Day 21: Bedrooms and other Interior News

Here's where we are currently living:







Funny thing being... you may not even be able to tell from pics but we have more closet space and storage now, and I could totally set up a side table and a dresser and tall chest in there. What's crazy is our future room is double this!







Speaking of storage and room, our sweet attic access is in place:

Day 13-14: Minor Developments

So starting from the back, note the lovely overhang at the door, and the budding stairs:




Then into the kitchen, note the pipe that lead to the upstairs steam heater is gone! Yes we are removing said heater and replacing with electric baseboard. This will create better usable wall space, as well as consistency in each bedroom being on it's own electric heater. Also, and most importantly, it removes that awful pipe through the kitchen, and allows us to move the kitchen heater to a better location.


Heading upstairs, you might note this spacious hall. Follow the puppy, she show you the way.



The room with the door is still a mess but to the left we have the newly steam-heaterless room. Baseboard installed, and tested. Worked marvelously.



And well nothing much new in the walk in closet, but the trim is up... Hanging rods and shelving to come!

Day 9: Meanwhile Upstairs Inside

Drywall! Rooms are forming:


Room on the right, viewpoint standing in closet:


Room on the left, viewpoint looking AT closet (yes its a small walk in):

Day 7: Framing, Foundation, Electrical Inspection

Inspection results:
Foundation... We have had this ditch since pre-Halloween, and it was as large as it was because the architect mis-measured our house and drew the foundation too big. So between recalculating math or doing extra digging, Milton chose digging. I was cool with it, makes no real diff to me. Cept it turns out we would need new drawings and new approvals to do such a thing, and so they will now be filling it in. Seems like a silly waste of work!


Otherwise everything else was good.

Foundation prep dug out back:


Not a lot happened to show, as most of the big stuff was static waiting for the inspector.

But the old door to my bedroom that was segmenting the new length of hall was taken out, and so not the hallway looks more normal (though still unfinished, and furnished with a creepy pup).


And they installed the fan in our guestroom/office.

Demolition Day 2: One Bedroom Becomes Two (well guestroom and office)

Upstairs, the hall extends...


And the divide is in...


To the left...





To the right...

Demolition Day 1: Uninsulated, Literally too.

Somehow the window looks so much nicer all exposed like that. I am going to miss it, I mean people pay a lotta money for a sheet of glass like that.



Since lunch time the rooms have started taking on shape and division.









The door to the hall is gone now, yay more openness!



The heat turned off, boo we're cold!

Demolition Day 1: The Bedroom (s)

Our Bedroom has been fairly large, and with room for two closets, though we never actually formed the second. And with windows all around and the radiator, honestly the FUNCTIONAL space was limited.


So we are taking the front 'Harry Potter Bedroom' and dividing ours into two (guest room and office).


Step one was to move all the furniture to one side or the other. We didn't want to bring downstairs and then back up, so just split it up, leaving the mattress till last so we could sleep on it up until Demo Day. The pets, seeing the weakened position, set to attack.


The division has begun.

Demolition Day 1: It Starts

Here is where we generally left off in the kitchen and office (yes it got decorated and cluttered with stuff but still serves to show where we started after emptying it out and how it looked when Day 1 began):

Kitchen


Office (to become Dining Room)


And as of Brendan's mid-day check:


Wall between the two rooms is gone and being rebuilt with entrance more towards center of the house and larger, no door, and thus creating more open feel. I can't help but a little think may be people were right about the idea of keeping it totally open, but then I think of my wine rack, and dish cabinet, and dining table, and think it's good to have a defined dining room. Also means more cabinets. However I did sacrifice cabinet and counter to keep opening 4 ft instead of 3. Worth it.

THE BIG MOVE (Part I)

So Saturday morning comes, and I am quite certain that the state of my apartment is an insult to those coming to help. It is really barely ready for the move, and my only defense is those fracking carpet guys messed my groove thing up! They called 7:30 again, on their way to the house. This time, I was like "No, no one is there, you said you would come in the afternoon. There is no heat in the house still." Thankfully they agreed to come later.

On top of that, Lauren's husband (not me in third person but my friend Lauren from second grade), Steve came with their two kids: almost 3 year old and a almost 3 week old. It was either no Steve (which mean my Dad and Brendan moving all the heavy stuff) or no me (which meant a lot of the smaller organizational things, as well as the 'power packing'* would be left undone till Sunday).

*power packing: a term I made up just now to describe my ability to pack misc stuff in an organized manner faster than Brendan. I might be faster than a speeding bullet as well but it has never been tested.

In any case, I tried to at least make paths to the heavy items, and before I knew it- it was time to pick up the truck. When I got back, my Dad was there moving things already, I brought with me some Dunkin Donuts bagel goodies which was not the tastiest but least destructive thing I served (will go in to that more later). After Steve arrived and helped wrap up some of the truck packing, our caravan was off!

Top Right: white truck is my Dad and the budget truck is Brendan.




Steve was behind me, and I wasn't about to get in an accident turning around for the photo, so I used the rear view mirror to help me aim the camera, and he's in it- so great success!



As we were almost there the carpet guys call again asking where I am. AGAIN they went to the wrong address. I give them the right one, warn them that we have a big truck coming, and arrive with them puzzled as to how to get the carpet upstairs. According to the one guy, the people from yesterday must not have wanted to bring it up, because it was plenty warm to install. AKA I took off a day of work and some jerk was too lazy to not waste my time. Anyways, Steve and my Dad offered to help bring it up, since they were like 70. I think Steve made a new friend (George).




I largely spent my time watching the children. I had made a promise not to let Gianna get hit by a car or dresser, and again- great success. Also, changed my first newborn diaper since Andrew (my brother who's 17.5).






My first guests to hang out and watch TV!!!




Action Shot:




Lauren came by after class, and soon she and the fam had to go. (Isn't Steve and she cute?)




Went to an Italian deli (Sergio's) to get sandwiches for Brendan, Dad, and I. Their food is awesome.






Only problem came from a sandwich that had an eggplant caponata or something like that on it. It didn't tell me there are pignoli nuts on it, and my Dad is allergic.




After some brief relaxing, (and trying to make sure I didn't feel terrible about having him come up to help and then poisoning him), Dad headed home.




Brendan and I took a moment as well to enjoy the handiwork.




And then it was back to work. We purchased (not picked up) a split box spring, which turned out to be courtesy of m grandmother. (THANK YOU NANIE FOR THE HOUSE WARMING GIFT!) Then we went back to the apartment to pick up the kitty and whatever else could fit in my car.

We took a few last moments in the apartment, remembering the brief time we had in a well done, newly renovated living space with one set bill that paid for everything, and a landlord to bring upon all our woes.






Also last minute decided to bring this chair. 1) no idea where to dump it, 2) it's been every where else Brendan's lived in the last 3 or 4 moves. It should at least see the house.




Here is how the house ended it's night...

Kitchen:


Office:


Bedroom:


Our clothes:



And here's where we ended ours...

Living Room:



Good night!