A Different Point of View

The "foreman" inspecting the frame work

For me, the remodel has been exciting and interesting and fun to watch. I leave for work in the morning, and when I come home I see the results of the day. So far I've been able to look at the big picture, seeing each day's progress as it happens without getting my hands dirty, so to speak. But for Darryl, this project has been quite a different experience.

For Darryl, it's all about time wasted, work done and then re-done, mistakes made and frustrations. Since he's home during the day, he gets to see minute by minute the entire process. He's such a hands-on type of person, I know it's driving him crazy to have to stand by and watch while someone else does the work. He has tried to stay indoors and write, but the lure of the hammering draws him outside throughout the day.

He has seen time wasted as the plans were drawn, taken to LADBS, sent back for revisions, redrawn, resubmitted, sent back again, and redrawn another time. This past week he has seen time wasted as the supervisor from DWP (who a mere three months ago came out to the house and assured Darryl that the power box could be moved) told Darryl to his face that he had never been out to this house, that he had never mentioned anything about moving the power and that he didn't think it could be done. Fortunately, the man must have a split personality disorder, because his next sentence was all about how the DWP could move the box (for a fee) and how he'd send someone out later this week. Of course, it's now Friday evening and no one came out. I wonder how much later he meant.

The frustration of mistakes has surrounded the seemingly never-ending saga of the plumbing. The irony is that the plumbing for the new part of the house is perfect and if we had just stopped there things would be just fine. But we decided to redo the entire waste drain circuit and that's where we ran into problems. I have lost count of how many times the plumbers have been out to fix things, but Darryl could tell you in great detail about every visit - including the visit from the owner of the company assuring Darryl that he'd send his master plumber out to fix it once and for all. Still waiting for that to happen. Darryl says the worst part was when the owner told him that the original plumber had been fired from the company for his shoddy work. Darryl felt pretty awful, but the company owner told him that it's not his problem and he should put it out of his head. As for sending out the number one guy, we did have someone come out to try to fix the mistakes, but he made it so the pipe was level instead of sloped. The way Darryl found that out was by crawling under the house and inspecting his work. Sure, he's a stickler for detail; but the fact that he's willing to shove himself into the crawlspace and get covered with dirt has been a blessing in this process.

So we're still waiting for that to get resolved. Meanwhile, Darryl spends his days worrying about all the minute details that go into a home remodel project, while I get to come home and take photos. Pretty sweet deal, huh?

A Room of Our Own

So much has happened in just a few short days. I guess when I miss posting, I miss a lot. Over the last three days, Tom has finished framing the internal walls, added the ceiling joists and framed the roof. We were told that the framing happens quickly, but it's still so hard to believe. I think the fact that I'm gone all day makes it seem like a snap of the fingers. The girls and I are so excited when we get home to look to our right and see what's new each day.

The addition is now fully framed

When there was a foundation and nothing else, I couldn't visualize the rooms at all. One evening we were in the backyard and I looked over and was convinced that something was wrong. It just didn't look like the right size. I went inside and grabbed the tape measure to see if the room matched the plans. Even though I suppose the tape measure didn't lie, I still wasn't convinced. I was sure that someone had tampered with the inches on the tape measure. But once the framing was done, I could see the room perfectly. In my mind I could see the freshly painted walls, the crisp new sheets on the bed, and the rows of books on the built-in bookcase. Apparently the room will look even bigger once the walls are plastered and the furniture goes in. Very weird.

Tom working to finish the ceiling

The other day I lay down on the floor in my new bedroom and looked up at the late afternoon sky. It was a beautiful sight. For a moment, I wondered whether it would be possible to have a retractable glass roof so that I could always enjoy the view. I guess I'll have to make do with this not-too-shabby view from the bedroom instead.

The view from our bedroom window (ignore the unfinished wood)

This evening we took the girls on a tour through the new "rooms." Grace wanted to know why we needed such a big closet. It got me thinking about stuff, and how important is it really. Of course, the knee jerk reaction is to say that we have too much stuff and we should all forsake our material wealth and live with the bare minimum. But to that, I say "No Way! I like my stuff and I'm keeping it." This is not going to be a blog about giving everything away to those less fortunate and being at peace with that. But if you have the secret to being at peace, please leave a comment below. I'd love to read it - right after I finish folding clothes.

The thing is, I probably do have more clothes than I need. How many white shirts are too many? Four? Five? Six? Is there a difference between my pink sandals and my other pink sandals? I try to be a good role model to the girls, but is it fair to chastize them for not keeping their drawers tidy when my own dresser is overflowing with t-shirts?

The reality is, I have no doubt that we have a lot of stuff. Maybe that's why we have to have some more rooms - we need a place to keep it all! But when I look at things around the house, I like to think that have a deep appreciation for all of it. Today Julia wore a shirt that was a gift from her aunt and uncle chosen especially because she loves the show "Dr. Who". Grace wore a pair of socks that have now become her signature look. (If you've seen her around school, you'll know exactly what I mean.) I cooked risotto for dinner in a saucepan that we bought especially to make risotto in, and if you taste it you'll understand why we needed such a particular pan. The piano in the living room celebrates how music weaves its way through our family, from the musical theater my family has been a part of, to my painful violin lessons at age six; from the bluegrass tunes my poppa-in-law sings, to Darryl's meticulous choices in his i-tunes playlists; from Grace's steadfast recorder practice to Julia's joy in singing for the school choir.

Last spring, a colleague donated three hefty bags full of clothes and accessories that his now 20-something daugher had accumulated during her teenage years. Opening those bags and going through all of those things was like Christmas in May for my girls. Not only did they find treausures of clothes, belts and purses in there, they also felt so special to be given these things by someone who took time to think about them and wanted to share with them. Did we need all of these things in the house? Probably not. But each item the girls kept has a value to them that I could never negate. When I ask, "Where is that shirt from?" and one of them replies, "It's from 'the bag,'" we all enjoy the thought that someone out there has taken a moment to consider the Vinyards.

So try not to judge me too harshly when the blue cardigan I'm wearing looks so similar to that other blue cardigan I wore last week. After all, I have to find stuff to fill my new closet with, right?

American Dream

Darryl and I have lived in this house for 14 1/2 years now. We have saved our pennies and watched our bank account, waiting for the time when we could truly make this the house we always wanted. I always felt a tinge of pride, thinking that we had been smart and careful and done what only a few people can say they've done too. Well, so much for my overblown pride and false sense of accomplishment. All I can say is that now I've seen a space shuttle up close (somewhat), it puts everything else into perspective somehow. And I realize that the space shuttle Endeavour isn't really anything to do with the theme of this blog, but how could I let that moment pass without comment?

So this evening's blog isn't going to be about plumbing or insulation or flooring. I'm not going to riff on the merits of brushed nickel vs. chrome fixtures in the bathroom. I'll wait until another day to discuss the challenges of choosing hardwood floor. This evening has to be about the wonderful thing that so many of us saw on Friday.

There were actually several wonderful things that happened noon on Friday. My jaded husband, who not 10 minutes before the flyover claimed not to care too much, found that he had a lump in his throat as he watched the aircraft soar, and he was moved by the sounds of so many middle schoolers chanting, "USA! USA!" Those same middle schoolers, who had been grumbling about having to stand outside in the heat, suddenly became patriotic and excited and thrilled to witness history. They were cheering and chasing after the shuttle as it flew across our field not once but twice, as if performing an encore for an adoring crowd. And this ex-pat, who cheered team GB during the Olympics and scoffs at a perceived overabundance of red, white and blue, had goosebumps watching the NASA jet carry the retired shuttle to its new home only a few miles from here.

It felt as if we could almost touch it

Tomorrow, I'll go back to stories of remodeling and all that jazz, but for now, just enjoy this photo taken from the field at Jordan Middle School. Endeavour, I salute you.

We've Been Framed

Looking at the new rooms from the backyard - the bedroom
is on the right and the bathroom/closet is on the left, with the
new spare bedroom in the back.

It's amazing how much can happen in one day. When I left this morning, the sub-floor was complete but I still couldn't really visualize the new rooms. Then when I came home 12 hours later, suddenly the rooms were there! Now I can see where my bed will be, where the rocking chair is going, where the shower is, and where the laundry hamper sits. It's a real set of rooms now and it's so exciting.

This is the wall of the bathroom and closet

Apparently, Tom (our contractor) put these two walls together today and Darryl had a hand in putting them up. If you've ever seen "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers," you'll remember the scene where they raised the barn. Well that's what happened today, minus the wild dancing and homemade pies. [BTW, if this pop culture reference is too ancient for you, you might remember the "Simpsons" episode where Homer tried to put in a swimming pool and instead raised a barn. Classic line (from a passing Amish man): "Sure, 'tis a fine barn English, but 'tis no pool." Homer: "Do-eth!")

I wish I could post video on this blog, because Darryl took a great video of the two of them raising each wall. He set the camera on a trash can so that we could see it all while he was actually doing it. Of course, the perfectionist that he is, he was upset that the lip of the trash can was visible in the video. I just thought it was cool. That's the two of us in a nutshell, I guess.

Next week the electrician comes in so we get to go shopping again this weekend. We're picking out ceiling fans for our bedroom, the reading nook and the spare bedroom. All of a sudden I feel like we've moved beyond a construction site and into a home remodel. It's a subtle shift, but a welcome one nevertheless. If you're in the neighborhood, you should stop by. It's a beautiful site.

Here's our new bedroom and reading nook (looking at the
windows in those rooms)

Floored

Whoever thought I would get so excited about insulation? Although I'm a super freak about saving energy, insulation was never my topmost priority. It was always just some pink fuzzy stuff that looked like highly poisonous cotton candy. But today I realized just how important that cotton candy is going to be in my newly remodeled home when I open my newly updated power bill.

Darryl thinks the rows of insulation look like bodies in bags.

The sub-floor is almost complete (with tools of the trade
scattered around for authenticity).

In between the floor joists, we now have complete floor insulation. It's job is going to be to regulate the heat that flows through the new rooms so that we don't get such wide fluctuations in temperature. Heat energy will get trapped in the fiberglass so that a barrier is created. In the old room, we would get such extreme temperature ranges that you would think you were in another country. As anyone who has slept in that old room can attest, winter in the "big room" was like winter in Eastern Europe. No amount of radiators, blankets or rugs could totally eradicate the shivers on the coldest nights. Yet in the dead of summer, that room was a furnace, and the ceiling fans on full blast barely made a dent in the Saharan atmosphere. So looking at that beautiful pink mush  almost makes my heart skip a beat! Between the new insulation in the floors, walls and roof, and the solar panels yet to come, our house will be so energy efficient we'll almost be able to shut down the electricity and run everything on the power generated by little hamsters going around and around on their wheels. That'll be the basis for my next blog: Rodent Power!

Remodeling FAQ's

1. Q: Why is the word 'remodeling' misspelled in your URL? (www.remodlingourhome.blogspot.com)
A: I'd like to try to be clever and explain it in an ironic/philosophical/creative way. But the truth is I had a brain fart.

2. Q: What advice do you have about choosing a contractor?
A: Well, we're all about geography. Our contractor is also our next-door-neighbor. He opened up the fence between our houses so that he can pop home any time he needs a tool (since it's just too time consuming to walk around the front). He let us put the dumpster in his driveway. He's comfortable enough with the dog to ignore him during the day. Yes, the most important thing in choosing a contractor is definitely geography.

3. Q: Talking of your dog, how's that going?
A: If you ask him, things are great. He has managed to figure out how to move the post that's supposed to keep him out of the neighbor's yard (see FAQ #2 about the fence) and now he can get out into the street any time he wants to. The good news is he's not very smart and he doesn't always remember that he can do this, so as long as we watch him carefully when he's in the yard, we might be OK.

4. Q: Is it stressful to go through this process with kids in the house?
A: We have a 13 year old and an 11 year old. Deciding what movie to watch on Saturday night is stressful. Listening to arguments about who gets to finish the favorite cereal is stressful. Sharing a bathroom is stressful. Waiting for the dishwasher to get emptied is stressful.

5. Q: What are you most looking forward to?
A: The Dodgers winning the World Series.

6. Q: No, what about the remodel are you most looking forward to?
A: That's a tough one. I'm looking forward to not sharing a bathroom with the girls, and getting two extra closets will give me a lot more options when it comes to storing useless junk. But I think the number one thing I'm looking forward to is sitting in a rocking chair, reading a book, looking out a new window into my back yard and listening to the quiet in the house.

Fear of Failure

I don't know about you, but I don't like to fail. When I was little, and my family would play a game of cards, I'd throw a hissy fit if I lost. If my favorite team loses a game (and that seems to be happening more often lately) I sulk. Once I hit college and the classes really counted, I pulled down A's and  B's.

So yesterday, after we failed another inspection, I started to feel a little frustrated. When we failed the first inspection - the foundation - I managed to find the silver lining. But when we failed the plumbing inspection, I couldn't think of anything positive to say about it. The worst part was the fact that the inspector told our contractor, "You have obviously tried really hard here. I can see you're a good worker." That sounds like something you'd say to a student who is very nice and always smiles but is never going to win any prizes for excellence.

This morning Darryl woke up the girls and me so that we could use the bathroom before the plumber got to our house. We quickly washed and dressed and settled down for a day without water (again). What we thought would be a 3 hour job turned into an entire day's worth of sidestepping the work. At around 2:30 this afternoon, I took the girls shopping primarily so that we could go somewhere to use a bathroom.

Now I'm crossing my fingers that the follow up inspection on Monday will go well. I'm going to pull from all the tricks I used in college. I'll chant key terms before I go to sleep ("water flows downhill", "drain out needs to be totally accessible"). I'll make flash cards (it's pretty easy to draw maps of pipes, just a bunch of lines and curves). I'll even re-read the textbook looking for trick questions (our plans are so dog-eared at this point but it never hurts to look at them one more time). I want to do everything I can to make sure the inspection goes well. As I said, I don't like to fail.

A Not-So-Welcome Break

Before I left work today I got so tired thinking about coming home to a messed-up and messy, plumbing-plagued house. I thought, "Wouldn't it be nice if I didn't have to go home to that right now."

Be careful what you wish for. 

When Julia got in the car after dance rehearsal, she didn't look her usual bright self. Her mouth was turned down and I could see the streaks that tears had left on her cheeks. Turns out that during a basketball game she had jammed her finger so severely that she was now in a lot of pain, and was also suffering from embarrassment at having screamed so loudly during P.E. class. I tried to get her to straighten out her finger, but nothing doing. She couldn't hold my hand or bend the finger at all, and I thought, "Uh oh. Now what?"

"Now what" meant a trip to urgent care to see a doctor and get a few x-rays. It turns out that she fractured the end of the bone at the middle joint of her ring finger. It's not as bad as a complete bone fracture, but it's still really painful and requires a splint, a bandage, and ice compresses every hour. (It also seems to require the need to drink a can of coke with dinner - somehow the doctor forgot to mention that part to me!)

The splinted and bandaged finger

Actually, considering this is the child who still cannot swallow a pill and who quivers at the thought of taking out her earrings, she did remarkably well throughout the whole thing. The worst part came when the x-ray tech had to try to get her hand as flat as possible to take the pictures. He had to help her spread her fingers as best as she could while stopping her hand from shaking. I could see the strain on her face as she was making a huge effort not to complain. In the end, however, I think she was the most upset when they cut off the identifying bracelet she had to wear in x-ray and in the process cut one of her gel bracelets that her teacher had given her. By the time we got home, though, she had perked up enough to enjoy the special pasta dinner Darryl had made to cheer her up. She also quite liked the fact that I had to wash her hair for her and put the toothpaste on the toothbrush. (Did I really have to do that? I don't know, but it made her feel taken care of.)

Poor me!

And here I was feeling sorry for myself having to deal with the remodel mess at home. Obviously, as you can tell from the photo, Julia does a much better "feel sorry for me" face than I ever could.

Plumbing the Depths

Has this ever happened to you? You're just about to leave work when your husband calls and says, "Make sure you go to the bathroom now because you might not be able to use it when you get home." My response? "Good thing I didn't drink that second bottle of water."

Yes, the new plumbing is well and truly underway. In fact, the two-member crew who have been working on it are super fast. They stayed until past 7 this evening finishing up the pipes and making sure that we could use the water tonight. A job that we thought would take three or four days minimum looks like it's going to take two, plus a couple of hours clean up. I must say, I feel very lucky how this turned out, considering the plumbing had been our biggest headache going into the remodel.

Darryl and I assumed, given the economy, that it would be easy to find contractors who wanted to work; we envisioned having a bidding war for the pleasure of making our house beautiful (lowest bidder wins!). However, finding a plumber proved quite difficult. The first three we called promised bids and then never called back. Another one sounded like a great match, but told us he was too busy and recommended someone else instead (who never called back). We even had someone come to the house, look the job over, go to his truck to work on the bid, and then drive off! It was getting to the point where I started to take it personally. So in the end we decided not to redo the whole house as originally planned. This wasn't ideal for several reasons. First, we didn't really want to match new plumbing with the old stuff. Second, since the foundation was exposed and the crawl space accessible, we thought it would be the perfect time to do this. And finally, and most importantly, we wanted to eliminate the twice yearly sewage-in-the-shower backup that always seemed to happen at 10pm after it was dark.

Then we learned, quite unexpectedly, that the company doing our solar panels also subcontracts plumbing and gave us a bid that worked for our budget. So we ended up re-piping the entire house all the way out to the street. Tonight we ran the shower three times, used the dishwasher, and did a load of laundry, just because we could! No one can ever say the Vinyards don't know how to have a good time.

Clean Up on Aisle Three

One thing that we didn't anticipate was just how much extra housework we would have to deal with during the construction process. Our usual habits during the week were to do a little laundry, vacuum once or twice, and maybe clean the kitchen and bathroom countertops. Then on the weekends we would tackle the majority of the cleaning. But now our weeknights are spent dealing with the dirt and dust that seem to make their way into every crevice and floorboard no matter how tightly sealed we try to keep the windows and doors. Which means the weekends are just one giant 409-fest.

If you know us at all, you know that we do what we can to save energy and resources, and that includes hanging our laundry out to air dry instead of using the dryer. Now just picture, for a moment, trying to air dry the clothes while a mere 10 feet away someone is hurling piles of dirt and hammering freshly cut boards into a foundation. Not a good mix. So my weekends now seem to consist of about 41 hours of washing, hanging, folding and ironing. Do the math - I'm doing laundry while I sleep!

I wouldn't mind it so much, if I didn't know that it would all be dirty again tomorrow. But I reached a point today where I couldn't stand looking at the dust on my dresser any more and I cleaned every inch of that surface. Have you ever felt satisfaction from doing a job well, no matter how menial the task? In fact, sometimes the most basic tasks give the most satisfaction because you can absolutely see the difference. That's how I felt this afternoon after first writing my name in the dust on top of the dresser and then wiping it away with polish. Every picture frame, every bookmark, every book was clean and sparkling and I'm not embarassed to say that I took a moment and stood back to admire my handywork.

Sure, it looks messy, but it's clean enough to
pass the white glove inspection.

Of course, tomorrow evening will bring a different story. The clothes will be dirty, the dresser will be dusty, the rug will be covered in dog hair again. (All right, that last one has nothing to do with the new building, but I still have to vacuum nevertheless.) That's why I had to take a photo - to remind me that someday soon the whole house will look as perfect as my dresser does right at this moment. Fingers crossed.

Lincoln Logs

The new subfloor waiting for 4x8 plywood panels

Note to all my Lego loving friends (or parents of Lego lovers) - playing with Legos is a skill that will take you far. As I watch the new rooms being built, it looks to me like one giant game of building blocks. First you lay the foundation, then on top of that you put the floor joists, followed by subfloor, then beams, then wall, then plaster, and so on. I remember playing with Legos as a child, but I would always try to do my own thing and could never seem to follow the plans. Now I realize how important it is to be able to read and follow directions for building, because now the directions are the ones that tell the builder how to make sure we don't fall through the floor onto the dirt below, or, more importantly, how to make sure the new roof doesn't fall on our heads!

This section has extra pieces because
this is where the bathtub and
toilet are going (a lot of extra weight!)

When Grace was born, we made sure she brought home a present for Julia when we all came home from the hospital together. Grace gave her new big sister a set of building blocks that looked like giant Legos. If you're a parent, you know exactly which ones I'm talking about. Julia was so excited, and she thought it was fun that her baby sister had a present for her (bribes can sometimes work out perfectly). She used to put them together and try to build the highest wall she possibly could, then she'd knock it down and laugh and laugh. Now I'm trying to get her interested in watching this "real" building process to see if there's any latent interest left over from those building block days.

When she was a little older, we bought a kit of Lincoln Logs and often Darryl and I would play with it for hours (the girls would sometimes be allowed to join in too). The logs would fit together just so - you had to get them in the precise spot or the building would fall down, but once you were in a rhythm it all came together so neatly and quickly. I'm reminded of that game as I'm watching the new building take shape. A process that I thought would be so complicated is actually quite simple once you understand how it all fits together. So pull those old Lego boxes out of the closet or fit the Lincoln Logs together and start building. It's never too late to learn a new trade.

Taking Shape

Hauling away the last of the dirt

When I came home from school today, I got my first really good look of what the new rooms are going to look like. There wasn't too much there, no walls or windows or anything like that. But the foundation had been cleaned up, the dirt had been removed, and suddenly I could see the big picture. I stood in the middle of the dirt that will eventually be the new crawl space and I said to Grace, "This is my new bedroom, this is my bathroom, there's my closet, there's the reading nook and over here is the new spare bedroom." I'm not sure why it felt so different today, except that maybe now it doesn't look so much like a demolition site and more like a building site. I can visualize the new rooms, and it's exciting.

Here's the outline of our new bedroom

The odd thing is that when I stand in the middle of the outline of my new bedroom, it feels so small. In fact, I got the tape measure and measured my current bedroom, then measured this new room to verify that it really is the correct size. Maybe it's because the current ceiling is the sky and the walls are non-existent that the space seems small.

One thing that I'm super excited about is having a bathroom that I don't have to share with a teen and a pre-teen. Honestly, getting ready for school in the mornings is becoming harder and harder. Now that all three of us leave at the same time, I'm finding I have to wake up 30 minutes earlier just so that I get some mirror time. But I really shouldn't complain. I appreciate the fact that Julia finally takes an interest in her appearance and is willing to style her hair. Grace . . . that's another story. Julia has often brought a hairbrush in the car with her just to make sure Grace's hair is somewhat tidy so that she doesn't embarrass her big sister at school.

The master bathroom and closet go here

I'm also looking forward to the new walk-in closet. I'm not a clothes fiend (no matter what Darryl will tell you), but I like to be able to look in the closet and see all of my clothes, instead of just the ones hanging in the front. I envision a whole new fashion look for me simply based on the fact that I'll put all of my clothes into rotation. Look out Vogue - save some pages just for me!

Our First Purchase

One of my favorite parts of this remodel is the fact that we get to go shopping for all sorts of wonderful new things. We have looked at intricately designed ceiling fans, cool-to-the-touch travertine tiles, and wildly overpriced faucets. We have researched the merits of maple, mahogany, and cherry hardwood floor and debated over undermount vs. overmount sinks. And finally, I'm thrilled to report, we have made our first purchase for our new rooms. Here it is!

Isn't it beautiful?

Yes, you're looking at it correctly. It's a brand new, 18 1/2 inch, elongated, brushed nickel toilet seat. We haven't unwrapped it yet - we're waiting for the perfect moment (and we should probably buy a toilet to go with it first!).

A few weeks ago we went to a bathroom supply store. We were overwhelmed with the selection of faucets and fixtures and I have to say I left the store quite amazed at how much money we were going to have to spend on the bathroom. We are trying to choose just the right fixtures and fittings, realizing that they're going to be around for a long time. And that included looking at a variety of toilets, trying to find the one that matches our taste and will look perfect in that new bathroom.

We finally found the exact toilet we wanted, but the toilet lid looked cheap and plastic-y. When you're spending this much time and energy creating a beautiful living space, everything has to be perfect down to the smallest detail, and the toilet lid was perfect. So Darryl looked around some hardware stores and found this toilet seat. It's a solid piece, and the hinges are brushed nickel, which will match the faucets and towel rails that we have in mind. No detail is too small to be overlooked in our quest for a gorgeous new master suite.

When you all come over to see the final product, don't forget to take a seat.

How to Relax in 4 Easy Steps

Our "relaxing spot" willextend off the original
pergola patio.
Notice the lone flower hanging on to the left.

1. Decide to remove any residual flowers that are crazy enough to try to live in your garden. After all, you can't cook flowers on the barbecue and you can't blend them into a pasta sauce. There was one spot in our backyard that was designated for flowers. Each spring would herald a wave of color from the straw flowers, the daffodils, the snowdrops. But they were located in a spot just off our pergola patio and every time we had more than eight people for dinner and needed to move the table, it was a delicate dance to keep your toes on the concrete and sidestep the plants.

2. Sidetrack your foundation crew by having them pour an extra pad of concrete next to the pergola while working hard to pour the foundation for your new rooms. Oh, and make sure this concrete is the right color to match the existing patio that was poured six years ago. Oh, and make sure this new pad looks like it was poured at the same time as the first one, which means the crew shouldn't make it too smooth or clean looking. Which was too bad, because they really were craftsmen and I think they were a little frustrated that they couldn't do what they would consider a complete job. (They wanted to finish the pad perfectly, but of course perfect wouldn't match a 6-year-old patio.)

The new concrete pad will be slightly pink.

3. Spend an hour on the phone to Macy's trying to figure out why three completely different patio chaise lounges with three totally different names have the identical photo on the website, and why they are three different prices, and which one is the actual photo, or is the photo of a different chair altogether, and then wonder why the lady at Macy's gets a little frustrated with you when, after the hour on the phone, you tell her that you'll think about it and call back another time.

4. Realize that this is the time of year when patio furniture goes on sale and decide to wait and shop on a different weekend when you have a little more energy (who knows when that will be!) and instead have a piece of chocolate and watch some baseball instead.


Are you relaxed yet?

Everything Happens for a Reason

Last Wednesday, the Building and  Safety inspector came over to look at the foundation structure and give his OK to pour the concrete. Well, it turns out that the trenches were too shallow.  Not by an inch or two, but by 10 1/2 inches! Apparently, according to Darryl, there was a lot of finger pointing between the contractor, the concrete supervisor and the inspector, but ultimately, the trenches had to be re-dug and then re-framed correctly.

Rebar - up close
and personal

So the pour was postponed from Thursday to Saturday and Darryl and I were concerned about losing 2 days and probably having to pay more for the extra work. Then, as you may remember, on Thursday we had that freak rainstorm. It was one of those crazy So Cal things, where the rain was absolutely pouring down but only in very small areas. In fact, when we stood in our backyard, half of it was wet and half was dry. We literally moved from one side to the other and moved from rain to no rain.

Being the newly minted expert on all things building-related, I now know that rain and freshly poured concrete are not a good mix, especially when that concrete is there to hold up your house. So the fact that the pour ended up being postponed was probably the best thing that could have happened. Knowing us, we would have worried ourselves silly thinking about all the potential damage to the foundation.

Darryl was in charge of making sure the cement
truck was working correctly (!)

When I was pregnant, I remember so many women telling me the horror stories about their pregnancies. It was like they were trying to help me, but at the same time they took some secret delight in scaring me. Going through a home remodel seems to bring out that same instinct in some people, and I realize that they're not really trying to scare me, they're trying to initiate me into an exclusive club of people who have been through remodel hell and come out the other side with a beautiful (fingers crossed) new home to show for it. So I tell this story not to scare anyone off from remodeling, but to show that everything happens for a reason and it's just not worth it to worry about every little thing as it happens. After all, you have to keep the big picture in mind (and sometimes I do have to look at the plans to remind myself what exactly that big picture is!). And I have learned that "going with the flow" applies not just to cement but to home owners who are crazy enough to attempt a remodel.


The concrete coming out of the truck into
the pipe

A Strong Foundation

Pouring the foundation

 At 7 o'clock this morning we were woken by the sweet sounds of activity as the crew was preparing the forms for the concrete pour. First they painted the inside of the forms with Thompsons Water Seal so that when the concrete dries the forms will come away more easily. [Apparently, back in the day they would spray motor oil on the forms instead, but they don't do that any more - thank goodness!]
Tim likened it to oiling a pan before you start cooking. OK, makes sense to me now.

Cement goes into
the frame

Rebar in place

At around 8:30, the cement truck pulled up and they arranged the pipeline. Once the cement started through the pipe they had to work so quickly to pour it into the frame. It was interesting how liquidy the cement was and yet how quickly it dried. One person manned the front of the pipe, while two others carried it across the dirt. It was almost like watching a well-choreographed ballet. The three of them didn't talk much, but worked in unison to do the job efficiently.

Once they had poured throughout the frame, they went back and did another quick pour to top it up. Then they scraped across the top edge of the frame to make sure that the concrete was perfectly aligned and the right height to match the existing foundation of the house. I'm not sure how, but somehow there was the exact amount of concrete in place to fit perfectly. There's a definite art to pouring concrete; we were standing and watching, taking pictures, and it felt like we were watching a show being put on especially for us. One of the men had a remote control on his toolbelt, which communicated with the cement truck, so that the pour would stop and start when he needed it to. Gotta love modern technology.



The tape measure shows that
the foundation will be
40 1/2 inches deep

By 5 o'clock this afternoon, the concrete had already dried somewhat and was pulling away from the wood frame. The whole thing should be dry enough in just a couple of days. I told Darryl that I want to see photos and video on Tuesday when they take the frame off. Is it going to be like pulling off a band aid or more like peeling the back of a piece of laminate? Either way, I can't wait to see.