The Windows Go In!

WOW! Big step...the windows are in. It really makes a difference to see them in. The trim is a dark brown and it looks great. The white strip you see around the windows will come off eventually.

There's a delay on getting the roofing shingles, so that's holding up the roof a bit. Now we start the mechanical (HVAC) and electrical part of the project.

Who Knew More Was Coming Down?

Well, the demolition and framing wasn't done after all. We have a bump out off the front, which will house a new bathroom upstairs and a new foyer downstairs. That has been framed and covered. We assume the windows will go in next.

All Boarded Up

Now that most of the framing is done (save for the bump out on the front, which they started on today), they've put up plywood around the house before they install the windows. Of course, we have three days of rain in the forecast, so that might slow work down. More pictures this weekend!

The New Roofline

They got the roof up really quickly this week! We love the roof details with the different gables and bump outs. It's not a big square block of an addition. All the interior rooms are framed so it's neat to walk through the house now and see all the rooms. Next comes the front bump out and front porch, which will span the entire width of the house.

The House with No Top

Poor little house. It's so strange to see it without a roof. But they've been busy this week and the new roof is almost up. We'll go by tomorrow to take more pictures.

Topless!

My nice neighbor Jen sent a photo taken this morning. She kindly let us know that our house has no roof! I hope they get the new one up fast!

Second Story Going Up!

As of yesterday, the second floor didn't exist, and at 10:15 this morning, it's almost done! The interior framing is well underway, so today we went inside and could really tell how the rooms will lay out. Very, very neat. We also climbed down a ladder into the basement, which is a complete mess right now, but we're going to fix it up to be good as new. Today really felt like things were moving along.

First Floor Framing

Framing does go fast! They did this in about a day and will work on the upstairs Monday. The first shot is standing in my kitchen looking out its three windows, which will be above the sink. The second shot is from the street looking at our new family room. Jay took these pictures and said standing inside the house really gave a sense of what the rooms will look like. I can't wait to go myself this weekend and check it out.

Exposed!

The back of the house is now exposed, although it's covered with a tarp to protect it from the rain today. The first picture shows the house from the side, looking in on where the kitchen (downstairs) and bathroom (upstairs) used to be. The top of the door you see in this photo is our front closet. The second shot shows the house from the back. Pretty cool!

Jay drove by this morning and said a lot of the framing is going up, so we'll update with shots tomorrow.

Things are Going Up and Things are Coming Down

As you can see, they've moved inside the house to demo and gut the walls since a lot of things are moving around (walls, the staircase). I wondered if I might feel nostalgic once things got to this point, but I haven't (so far). I just feel really excited. Once they're done gutting, the outside walls will be ready for demolition, and then there's a short period where the house is exposed to the outside while they're framing. We hope to have the house "airtight" in a couple of weeks.

The first picture is the new foundation. The second photo is our kitchen taken from the dining room. And the third one is taken from our bedroom to the upstairs hallway (closet is/was on the right).

Drawer Pulls, Exciting Stuff!

We are getting white shaker style cabinets for the kitchen, with a black honed marble for the counter and picked these drawer and cabinet pulls from Restoration Hardware in oil rubbed bronze. I think they will contrast nicely with the white cabinets.

The Foundation is (Almost) Done

Thankfully, we've had a run of nice weather over the last few days, and so progress on the foundation has really sped along. As of yesterday (Feb 8), the foundation was just about done, so today they can grade the site, and tomorrow start framing. That's when updates will get a lot more interesting and when we'll really be able to see what things will look like.

Ordering Things is Fun!

So, here's what I'm ordering today. Master bath sinks from Kohler (Memoirs series) and faucet hardware from Restoration Hardware (Vintage series in polished nickel). Comments??

Foundation Work

It's a bummer to go by the house now, because progress has been slow and the whole yard is a mess. It's hard to see what it's all going to look like. We went by yesterday before visiting our neighbors to watch the Superbowl, and it was weird parking in our driveway, not going inside the house, seeing the mess, and then (after the party) leaving to go back to the rental.

One good thing about doing this project in the winter is that we feel like the noise impact to our neighbors is minimal due to everyone being inside and having their windows shut. But, the foundation work has gone slowly because of rain, sleet and snow. We had two good days last week, so they should be finishing up now, and then we start the framing, which we've heard goes fast.

On the positive side, I get to order a lot of things right now (cabinets, sinks, faucets, etc.) in preparation for all the interior work that will start soon. Very exciting!

The Mess

We went by the house this weekend to get a few things out of the house and take pictures. Our entire house is surrounded by trenches for the new foundation and blue tarps to keep the snow/rain out. It was interesting hopping around to get in the basement door! This photo above shows the backyard and you can see the outline of the back of the house under the tarps. The builder plans to bring in some heat torches this week to heat up the ice so it will melt and we can pour the concrete.

The Weather is Causing Delays

We failed our first inspection today :( The Arlington inspector came to look at the excavation work and found ice in the foundation trenches. It's better to be safe and fail, I guess, but it's another delay. We have to wait until the weather warms up a bit for the ice to melt and the water to evaporate. And, of course, they're calling for snow/precipitation Sunday and Monday. The builder thinks maybe next week sometime.

We'll visit the house this weekend and take pictures of the trenches, so stay tuned.

Let the Digging Begin!

We FINALLY broke ground! The excavators came with a Bob Cat on Thursday and had at it. And it's a mess. The front porch is gone too, although the steps to get into the house are still in place. With the porch gone, we could really see the termite damage in the discarded posts and lumber. I have to say it's a bit sad to see the old house coming down. Even though I had some complaints about it (I don't think I'll be sad to see our bathroom go), it is the house where I got married, had a baby and really made a home. But it will be even better in six months.

Oh, I also got my new kitchen sink this week. As soon as we signed our construction contract, I ordered that baby so that I wouldn't miss out on it. And I love it!