Category Archives: House

Posts about renovating, building, or refurnishing the house.

the basement transforms

While the outside work is underway, we work on improving the basement. The laundry USED to be in the  middle of the ‘shop’. Since starting this endeavor we have built a wall in the basement (the kids helped!)

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Glyn Britt Stover

It took several weekends to get the frame and a very simple plywood paneling in place.

in one weekend Scott & Heather shortened two doors, built from scratch the door frames and mounted them both. It was very satisfying.

laundry/shop door

 

Second new door behind which is the bunny cleaning activities.

shop/storage door

In one weekend Scott & Heather shortened two doors, built from scratch the door frames and mounted them both. It was very satisfying.

We moved the dryer and re-ran the duct-work, first time we actually used ‘duct’ tape for ducting! We built a washer/dryer stand so the front load washer sits higher off the ground and is next to the dryer for easy transfer.

The laundry room is a huge improvement to clothes (clean & dirty) covered in sawdust and the bunnies are enjoying their new home on the other sides of the stairs in the ‘storage’ room. Eventually that room may even be a basement lair of sorts (gaming, homework, etc.) but for now it’s storage, storage, bunnies, and more storage.

Scott added a bandsaw to his set of shop tools, he still needs a jointer (and probably a newer table saw) before he can truly focus on building the door. He did build a ‘scrap cart’ to get the old oak flooring out of the way. I must say moving everything around in the shop sure makes it hard to find all the things you used to know where they were…

here's the shop side of the new wall, Scott just acquired a new Rikon band saw.

here’s the shop side of the new wall, Scott just acquired a new Rikon band saw.

this is the longest view of the shop half of the basement. Chop saw in the foreground. Scott's has added more power and lights.

this is the longest view of the shop half of the basement. Chop saw in the foreground. Scott’s has added more power and lights.

While we are constructing

As you might imagine, our living conditions have changed now that a large portion of the living space is no longer available. I thought you  might enjoy seeing how compressed things have become…

Britt's Drum's were relocated from the basement in order to accomodate the new 'laundry room'. The girls have been back in the bunk beds for a while (I did not photograph the other side - their desks/dressers, I don't even want to look at that mess!)

Britt’s drum set

Britt’s Drum’s were relocated from the basement in order to accomodate the new ‘laundry room’. The girls have been back in the bunk beds for a while (I did not photograph the other side – their desks/dressers, I don’t even want to look at that mess!)

The one item that did live in the piano room was the 'art shelf' it now resides in the second floor bathroom - really! there was enough space!

art shelf

As we reduce our living space during this time of renovation, everyone takes on more 'stuff'. Stover's room got two sets of bookcases that used to be in the Living Room (yes, that's him reclining on the bed).

Stover’s room

Stover’s room got two sets of bookcases that used to be in the Living Room (yes, that’s him reclining on the bed).

The one item that did live in the piano room was the ‘art shelf’ it now resides in the second floor bathroom – really! there was enough space

the girls room also acquired a number of items from the Living Room (and the drawers to the train table, which we have not decided what to do with, yet).

the girls room

Even the master bedroom was not spared, we have a bookshelf and the leather chair from the living room. Shiver no longer likes to sleep up here, her bed is too crowded, she prefers the base of the stairs to keep tabs on everyone.

master bedroom

The girls room also acquired a number of items from the Living Room (and the drawers to the train table, which we have not decided what to do with, yet).

Even the master bedroom was not spared, we have a bookshelf and the leather chair from the living room. Shiver no longer likes to sleep up here, her bed is too crowded, she prefers the base of the stairs to keep tabs on everyone.

The kitchen is almost never presentable but we like having a table/chairs in it for the first time ever. The office is also crowded with stuff, under the tall desk, the piano on it’s side, lots of dust.

The living room (formerly the piano room) is quite cozy and we can all cuddle on the couch and watch TV (or eat dinner). It’s amazing, really, that we have not felt too inconvenienced (yet).

Frozen, Sat 8 Feb

Well, turns out we were right to be worried that the kitchen pipes might freeze, because they did. I came downstairs this morning, Saturday, and checked to see that the kitchen faucet still worked. It didn’t. I tried thawing the pipes gently with a blow dryer and the pipe objected, bursting a fitting and spraying me and the kitchen pretty thoroughly.

When the addition was put on the house, apparently most of the installation that used to be on the kitchen corner of the house was removed. Behind the counter on the South side there is no insulation and no interior gyp board either so that side had only a half-inch of gyp on the outside and then a few three-quarter pine planks. The faucet side had about an inch of fiber glass with lots of holes in it.

After my unanticipated shower, icicles formed on the pipes in the sink cabinet. Even the drain was frozen.

Fortunately, the builders had planned to work Saturday and were on hand to help repair and mitigate the pipe problem. They pulled off the exterior sheathing and put in sufficient fiberglass and they covered back over with salvaged wood from the dining room. It only has to last a month or so cause the kitchen will get deconstructed once the addition is weather tight.

Rebuilt kitchen walls so the pipes don't freeze again.

Rebuilt kitchen walls so the pipes don’t freeze again.

Also done today was the rebuilding of the East ledger and family room floor. They even began adding support for the new family room floor which will be up about 8 inches from the old one.

The rebuilt sill, rim joist and new rim joist for the family room.

The rebuilt sill, rim joist and new rim joist for the family room.

At the suggestion of the builder, I enlisted Stover and Britt to venture into the crawl space and pull out the old insulation. It will be replaced with closed-cell foam. The kids were great; they made quite a pile of fiberglass.

Insulation from below the family room.

Insulation from below the family room.

Friday, 7 Feb

Foundation plantings are gone and some constructions stairs are in place.

Foundation plantings are gone and some constructions stairs are in place.

The builder was back yesterday to plow away the foot of snow we got on Wednesday. He plowed the driveway we have, another around the house to the backyard, and much of the backyard. The dining room part of the 1980 addition was apparently built without a proper moisture barrier between the foundation and the sill plates, so it had to go. As so it went today, along with the entire dining room floor above it.

The dining room has been reduced to dirt.

The dining room has been reduced to dirt.

It is all just as well since a new foundation pier needed to be dug through the dining room anyway. Also, all the rotten rim joist and sill at the rear of the (former) family room was removed.

And it begins, 31 Jan

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I got a text from Britt on Friday (1/31/2014), the ‘builders are here’ it was 3pm. I called Scott, couldn’t reach him. Stover, who had been at home all day, had said nothing. It turns out a warm spell was expected for the weekend, so the Builder brought his team in on Friday to close off the kitchen openings. By the time I got home on Friday, I had a closed in kitchen and a door, yikes! The plan was they would return on Saturday to demolish the old addition.

Saturday morning was a bit of a panic as we scrambled to ensure all our ‘stuff’ was out of the way. We salvaged some stuff, then we watched it all happen. The photos don’t quite capture the shaking of the house as the pieces are pulled apart.

Little pig, little pig, let me come in.

Little pig, little pig, let me come in.

Videos: a last look, first swing, some more, from the kitchen, the corner goes (more to come from the girls iTouches)

A few hours later there isn't much left. The addition has become a subtraction.

A few hours later there isn’t much left. The addition has become a subtraction.

 

That was a ceiling.

That was a ceiling.

Before we begin

This is what our house looks like now (actually, months ago when the weather was warmer), before any renovation. We don’t use the front door, except to repel solicitors. The addition (on right) is where we enter and live. We’ve waited too long but we’re about to make it better, much better. Our plan is to show progress throughout construction.

Our House Before Renovation

NewYears

our 8'+ tree

For a special New Year’s event, we allowed the kids and friends to decorate the interior of the Living Room and Dining Room. It’s interesting to see what a the kids came up with. Fun was had by all!