be able to work outside.Yesterday I arrived too early to see any work done and returned too late to catch anyone working. Today, I saw the roofing crew, though the electricians seem to have packed up.<br /><br />I'm a little distracted by end of the year issues such as getting to all the necessary medical appointments before the end of the year.ljkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03187935151154651945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5201521943369015237.post-8546525754514486892009-12-08T15:09:00.000-08:002009-12-09T04:51:08.984-08:00Tuesday Day 36Today marks the start of the 6th week.<br /><br />You know that person in the mystery novels a la Agatha Christi and Dorothy Sayers. That super observant person. Or Shaun from Psych(a great show if you haven't yet seen it).Monk perhaps?<br /><br />The one who solves the crime because he/she was sitting in the London bound train in a carriage and remembered every single person in the compartment, and even remembered that so and so had a nail biting habit? <br /><br />You know that person?<br /><br />It's not me.<br /><br />The electrician is finding that out the hard way. Yesterday he asked me, "Do you remember if this light was connected to the same switch as the others?"<br /><br />Now an observant person who had lived in the house for some years would have easily said yay or nay. All I could do was look at him blankly and ask,"What light? There was a light there?"<br /><br />He pointed above and a lightbulb literally appeared above my head. "Oh that light."<br /><br />Er, I guess so. Why?<br /><br />He pointed to the nest of electrical wires coiled around each other like snakes caught in the midst of a roman orgy. "There's a LOT of wires up there. But I can't figure out where they go to."<br /><br />Seeing the baffled expression on my face, he said, "So what I'm going to do is take all those wires out and run that light to this one here."<br /><br />Having resolved that wiry issue yesterday, he thought he'd test his luck elsewhere today.<br /><br />He asked me, "Do you remember if there were one or two lights in the hallway?"<br /><br />"Er....no..."<br /><br />The roofer came by this afternoon and I overheard him having an agitated phone conversation with my builder over who did what and who tore off too much and why he wasn't responsible for that or this. I decided to use my lack of super observation powers for good and turned a blind eye and ear to the whole thing. It's not my mess to solve. I gather there will be some discussion on reimbursement or lackthereof, but as I'm not responsible for who didn't do what when, or who did what to whom, I'm absolving myself of the whole thing.<br /><br />Of course, the roofer did tell me that the new part - the new roof and brand new shingles looked great (though they haven't completed roofing due to weather). And stamping his feet lightly on the old existing roof said, "This part doesn't look great."<br /><br />Yeah yeah...I know...but I can't tell the difference between the older shingles and the newer ones in this weather. And while I know some of the older shingles could be replaced, I'm not going to take on that expense at this point. These shingles are supposed to last 30 years and they've been there about 9.<br /><br />I hope no one asks me any "remember" questions tomorrow. With any luck, it'll be something like, "Remember this dead body in the attic?".......ljkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03187935151154651945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5201521943369015237.post-84257169078324159262009-12-08T15:04:00.001-08:002009-12-08T15:08:45.020-08:00Monday day 35A rainy overcast day, cold with promise of more of the same. The electricians were working inside. Some roofing work had been done. I walked around with Jeff pointing out the wasted space blocked off for duct work and he shook his head. "They didn't do that right." <br /><br />When I got back to the house later, I noticed the front windows had been framed. Apparently they can't do more with the upstairs siding until the roofers do something or other.<br /><br />It certainly seems as if work has come to a standstill until you walk inside and see half a dozen men pulling wires here there and everywhere.ljkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03187935151154651945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5201521943369015237.post-83369120790776610212009-12-06T17:01:00.000-08:002009-12-06T17:11:11.789-08:00Inspiration Sunday Day 34I've found a design from one of the storage publications that might work for the computer room. I'll have to scan that in later.<br /><br />I also saw this. It is nice but I don't want it in my house. I'm not that tidy and I suspect once I start crafting, things will be pulled out of place and I don't have the discipline to tidy up at the end of the day.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHcTeIDnloR_aH-5WUhlkVMA8Auqdy7ZxM8A6qDdsFG4EW3v7Rs6bzZ55D0O5phmPuV8Yop8-clfeqLXkP0V08ZeOurDjnt_XKulLlARvy6JjGhpncCVgtdxb2IxXxbikFVkeWoYv4w4An/s1600-h/officespace.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 238px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHcTeIDnloR_aH-5WUhlkVMA8Auqdy7ZxM8A6qDdsFG4EW3v7Rs6bzZ55D0O5phmPuV8Yop8-clfeqLXkP0V08ZeOurDjnt_XKulLlARvy6JjGhpncCVgtdxb2IxXxbikFVkeWoYv4w4An/s320/officespace.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412294978909595570" /></a><br />Much better to have some way to close it off.<br /><br />I saw a clear acrylic pegboard for about $40. I now realise that I could a much cheaper pegboard and just paint it the same colour as the wall for that fade into the wall effect.<br /><br />The link to her pictures is <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/davegayle/2983291874/in/pool-unclutterer/">here</a>.<br /><br />We went to the house today and noticed some work had been done sometime this weekend. Mainly "blocking"off the duct work. I am indeed still annoyed that we didn't catch the design error or that it was even there in the first place. However,in the grand scheme of things,it isn't horrid. I do resent losing any space and there are wasted spaces that I'm going to address tomorrow.<br /><br />In other news, I literally got back on track with running. Meant to do it in the park but weather did not co-operate so hit the treadmill.They sure do keep it toasty in the gym! Whew!<br /><br />Caught up with the masters swim group and hope to hit both 6am and noon practice tomorrow. So I say with gritted teeth....ljkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03187935151154651945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5201521943369015237.post-53832280877477648972009-12-05T20:43:00.000-08:002009-12-05T20:50:24.605-08:00Day 33 SaturdayI didn't go out to the house today but I gather no one was there. There was still a generous coating of snow on the ground this morning though by late afternoon, it was gone.<br /><br />I am irked by my laptop keyboard which is showing its age....<br /><br />It has also dawned on me that I have 111 days to go to the first race of the season. It's much later this year so I am hoping that the powers that be will move the other and probably my favourite race in in the entire season either up or down although, either way, having the 2 races that close together....it would be good if I could do a nice short race and then the longer one....<br /><br />Anyway, this just means I have to get serious about nutrition again. I'm glad I had that chocolate bar this week....because it's bye bye chocolate for a long time.ljkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03187935151154651945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5201521943369015237.post-9223657657421574792009-12-04T16:36:00.000-08:002009-12-05T14:02:46.046-08:00Friday Day 32 Snow DayWhen I swung around to get D2 from early dismissal, it was snowing already. I saw huge stacks of the aspalt blend shingles on the roof. No roofer in sight in that weather. Much later in the afternoon when I swung back to the house to drag the three pots of plumerias in (when did they grow so BIG?)with the help of one of the young men there, I saw the gorgeous back doors had been put in. It looks lovely. I shall miss the wood doors because I rather liked that warm natural look contrast with the wood floor. But no matter.<br /><br />The electricians were working.Or trying to in this weather.<br /><br />I doubt any work will be done on the weekend due to the weather. Almost everything has shut down. Planned events were canceled. We are warm and cozy in our townhouse, the four kittens are purring away, chasing catnip in their dreams no doubt. Armed with lots of Dorohy Sayers books from the library, we will have a nice stay this evening.<br /><br />I took pictures of the house blanketed with snow which I shall upload later.ljkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03187935151154651945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5201521943369015237.post-51107741706931166192009-12-03T08:43:00.000-08:002009-12-03T08:52:40.632-08:00Thursday Day 31Ok...it's official. It has been a full month since work began on the house. This week nothing seems to have happened, but I was there this morning and the electricians were there. I got to talk to Jeff about light placements and closet doors. We shrank the boys' closets from 2"8 to 2"4. I don' know that 2" each way on either side will make a difference....but maybe it will.<br /><br />The ceiling in the computer room downstairs IS falling apart. Jeff and the framer were there and Jeff said it needed to be replaced because "you guys didn't do the flashing right" and there was a sheepish grin. These terms...they are a whole 'other world....<br /><br />When I left the crew for the siding had arrived. The crew for the framing return at noon and they will reframe the closet doors and the upstairs computer room. The plans called for pocket doors and I didn't catch that when they were framing it. We are going to take the nice wood door with the glass that was our family room/back door, and use that upstairs. <br /><br />It is bitterly cold today. I never wear the right clothes for this type of change of weather days and apparently it will snow tomorrow. I fished out the boys winter jackets and my hats for tomorrow.<br /><br />One month down....hopefully only three to go.<br /><br />It really hasn't been that bad. We've settled into our townhouse. And we are excited and pleased about the progress on the house. Jeff said it will seem as if not much work is being done as the drywalls don't go up for another month. But there are inspections and all kinds of things going on.<br /><br />Anyway, I thought I'd leave you with some <a href="http://www.unplggd.com/unplggd/-081393?image_id=92361">organisation porn</a>. Yeah, that's right, you read it here.....<br /><br />Is this not the most luscious craft room ever?<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6NFyDkDcIRIY5zQ8izZPHGsgl4phc2QMx93QjhL_fWpTbbt6beJJPG0t-g19XKk9GUME1ZM5N8N2oJnxE7I3J58SHgcwC6VGamG0G-P6WbRLt-dvLG3C-td3niZ6mg6cW-0Bco9aGAL5_/s1600-h/01_craftyintentions_rect540.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6NFyDkDcIRIY5zQ8izZPHGsgl4phc2QMx93QjhL_fWpTbbt6beJJPG0t-g19XKk9GUME1ZM5N8N2oJnxE7I3J58SHgcwC6VGamG0G-P6WbRLt-dvLG3C-td3niZ6mg6cW-0Bco9aGAL5_/s320/01_craftyintentions_rect540.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411053589263292242" /></a>ljkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03187935151154651945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5201521943369015237.post-27064327118541458692009-12-02T08:04:00.000-08:002009-12-02T08:08:17.564-08:00Wednesday day 29Last night...we discovered that the roofer did not cover ALL of the roof. Yep, you guessed it. The constant rain resulted in water flowing into the downstairs computer room. There is significant water damage to the ceiling. We have removed the rug and mamsan cushion, and they are drying now. However, the wood floor is damaged.<br /><br />I am going to assume that repairs will be made and that we are not responsible for the cost. I'm just going to assume that....<br /><br />It was lucky that one of us went over there to check on the house, though by the time we addressed the issue with a tarp in the attic, the rain had already stopped.<br /><br />I'll be going back to the house this afternoon. I am sure the damage will be addressed. It just means a little more inconvenience and time as we will have to access the damage and then remove everything from that room for repairs to be made.ljkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03187935151154651945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5201521943369015237.post-39089839945979247342009-12-01T18:40:00.000-08:002009-12-01T18:45:33.594-08:00tues day 29It has been raining steadily for most of the evening. The kittens are on my lap which maks it difficult to typ. Smoky continues to paw the touch pad. Sraphin sms to b paying close attention to my typing, or so I thought until her had droppd onto th touch pad and I realised she had fallen asleep. so much for my rivting prose. oh and th e isn't working well.<br /><br />Cicero has stalked off, h was offended that I kept moving him off the laptop, but only bcause he dos insist on sitting right next to th scren.<br /><br />i am not going to b able to typ more at this rate, betwen th misbhaving e and on cat fast aslep on the laptop, another trying to paw at it and one fast aslp on my lap and one stalking th laptop...<br /><br />there were no men working at the house when i stopped y around noon and again around 3pm. th windows has been put in though not all had ben shut and I left it thus thinking..there must be a reason and now of cours it is raining.<br /><br />there was a green inspection sticker for plumbing on the front door.<br /><br />it's now the start of the 5th week. amazing.ljkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03187935151154651945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5201521943369015237.post-58720078141158912672009-11-30T15:17:00.000-08:002009-12-01T18:45:57.641-08:00Day 28 MondayIt was bitterly cold, wet and windy. Reminded me of winter in London. I was rather discouraged from work when I got to the house, so my reaction was probably affected by that.<br /><br />No matter how many times I warn students about "consequences" as in "if you don't get off your ass and complete the assignments" then you will most likely fail this course, I inevitably get at least one student who mind boggling decided he wasn't going to do any homework, or turn up for class, or take the quizzes, which if he didn't turn up for class, he can't take anyway, because I sure as heck am not writing multiple quizzes. And inevitably, I end up sitting in my chair with a student looking at me blankly and probably praying that I'll be a soft touch. Like hell, buddy.<br /><br />And it's the inevitable excuse. I cannot tell you how dangerous it is to be around me. There must be something about being around me or having me for a professor because death seems to loom around the corner. Of course, they never can authenticate the reason they missed 80% of the class because of a death in the family.<br /><br />So by the time I got to the house, my mood was as gray as the skies, and I was not feeling cheerful. They have begun and probably completed doing the ductwork. It all looks very scifi with silver tubes snaking here and there. When I saw the TWO duct tubes in D1's closet, I freaked. He won't have any closet at this rate...and what about here and there.<br /><br />Fortunately, Jeff said he'd be around and he walked me through and allayed some of my fears. (I mean, he's not going to be able to do anything about the probability of my getting more daft students next year....the guy's a good builder but there are limits to his powers....)<br /><br />There will be duct work in the utility room so they will have to bring the ceiling down a little lower there. This just means, I've got to decide NOW about the stackable or side by side washer dryer and what model. A trip to Sears is in the works....<br /><br />And there is duct work in the corner of D2's bedroom so we'll get a corner there and another one in the family room in a little nook.<br /><br />I was really discouraged walking through the remodel because I kept finding issues that I didn't discuss or which didn't occur to me to investigate. Jeff said, "It happens." I looked at him and said, "Not to me...." But of course, it has....<br /><br />I mean this isn't as bad as my taking off from Ambon, Indonesia to a remote island with two girlfriends and forgetting that maybe they might need food. I mean, I bought a nice package of nasi kandar or nasi ambon, or nasi (rice) something with spicy chicken and veggies....what did they think we were going to find on an island abandoned and only used as a midnight stop by fishermen....Long John Silver?<br /><br />(Janet if you're reading this, remember - we did survive, and we had a VERY good breakfast when we got back on the main island).<br /><br />See that doesn't count because who could have anticipated two Americans who had lived in Indonesia and not wanting to buy local food to take with them on an overnight stay on some island we can't even find anymore in the guidebooks?<br /><br />But ductwork eating into my closets because I didn't catch the design and engineering discrepancy...now that I should have anticipated.<br /><br />Jeff said the inspector did come, and did ask for some more straps. Don't ask me. I only repeat what I hear. And they obliged. And the weather today was too pissy to do any work on the outside.<br /><br />So I wandered around my house rather mournfully, feeling very gray and fed up. I swear, I'm opening up my website two weeks before class begins and putting up the LONG list of homework, quizzes and exam dates and by golly, if they stay in my course, it's caveat emptor. I'm not churning them out for the sake of education. They're going to bloody learn something even if I have to beat it into them.<br /><br />There, I feel better now. Maybe I can get some extra straps from the house for the beating part....ljkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03187935151154651945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5201521943369015237.post-8520062987224000352009-11-29T12:06:00.000-08:002009-11-30T11:16:02.575-08:00Day 27 SundayNo work on house. Never have I been so anxious for the dawn of a work day....<br /><br />We are settling into the townhouse well, much better than I anticipated, although having a 2 story town house is nice, as I can get away when I need some space. If it got to that, I can even close the walk in closet, lie down and take a nap and hide from the four kittens who take turns spending quality time with me.<br /><br />I just managed to get Cicero, the one who looks like a black tiger, off my laptop keyboard. And if I type very fast, I might have a few minutes to myself before they send another kitten up to check on me. They are much bigger than when these pics were taken in late Sept/mid Oct but they do spend a lot of time sleeping.Exceptat 4:45am when they wake me up. I get up at 5am and you'd think they'd give me that extra 15 minutes...but noo.....<br /><br />Clockwise, Patches, Seraphine, Smoky - blue eyed innocence<br /><a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7CEZtg9X3VUyN8m8u_bFaMUTmbFf5zRKUlhluDEzJ2aY_sIa7N4rYL2ZXzf2FDrMPKTMbekHVaQgFd9E-E4PXVCtYShqmHBDstM9j7c1qPwe-kX1_ygevVtrOlbD1tbYmjWw8ASHsHaeb/s1600/summertohouseremodelpics+1573.jpg'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7CEZtg9X3VUyN8m8u_bFaMUTmbFf5zRKUlhluDEzJ2aY_sIa7N4rYL2ZXzf2FDrMPKTMbekHVaQgFd9E-E4PXVCtYShqmHBDstM9j7c1qPwe-kX1_ygevVtrOlbD1tbYmjWw8ASHsHaeb/s320/summertohouseremodelpics+1573.jpg' border='0' alt=''style='clear:both;float:left; margin:0px 10px 10px 0;' /></a> <div style='clear:both; text-align:LEFT'><a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br />Clockwise, Patches, Smoky and Cicero- green eyes, and claiming the sofa as theirs <a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdarCdM2d4f8U5Hc7ydnobbv5JazPitf2mj0Hl0LMasaZCi3fMH9PVeeNk51I9MLeNBSJMjprz1OnCp_pM8ypOprOyI996-aUaeQag1V4KMCownDxQ5l92PQhIiqr5PsdAdHQzlswNZyYk/s1600/summertohouseremodelpics+2153.jpg'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdarCdM2d4f8U5Hc7ydnobbv5JazPitf2mj0Hl0LMasaZCi3fMH9PVeeNk51I9MLeNBSJMjprz1OnCp_pM8ypOprOyI996-aUaeQag1V4KMCownDxQ5l92PQhIiqr5PsdAdHQzlswNZyYk/s320/summertohouseremodelpics+2153.jpg' border='0' alt=''style='clear:both;float:left; margin:0px 10px 10px 0;' /></a> <div style='clear:both; text-align:LEFT'><a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a></div><br /><br /><br />It is disconcerting to realise how spoiled we are living in a house with the driveway right next to the backdoor. The townhouse does not have an attached garage. The distance for example between the car park and the townhouse isn't great, maybe 30 feet or so. But it makes for a long and heavy walk when laden with groceries. We have not yet hooked up the utilities, since said laundry room here is filled with boxes. So I have been doing laundry at a friend's apartment complex near my office which is turning out to be a rather efficient set up, if a tad inconvenient.<br /><br />I am glad we had this option. I know people have lived in their houses while putting second floor on. Having seen our own house, I can imagine the inconvenience endured. One builder said he was going to set it up so we could live in the house and run the laundry facilities, and I believe he was going to try. Another one said, it could be done but would extend the building and cost more in the long run. Our builder said it would be safer if we just moved out. And as cramped as we are here, it would have been worse in the house as it stands now.<br /><br />I am still, however, counting down the days.....four months equals two 30 day months and two 31 day months. I could have been unreasonable and set the schedule for 4 consecutive Februaries....<br /><br />So we are now 27 days into a 122 day schedule...and it hasn't been that bad at all. The main rush was the first two weeks, trying to pack up and get out. And I know I will be anxious to reverse direction. But Jeff gives me a list of to-dos that keep me busy - go pick out fixtures, hardware, plumbing...and I've got things I want to look into as well - a new front loading washer/dryer, a dual level dishwasher -so a trip to the library is on the list.<br /><br />Hope everyone had a good holiday weekend.ljkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03187935151154651945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5201521943369015237.post-15099128266842207502009-11-28T11:04:00.000-08:002009-11-28T14:54:09.090-08:00ProjectsDay 26No one is working at the house. It's a good time to go over and look through the salvaged material. i.e. the cedar planks they pulled off the house. I don't know what happened to the ones from the garage. ye gods...did they throw them? They must have....oh well....surely I have more than enough right?...cedar!!! aarg...how could I have missed those?!!?<br /><br /><br />Here are some gardening projects we have thought up. By "we", I really mean the royal "we".....<br /><br /><a href="http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/how-to/step/0,,20285829_20635057,00.html"><br />a storage shed for tools</a><br /><a href="http://richmondfoodsecure.blogspot.com/2009/02/build-your-own-seedling-rack.html"><br />seedling rack</a><br /><a href="http://www.solutionsforlandscaping.com/2009/10/how-to-build-a-grow-light-seedlings.html">Grow lights</a><br /><a href="http://www.safdar.net/shabbir/2009/01/how-to-build-a-cold-frame-to-start-your-seedlings.html">Cold frame</a><br /><a href="http://www.twp.concord.pa.us/docs/NPDESRainBarrel.pdf">Rain barrels</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.houstonvegetablegarden.com/">And this amazing blog about vegetable gardening in Houston!</a><br /><br />I'm going to have to some moving around of various plants this winter to prepare for the Spring planting. I think the rose bushes in the back will have to be moved to the side where they will get more sunshine anyway. The main reason I haven't done it is because the basketball hoop is there. <br /><br />And it looks like the playground set will be coming down...I have a story about that set...but it will have to wait another day.ljkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03187935151154651945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5201521943369015237.post-1864288150780728662009-11-28T07:09:00.000-08:002009-11-28T07:28:54.193-08:00Day 25 Black FridayDidn't go by the house today, but apparently no one was there. Iknow the shingles didn't get delivered today. The roofers were anxious to get on with it and said they would shingle if they could on Saturday. <br /><br />Stayed far away from insane people who probably spent hours queuing up to get into stores, and then to pay for their purchases.....<br /><br />Here's another cool idea for bedrooms...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEO-sNf4hFwxis3gQmom2P-0oU3Cjs52zdlk787Z88i0iX-crfMtp15egixwU6EuBuEGQF7s6INktyAJS8LI3PzKyZmd2d6vMIMI99uSsklFy2zqmFZafAfM7SKACMRc_t6YGs5dEpGWm3/s1600/retrouvius-childrens-loft.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 288px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEO-sNf4hFwxis3gQmom2P-0oU3Cjs52zdlk787Z88i0iX-crfMtp15egixwU6EuBuEGQF7s6INktyAJS8LI3PzKyZmd2d6vMIMI99uSsklFy2zqmFZafAfM7SKACMRc_t6YGs5dEpGWm3/s320/retrouvius-childrens-loft.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409172533031348082" /></a> <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The boys are really looking forward to their gameroom/play area. A few months ago, a friend walked into the family room downstairs a few months ago, and looking at the playmobil scattered around, she said, "You're very good to let them play here."<br /><br />Where else would they play? Then I got it. At least I think I did. The family room is a public area and should always look good. It never occurred to me to forbid the boys to play in a "public" area.<br /><br />It wasn't easy keeping it clean and tidy especially with the little parts that make up any playmobil or star wars set! It got progressively difficult as we began to think about remodeling, and began having boxes all over the place in a seemingly unending packing up mode. But my children LIVE here. Other people VISIT. <br /><br />Still, it will be great for the boys to have a space where they can lay out their grand battles or games and not have people accidentally walk on or kick, and they won't have to hear me tell them to clean up if they are in the middle of a battle royale.ljkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03187935151154651945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5201521943369015237.post-20185394539471278612009-11-27T07:17:00.000-08:002009-11-27T09:37:00.071-08:00Day 24 ThanksgivingApparently the plumbers were at the house checking the plumbing and apparently...there is a leak.They think the workers must have hit something...(sigh)...and they're going to tell on them....the plumbers say the expense of repairing the leak will be the crew's responsibility - or the fellow who runs the crew's responsabliity.<br /><br />We've been thinking and talking about doing this remodel for some time now.I'm sure some BHE parents recall my mentioning it back when D2 was in Kindy....and we really started getting down to the planning stage almost, actually a year ago, before Thanksgiving and then the funeral around Christmas shelved it for a bit. But I'd say it took about 10 months from start of planning to start of construction. <br /><br />Much of that delay was the HOA, the design planning, - I cannot emphasise how strongly I recommend going with an architect. They know the software, and more importantly they know their craft - we thought we made the right decision in not going with an architect....<br /><br />You'd think that after the numerous discussions we had with our builder prior to starting, there would be little to no surprises or change. That hasn't been the case.<br /><br />Witness my startled expression when I came home and found the garage stripped of its outer panels. Or when Jeff went into the new shower and realised the window was just a tad too big for the space given where the shower head was going to spray. Ergo one change order....<br /><br />The fortunate thing about that one was that while we were too late to simply change the size of the bathroom window as they had already or were in the process of manufacturing the window, we were able to order a smaller window, and then use the window they had already made in the garage. As the original window is not clear glass, this works out well in the garage. It lets in enough light without revealing the appalling condition of the garage. <br /><br />Then we changed the size of the garage door leading into the garden. But that was not tedious as they had not framed the door yet and we had not ordered doors yet.<br /><br />We also decided to change the lovely wood doors in the old family room.They are fixed doors. We replaced them with doors that will open. As for the old ones, I'm trying to figure out what to do with them. A garden studio mayhaps? A glass house? <br /><br />I had envisioned a simple utilitarian sink in the utility room like the one that sat in the attached garage in our house in Louisiana (or as a Houstonian neighbour used to call it, Lousyana...she hated the place....they didn't have Target then). My only concern was that the piping be high enough so I could fit in the litter box. (we didn't have kittens when all this began last year,we now have four....). <br /><br />However, Jeff had planned to build a cabinet to enclose a sink there. And if you've ever walked into one of his houses, you'll notice the attention to detail and how beautiful his homes are...so thankfully, someone is thinking of that type of issues! <br /><br />I had discussed changing the orientation of the boys' closets before we began work and that change was noted, (he boys' closets were originally the long and narrow closets and I suggested that we make them walk in closets instead), but not the one for the computer closet. However, that was easily rectified and did not cost much in terms of material. I assume it took them but a few minutes to change it.<br /><br />I forgot to mention that I didn't want pocket doors in the computer room and finally realised the room was framed for said pocket doors on Wednesday. Fortunately Jeff said that wasn't a problem.<br /><br />But it's the accumulation of these issues that make me wonder what ELSE I've missed.....ljkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03187935151154651945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5201521943369015237.post-10571216890072151372009-11-26T11:50:00.000-08:002009-11-26T13:50:29.654-08:00D1 Bedroom ideas<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpGayy__T8aAixddIv-28yv4lyam9RaUkx8jPpVV-EMLTsx6Jrpo9ADKtDzk46D7hCogcCVM6la1kC-uk12QqdBEU0Pn9XLOamKzExU4EurHYJFl2Pklvc-oDsi2khDB1InYKn5u5S6mbP/s1600/2007-01-19-ikeahack.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpGayy__T8aAixddIv-28yv4lyam9RaUkx8jPpVV-EMLTsx6Jrpo9ADKtDzk46D7hCogcCVM6la1kC-uk12QqdBEU0Pn9XLOamKzExU4EurHYJFl2Pklvc-oDsi2khDB1InYKn5u5S6mbP/s200/2007-01-19-ikeahack.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5408503069057255650" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/chicago/shelving-storage/ikea-hack-randys-girlfriends-bookshelf-016441">scource</a><br /><br />In the comments, he wrote "The base is made of 2" square, Mild Steel Tubing (use a .125" thick wall for strength!). Working from the final dimensions of The "EXPEDIT", I cut the Steel tubing/1st a frame/same size as bottom of the Bookshelf. Then, after that was welded, added the legs (same 2" square material), added some brackets, hidden in the "well" of the base- to screw the frame to the underside of the EXPEDIT. (also- small detail- so the legs were actually "flush" to the wall- I notched the back of the rear legs to "match" the baseboard).After it was all ground smooth and Surface Conditioned- I applied a Black Patina, neutralized it and the sprayed it w/ a clear Lacquer.<br />Purrrrty, eh?"<br /><br />Yes indeed. I showed it to D1 who said, "Do they have it in white?"<br /><br />D1 has decided that his new room is to be painted the whitest white ever. And that everything in his room is to be white.<br /><br />This is my child? <br /><br />"How about a little bit of colour?"<br /><br />"No! I want it to be white. It will be awesome."<br /><br />"You're going to have to keep it very clean....."<br /><br />"Mmmm hmmm.."<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Incidentally, I love this room :-)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFty8wAqnwfmaYGaHOVhwOzOn8_b2Ut39YQL7xdHi66hQwlURn3p3P7fEi9xFIJYiASP0aBCt_Vuy4X4gVnXz8K7ZKjXXRZWslS33ELmXILi43pH8xFyjTilvxVFaJ1P-ZrQpI0GNbxDzW/s1600-h/cooltable.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 149px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFty8wAqnwfmaYGaHOVhwOzOn8_b2Ut39YQL7xdHi66hQwlURn3p3P7fEi9xFIJYiASP0aBCt_Vuy4X4gVnXz8K7ZKjXXRZWslS33ELmXILi43pH8xFyjTilvxVFaJ1P-ZrQpI0GNbxDzW/s200/cooltable.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275613155855641458" /></a><br /><br />I emailed the designer, she runs a children's store in NYC, and had been featured on Apartment Therapy - a great website - and she very kindly told me what the table was and I located it. It is really cool. It's actually a VERY upmarket conference table from Topdeq for $1500, a company that no longer sells in the US....so...ebay anyone?<br /><br /><br />This table is probably going to work. Except it is an ikea so quality might not be the best....and guess what...according to the website, it is not available....I like the clean lines of the Topdeq table, though if this goes into the computer room for D1 to use, he's going to need storage for papers...<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXYMJaM-6TjiRrSw1QLf106OPbeMQ9enaKmzxbCf4ScFr9l64W7O9jS8L7trej6mOJ2vk_zaRMTG8Cw7ozNYUTS5jxzUj1DySqkW1CYvGqQWnWas6D4qiK990S3vIJV0fhRocdaZ2oEetR/s1600/whitetable.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 212px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXYMJaM-6TjiRrSw1QLf106OPbeMQ9enaKmzxbCf4ScFr9l64W7O9jS8L7trej6mOJ2vk_zaRMTG8Cw7ozNYUTS5jxzUj1DySqkW1CYvGqQWnWas6D4qiK990S3vIJV0fhRocdaZ2oEetR/s320/whitetable.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5408532653846204002" /></a>LJKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16543430087785120618noreply@blogger.com0