Week 11, Day 4

I have a few new pictures to share, and some updates that don't merit photos.  We have completed/painted ceilings, and our family room has crown moulding.  The master bedroom floor that needed to be leveled is completed, and the whole construction area has been vacuumed to get rid of that cement sanding dust!  Now, on to the pictures!

We have a bathtub!!  This is really where it will be permanently, and you can see the wood framing going up around it.

I can't figure out how to rotate this picture, but this is the message written on the plastic wrap covering the tub.  The work crew has a sense of humor!

This is to show that where the framing for the pocket doors was completed while ago, there are now doors inside.  That blue tape is holding the wood door inside the frame.  The project includes three new pocket doors, but I figured one photo would suffice.



I had a photo of the fireplace prevoiusly, but it was empty.  Now the fireplace is moving towards functionality.

Ta-da!  We have air conditioning!  The addition will be on a separate unit from the original house, and this is the new unit.  We've had ductwork and wiring for awhile, but the new unit just showed up, and the thermostat is hooked up inside.

There are several spots on the exterior walls like this. This one, next to original paint, is to test the paint color match (I assume).  The others are to mark what color which walls will be painted (I assume).  No actual exterior paint color yet, just primer, but there is one brick painted in various spots around the addition.

Look who has achieved a new level of mobility!!  It's not always pretty - it's always someone else's fault when she drives straight into the bushes - but she loves the tractor!

Week 11

Can you believe we're on Week 11?  I can, but I can't.  And, everyone keeps asking how much longer, but I'm not sure there's a good answer to that question as we are now hitting more delays than we did at the beginning!

The past couple weeks have been VERY rainy, which is great for our healthy green grass, but not so good for interior finishes that are not yet climate-controlled and don't like humidity.  So, I think that added an extra day to our drywall and has delayed the start of painting.

The poured cement in the master bedroom turns out to be uneven, and that has been very slow to be fixed.  We knew it wasn't right, and our contractor confirmed that, but the part needed for the machine that can sand down cement was not readily available.  So we've waited on that.  And since sanding cement is a messy, dusty process, I think other finishes have been stalled to get that dusty project out of the way.

I think (fingers crossed) that the cement sanding was completed earlier today, and I am hoping to see paint on the walls before the end of the week.  I'd really like to see the yellow we picked out for the family room on something other than a tiny square color swatch, but I may have to wait...

We are headed out of town next week on vacation for the whole week.  Finishes and design decisions have been made, and we'll have access to phone/email as needed, but we could come back the following weekend to some major changes after a week of work without us there!

Week 10, Day 3.

The drywall is done! Exterior paint-prep is underway!  "Finishes" incoming!  Everything gets exclamation points!!

View of the back of the house.  Still no AC unit sitting next to that electrical meter, but the paint primer is on!  All of the new brick and carport ceiling have been primed.



Inside the carport, where there used to be a big hole to access the attic, we now have a hinged stair/door unit.  Fancy pants!  Our old attic access was just a panel that you had to manually slide to the side.

The primed carport ceiling.

This doesn't show the real excitement going on inside the new rooms, but this is an updated view of the front of the addition.  Not too gawdy (sp?) or imposing compared to the rest of the house.  I like subtle!

On the front porch playing with Charlotte's new bubble bucket.  They love bubbles, and supposedly this one won't spill bubble solution everywhere if/when it gets knocked over.

Week 10 begins...

Last week finished up with the remaining drywall and ceiling installation.  All the big panels were installed, and now Week 10 opens with sealing those drywall panels. Monday was Coat #1, Tuesday will be Coat #2.  Like other days, it's not the most visually rewarding, but it is exciting, and there are BIG things coming.  I think our cabinetry is coming soon, there's talk of paint and crown moulding (sp?), and hopefully we'll have pretty floors one day, too.

The kids are in the laundry room, in their morning best!, peering into the construction area as the workcrew gets started.  The kids know not to enter the construction zone without shoes on, so they worked hard at leaning as far as they could to get a good view.

The fireplace, and the space to the right of the fireplace.  It's not just drywall anymore - it's sealed drywall!

More sealed drywall, this time in the master bath where the vanity will go.

Week 9, Day 4
Alert! We have walls and ceilings!  And a new doorway!

The new doorway to the master bedroom.  We've been able to see the outline of where this would be, but the cut hadn't been made.  Now it is!  This is the laundry area, and this doorway is now the only entry into the master suite.  The opening you can see a sliver of to the right is the entry to the family room.

This is in the master bath, and we have a ceiling!

 

In the family room, there's the electrical panel for reference... Walls!  And, the opening we used to use to enter the master bedroom, is now totally closed in.  It's a real wall now!



This is the wall that will be cut out for the french door panels.  The walls are going up around it!

Walls for the fireplace surround, and a glimpse of the ceiling.

This is the ceiling in the carport. I'm trying to show the grid detail that is being added to the carport ceiling. We had this in our old carport, and it is being replicated in the new.

Week 9, Day 3.

The walls are filling in! Insulation looks the same from wall to wall, so I'm not sure that these pics offer much, but it sure is a big change to walk through the new rooms and have the walls filled in.  Less echoes, a bit warmer, and less spots for Jay and Charlotte to dart from room to room now that the walls aren't wide open!

Insulation photo 1. In master bedroom, looking at entry to master bath.

Insulation photo 2. In master bedroom, looking at soon-to-be-doorway to the laundry room / kitchen.

Insulation photo 3. In family room, looking at the last remaining opening in the wall. This will be a complete wall, but not until the permanent door to the master bedroom is cut!

Week 9, Day 1
There was a minor delay today when the city didn't show up for the expected inspection, but hopefully we'll be back on track first thing in the morning.  I think this inspection is for electrical and plumbing work, which must be approved before it all gets covered up with floors and walls.  I can't imagine - floors and walls!?  So, with that delay, a brief update...

Our columns have multipled!  We had two - now we have four!  And, this should be it for the columns, numerically anyway.  Looks like they could still use some finishing touches.

This is the official entry to our attic space.  I learned recently it will have a keyed lock on it (fancy!), and the attic will have lights and some flooring planks.  This is because our air handling unit for the HVAC is now in the attic, and those 'special touches' are required code for the unit to be serviced.

She hasn't chosen her sneakers to put on in awhile, but today she did!  She bounced around like a cheerleader!

Week 8, Day 4
Yep, we skipped Day 3, but who's counting?!

Brick + outlet = outdoor electricity! And there are TWO outlets in our new carport.  Christmas lights, here we come!

The intake vent for the HVAC in the attic.  Looks big and menacing without a cover or a ceiling.

The fireplace, still shrouded in mystery, but with the TV-cubby-hole above it full built.

This is the big, multi switch light panel right inside the carport door.  There were yellow wires everywhere, but now they've been trimmed, finished, and are ready for the hook up!

Doorbell!

Flashlight party!

Week 8, Day 2

Today we have a few updates the build upon the day before, one new big ticket item, and a kid highlight!

All those little black boxes from Monday?  Now they ALL have wires running through them.  Three cheers for electricity!

Yesterday we had recessed lighting in the family room, now we have it in our bedroom and the master bathroom.  Lights!

Yesterday a section of the vertical beams was removed at the top.  Now that section is filled in with a new horizontal support piece.  If I'm not mistaken, this is the top of the opening that will exist here soon enough!

I turned around from looking at the support beam, and here is this mystery, shrouded in paper.  This looks BIG!
Drumroll please...

It's the fireplace!!

 Aside from the construction excitement, the kids kindly requested a bath with more bubbles!bigger bubbles!everything bubbles!  My easy answer to Bubble-topia?  The whirlpool tub.  Put some bubble bath in there, turn on the jets, and the bubbles multiply.  The kids don't usually take a bath in this bathroom, and I don't think they'd ever seen/heard the whirlpool jets.  Whirlpool + bubble bath + 2 bubble fanatics = bath bliss!

Before their hair is even wet, with just a regular ol' bath (that is really full so it reaches the whirpool jets).  Charlotte is practically swimming.

Hair is wet. We've done a series of bubble hats, moustaches, etc. Charlotte's pink face shows that the water is quite warm...

The blissful face of Bubble-topia.  Look at the surround of bubbles! This is post-whirlpool jets.  It was perfect!

Week 8 - It's electric!
The first day of week 8 was a busy one, and I have tangible results to prove it!

The electrician was busy today.  These little black boxes - I'm assuming they will hold light switches and/or outlets - are everywhere!

This the mother of all light switches - with wires!  This is the one right inside the door from the carport - it controls lights inside and outside and all over!

Cans for the recessed lights!  These are all set up in the ceiling in the family room, and are yet to come in the master bedroom and bathroom.

This wall, that won't be a wall, that just had the insulation removed last week, is now missing pieces of its vertical beams.  A section has been removed across the top of the wall.

We used to have plywood blocking our old carport door from the laundry room, and now we just get heavy plastic sheeting.  The viewpoint is in the new family room - can you see the washing machine in there?

This is standing in the carport looking up.  Soffitt vents!  This go all the way around the addition - our attic and roof will be so well ventilated (or, rather, appropriately ventilated!).

Weekend interlude.

This construction project is definitely rubbing off on the kids!  Playing pretend, or barely pretend!, construction is one of their favorites.  They even took the 'game' to the Harrisons' house in Tallahassee this weekend.

Safety goggles, gloves for Charlotte, a reflective vest for Jay, and a tape measure.  They're hard workers!

Charlotte ditched the gloves, but they're still a good team!

Week 7, Day 3.

Just a friendly reminder that there are only 4 work days this week, so if you're really excited about 2 more updates this week, change those expectations ASAP before you get disappointed. :)

Standing inside the old carport looking out. A full brick wall!  Light speed with these brick guys!

It POURED yesterday afternoon, so put on our rain boots and waddled into the construction zone for a picnic snack. If the workcrew finds Cheezit crumbs today, it *may* have been us.

While picnicing, I looked up, and BAM - there's air conditioning ductwork and vents!

More blessed AC!

Viewpoint is in the bathroom, looking at the potty room.  Those silver, vertical pieces are the hardware for the pocket door.  More pocket doors!  And, the same hardware pieces have been installed in the entry to the master closet, too.  Doors!

This is our new family room (ex-carport).  I am standing in front of the new fireplace, looking at the wall which encloses our dining room on the other side.  This is notable because with some work on dismantling the wall (removing old insulation is most noticeable), you can see how big the opening between the two rooms will be.  There will be four french door panels, with the middle two on sliding tracks to slide open to each side.  The two outside panels will be stationary.  Creating this opening will be the most disruptive part of this project, but one which also ranks pretty high on the 'drastic changes' list for the project, too!

Here's my crackerjack work crew, complete with tape measure!