Saturday, August 29, 2009
Minor Achievements
Friday, August 28, 2009
Editorial Notes
1) There is a new feature on the blog! Check out the 'Lost Utility Tracker' which will be updated weekly for days of missed utilities. As they will start the plumbing and electrical work soon, I expect some action up there.
1) I have a confession. I back date. If you, loyal reader, find yourself checking every day for posts, being disappointed day after day only to suddenly uncover three posts claiming to be from days earlier, I have an explanation. Because I will sometimes write entries during the week but not have time to post them until the weekend, or for simply the sake of making the narrative easier to follow, I will write in the current tense and then post to the date appropriate for the entry even if the events happened in past. Glad to get that off my chest.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Rain, Rain, Go Away; Come Again . . .
On a brighter note, a lot of work was done this past week and the roofers should be here any day now (hopefully before Thursday when they are calling for more thunderstorms). Here is your weekly update picture.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Dove Gray Killed my Father
Some months ago the roofer was out to show Colleen and me the various colors available for our metal roof. We liked something metallic (it is after all, a metal roof), but not so shiny it was blinding when you looked at it, so we went with Dove Gray. On Thursday, Colleen and I received an email from our PM saying, and I quote, “[Colleen’s dad] is not happy with the color choice for the roof and has stopped the process at this point. [The roofer] says [Colleen's dad] is not in favor of the dove gray color.” End of email. The following is, in order, the two thoughts Colleen and I had immediately:
1. That doesn’t sound like Colleen’s dad.
2. Who hates Dove Gray? It’s so bland and inoffensive. What did it ever do to you?
Colleen immediately called her dad, who was as surprised at this turn of events as we were, and got the full story (well, not so much the ‘full’ story as the actual story). The roofer’s assistant showed up to do some basic measuring. He, like his boss, was a very pleasant man who spoke virtually no English. In passing conversation the guy pointed at the blue roof across the street and said "We have that," to which Dad replied (correctly) that we didn't want that. Somehow, this translated to “I hate the color that has been chosen for our roof (even though I’ve never seen it since you didn’t bring any samples with you) and want you to leave immediately and never return.” A quick phone call to the PM straightened things out, but we’re not sure how much work time was lost since the measuring guy had already left.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Money Whoas
A few weeks back, Colleen and I got the 3-D designs of our new kitchen cabinetry which were really fun to look at. A few days later the quote came in at three times what was in the allowance. Whoa! After much discussion and searching around, we went back to the cabinet guy on Tuesday and had a very productive conversation that we think will provide us with something more affordable that we still like. It may even come in at less than double the allowance. Dare to dream!
The addition requires a retaining wall be built on both sides of the house (totaling about 50 feet in length). This was not in the original bid (long story) but Colleen and I assumed it would probably cost in the $5000 range. Just two weeks ago, our Architect emailed us saying that he had a mason all lined up, all we had to do was sign the change order allowing the contract increase of $11,500. Whoa! After looking at many options (including dragging our friends into a wall building party) we found another mason willing to do the same project for less than $5000.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Raising the Roof
I've mentioned in previous blogs the temporary 'wall' that is up where our kitchen wall used to be. It's made solely of blue styrofoam and spray insulation. Not bad for keeping out the wind and rain, but when the sun shines in during the morning hours, it creates a really creepy blue glow.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
We've Been Framed
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Easy Come, Easy Go
The I-beam which will form the main support for our current exterior wall and the new addition.
Tuesday, PM: Rafters!
As a final update, we were told on Tuesday that if the roof trusses don't arrive by Friday, they will start to put holes in the upstairs wall. So once again Colleen and I find ourselves with a room to move/reorganize and one day to do it. I'm looking forward to a quiet weekend.