Encouraging Progress

We are now a little over 1 week since we poured the foundation, and look at all of the exciting progress. The first floor is almost fully framed. It’s a good thing too, because we have the roofers scheduled to come put a roof on this thing within the coming week. The rapid nature of the progress at this point gets me very excited. It adds a lot of confidence that we will be able to hit our target of completing this house in September. Of course, I always have to remind myself that progress seems to slow considerably as the house gets closer to completion. My optimism gets the best of me, though, when the house seems so much further along everytime I turn around:

First Floor Framing - Front

First Floor Framing - Rear

First Floor Framing - Interior

You’ll also notice from these pictures that we are using true plywood for the exterior wall sheathing. It is a common practice to use oriented strand board (OSB), which is cheaper. The problem with using OSB is that it is prone to some measure of warping, and so it causes the exterior siding to appear warped as well. In an effort to maintain a high standard of quality and aesthetic appeal in this project, we elected to spend the extra money on true plywood hear so that we might avoide the appearance of uneven lines in the siding later in the project.

Splish, splash — crash?

I like indoor plumbing very much, so I hope I don’t sound ungrateful when I discuss the old master bathroom.  Even this

 

Yes, I've shown this before. Pity me!

is better than nothing. Just not by much.

 

Let’s take a tour!

 

At some point, mildew just wasn't worth worrying about

This looks very much like the tub surround when we moved in, but that version had regular drywall behind it. The previous owner was the sort of Man Who Explains Things whom Rebecca Solnit writes about, and he was too busy explaining that warm air rises to mention that we should keep an eye on the ceiling of the second floor bathroom, which would soon be damaged by seepage.  We thought about redoing the bathroom then, but we didn’t. I’m sure we had a good reason, even if I can’t think of it now. Instead, we just had someone retile over cement backer board.

Tub and ceiling fixture from the master bedroom awaiting its doom. Note corner splashguard that was supposed to keep water from running onto the floor.

 

I suppose we can’t blame the previous owner for the floor of the master bathroom, which was peel-and-stick tile over plywood. As long as no water ever got on it, it would have been fine. Instead, the plywood and the floor beneath it both rotted.

 

Floor damage

 

The bathroom also had a storage cabinet tucked in the sliver of space under the shed dormer. It didn’t hold much, which is probably just as well, because it wasn’t really finished and dumped a fine layer of black powder on everything. If you view a bathroom as a place of cleanliness, you might not like that feature.

 

What it lacked in practicality it made up for in ingenuity, I guess.

 

Window jutting into bathtub = more rot.

 

Warm air rises, water rots wood, showers spray water.

 

Medicine cabinet.  Keep, or replace with the Chenowith? 

 

The line running down from the corner was from my attempts to lay out a spot for the linen cabinet. Mercifully, the flash is concealing my tired, sweaty, post-move-out self.

 

Radiator, described by our preschooler as “all cracked up.” It’s being replaced by a radiator/towel warmer that is both shiny and functional.

 

It Is Finished!

I am happy to report that the sale of the house officially closed yesterday. The house looked so good after getting all of the finishing touches and the deep cleaning treatment. There are lots of pictures available on the project web site. I’ll share a few of my favorites here:

Finished Exterior

Reclaimed Wood Decking W/ Marine Grade Finish

Finished Living Room

You may recall the interesting “zebra” floors from earlier in the project. They turned out quite nice.

Wonderfully Finished Floors

Nice Kitchen!

Spacious Master Looking Out On Balcony

Opulent Master Bath

Master Bathroom

All things considered, I feel very good about how this project turned out. Of course, it would have been nice to avoid the delays and frustrations along the way, but I guess that’s all par for the course. I am very proud of the final product on this one, and I look forward to doing even better the next time around. I never cease to be amazed by the difficult tensions that pop up when trying to blend new amenities and tastes with old character and charm. Many thanks to Rejuvenation for their help in achieving that balance. They will certainly be a part of my next project which is already underway. As with this project, I will be reporting on the progress by way of this blog, so check back in to see how The Loveleigh House takes shape.

Let The Framing Begin!

Framing is probably my favorite stage of a project. I love the feeling of rapid and dramatic progress. I can visit the site in the morning and see a stack of lumber laying on the ground, and then come back to the site in the evening and see the shape of a house. It’s amazing how much can change in a day during the framing phase. I find it very exciting.

As for this project, we formed the foundation several days ago, then poured concrete on Monday. By Thursday, we had all the forms stripped, lumber on site, and framing started. By Saturday, we already had all post & beam framing done, rough in for 1st floor HVAC ducting, rainwater plumbing & drywell, and excavation for water and sewer. I love to see things move quickly.

The first stick

The day after the first stick

A few days after the first stick (notice the garage!)

Way Back When

When we first saw what’s now our house, I didn’t want to make an offer because of the kitchen. The kitchen took me back to the 1970s, when I was a Brownie and the leader of my troop was married to a builder. And the kitchen of our-house-to-be had a kitchen that seemed like what a 1970s builder would come up with – well-made cabinets, a backsplash made from tiles that were originally on the floor of Congress, and an unforgettable color combination. I know it’s unforgettable, because someone who hadn’t seen it in a decade said, when she heard we were remodeling, “Do you still have those blue countertops?”

Off & Running

Previously, I had posted about how the idea came into for this project. Since that time, much progress has been made, and the project is now transitioning from an idea into a tangible reality. Over the past couple of weeks, our plans were approved by the city, and permits were issued. We are now forming the foundation, and expect to pour concrete at the end of the week.

Forming Foundation

This is the point in the project when I am most filled with anticipation. As soon as that concrete gets poured and it cures, then the fast paced action starts to occur. Within 2 weeks of the concrete pour, a fully framed house will stand on this site. I think it is very fun to watch the rapid progression of a house at this stage. Every day, it gets noticeably more mature. I know that phase of rapid progress is just around the corner for this project, so I am on the edge of my seat right now as I wait to see this progress start to happen.

It may look like a large hole in the ground right now, but all of that will change in the next week or two.

Front-view of property after excavation

More pictures available at project web page.

Demo Days

Life has been hectic the last couple weeks. The demo was completely fairly quickly and the new walls have gone up. One of the design goals was to allow easier access to our backyard and we hope new french doors will accomplish that. We love not bumping our heads on the new stairs! Electrical rough-in and plumbing are next. After those pass inspection, it’s on to insulation and drywall. Time is flying!

The backyard

New kitchen view towards backyard

New Attic Stairs

The Second Week

It has been a loud week at our house, and there is a fine coat of dust on every surface despite a very thick plastic wall that has been put up to separate our “living space” with the construction site. This is one of the many things that I have appreciated about Urban Design Build. They have really tried to keep certain areas of our house and our yard as “ours”, and it has been nice to know that your whole house doesn’t turn into a construction site. Not that our rooms look organized and tidy in our living space. Because we are having work done in the basement, the attic and on the main floor, we had to store all of our kitchen stuff and den furniture in our living room and bedroom. We have also had a double sink vanity sitting in our living room, waiting for the install. I am sure our house looks like a disaster when friends and family come over, but it is a little sad how quickly it blends into the background.

Getting back to the remodel, the basement stairs were demolished, and new construction grade stairs were built. They were extended about 3 more feet, and widened 6 inches – what a difference it makes! We no longer need to duck at the bottom of the stairs, or risk our life carrying down a laundry basket. Speaking of laundry, access to our washer and dryer is much easier. We also had a new electrical panel installed. Brian was very excited about that (I get more excited about counters, etc.). We met with Jeff, our architect/contractor, and discussed our lighting plan. The electrician will be coming back to rough in the electrical boxes. We visited Rejuvenation and picked out our lighting fixtures for the kitchen. We are going with the very classic schoolhouse lights with some pendants over the sink. We also looked at hardware for our cabinets, which will be white, with recessed drawers and cabinets. We really like the latches and bin pulls, trying to keep the kitchen details as period as we can. So many fun choices!

Next week, the plumber comes out and our attic stairs will be removed and rebuilt.

Windows will be replaced with french doors and casement windows

Conception

Like many projects, this one begins with a flood of ambition at the sight of a good opportunity. An idea is conceived, and then the ambition kicks in to find a way to bring this vision into the world. The idea must incubate and grow and develop and prepare for the arduous transition into reality. So it was with this project.

Normally, I like to summarize the progress of a project one week at a time. However, this inagural post for this thread will summarize several weeks of activity in order to explain what transpired to bring us to a point where we are now ready to build. It all started when I was working on a previous project near the Piedmont neighborhood. I was contacted by a real estate agent who was listing a lot several blocks to the north of where I was building. I swung by the lot to find a beautiful 50′x100′ with all kinds of beautiful plants and trees on it. I liked the location and the street. I told the agent that I was interested, and we set up a meeting with the property owner. The kind lady who owned the lot had understandable and reasonable interest in knowing what a house might look like once built on the lot next door to where she lived. She certainly didn’t want a low quality cookie cutter home propped up next to her beautiful and stately 1900s craftsman home. She wanted something with class and style and quality. Luckily for her, my interest is in building with class, style, and quality. If this were not so, then I would have no place on a blog for Rejuvenation Hardware. So, we made arrangements to meet at my last project, which she praised highly. After some negotiating, we came to terms for the purchase. My next step was to get my construction lender on board. That too took some negotiating, but eventually, all was set to close on the lot.

But alas, negotiating with sellers and lenders is not the only thing involved in acquiring a lot. I also had to deal with the city on this one. The lot previously existed as part of a larger parcel, and so the boundary lines needed to be confirmed and a new tax ID given before the purchase could take place. In order to do that, a new off-street parking facility (i.e. driveway) would need to be added to the existing house from which the lot was split off. In addition to that, a covenant needed to be established to demolish the existing garage which sat on the lot I was buying. It sounds like quite a headache, and it sort of was, but I managed to get it all done in a matter of a few weeks.

While I was working on jumping through the city’s hoops, I had my architect working on plans for the house so that I could submit plans for permitting as soon as possible after closing the sale of the lot. I had a very specific look and design in mind that I wanted to do on this lot. It was inspired by a house I had seen once when I was riding my bike through the Alameda neighborhood. This was the perfect lot to try out this new design. After a few rounds of revision with my architect we landed on this:

Front exterior of house to be built

I can’t wait to see this drawing changed into an actual structure. The idea has been conceived and the flood of ambition is propelling me forward in the process of bringing this vision into reality.

So, around the middle of May, I became the proud new owner of a beautiful lot on NE Morgan St. My plans went into the city for review shortly thereafter, and I expect to have my permits in hand any day. It will soon be time to start turning dirt and seeing this beauty take shape. Until then, I have made good on my promise to the lady who sold me the lot to tear down her old garage (which sits on the lot I purchased), and reuse the materials from that to build her a new tool shed behind her house. She is very keen to reusing and recycling anything possible, and I couldn’t be more sympathetic to that idea. So it’s an agreement that I’m more than happy to uphold.

One last thing I wanted to explain was the reasoning for naming the project “The Loveleigh House”. The legal description of the neighborhood is “Loveleigh”. It was the suggestion of the lady who I bought the lot from that we name the project after the neighborhood. This seemed like a good idea. It also appealed to me because of how the title sounds like the word “lovely” which I think is a fitting adjective for house. I’ve always appreciated a good double entendre, so the name stuck.

More details on the project are available on the builder’s web site.

Week 31 – Offer (05/25/09 – 05/31/09)

This project experienced an interesting turn of events this week. We got an offer on the house. It feels very gratifying to get an offer at this point. My mind naturally turns toward conjecturing about all the reasons this may have happened. Was it the nice weather? Perhaps someone read this blog. Was it any coincidence that an offer came in after the Rejuvenation fixtures went in? I think not . Whatever the reason(s) for the offer, I am grateful to have it. I look forward to working with the buyers of this property to finish it out to their liking and to hand them a set of keys to a really nice house.

What this means for this blog is that I will continue to post about the remaining progress that will be made on this property, but I will also be shifting more attention over to my next project. That project will break ground very shortly, so you’ll see some new posts popping up about that in the weeks to come.