Showing posts with label G road. Show all posts
Showing posts with label G road. Show all posts
Friday, November 9, 2012
Construction progress
I haven't been out to the other house much lately, so Capable Guy just sent a few photos over. Looks like a lot of progress to me! Yay!
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Framing
Our Capable Guy has been hard at work at the other house. The carport is almost completely framed in to convert it to a playroom/office/den/bonus room.
The two separate out buildings have also been opened up. The back part of this space will be the new laundry room with a huge amount of extra space to be used as a craft room, pantry, mud room, or all of the above. We get to keep the pitched ceilings, which makes me very happy.
We ordered the new windows and exterior doors for the entire house (the husband cried as I wrote that check...), and one huge decision was made with the selection of the front door. Because we are basically redoing the entire house, the style of it could have gone ranch or it could go craftsman, and the front door is 100% craftsman. At least that's one less decision left to make!
Capable Guy will work this week to enclose the new framing so that we can get Mr. Stucco out there to give the exterior of the house a new lease on life. So excited, but so scared to have to pick the stucco color soon!
The two separate out buildings have also been opened up. The back part of this space will be the new laundry room with a huge amount of extra space to be used as a craft room, pantry, mud room, or all of the above. We get to keep the pitched ceilings, which makes me very happy.
We ordered the new windows and exterior doors for the entire house (the husband cried as I wrote that check...), and one huge decision was made with the selection of the front door. Because we are basically redoing the entire house, the style of it could have gone ranch or it could go craftsman, and the front door is 100% craftsman. At least that's one less decision left to make!
Capable Guy will work this week to enclose the new framing so that we can get Mr. Stucco out there to give the exterior of the house a new lease on life. So excited, but so scared to have to pick the stucco color soon!
Friday, October 12, 2012
When life gives you failed perc tests, stain berry baskets
So the dirt at the new house failed the perc test. Failed it miserably. So unless we want to shell out nearly $25k to put in a new septic system with special pumps and whatnot, we can't add the fourth bedroom. And we don't want to shell out the $25k. So it's back to the drawing board on the house plans...
In the meantime, I'm making some berry baskets for Christmas. I'm going with two general color themes in both shops this year: cardinal red, white, and silver, and moss green, gold, and ivory. Yesterday and today I was staining lots of clothespins, wood tags, jute twine, and berry baskets in the moss green and cardinal red colors. I can almost smell the pine cones and hear the jingle bells...
In the meantime, I'm making some berry baskets for Christmas. I'm going with two general color themes in both shops this year: cardinal red, white, and silver, and moss green, gold, and ivory. Yesterday and today I was staining lots of clothespins, wood tags, jute twine, and berry baskets in the moss green and cardinal red colors. I can almost smell the pine cones and hear the jingle bells...
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Hiccups and perc tests
So we had our first hiccup over at the new house.
We want to convert it from a 3 bedroom/1 bath house to a 4 bedroom/3 bath house. The house has an old septic system, and to add another bedroom means we have to increase the size of the septic tank. To do that, we have to move everything to the back yard where there is more room for the tank and leach field. To do that, the dirt has to be good. And by good, I mean dry.
Yesterday I met the backhoe guy and someone from the engineer's office (planning septic systems now requires an engineering firm!) to dig some holes for the perc test. The perc test measures the percolation rate, or how quickly water drains through the soil. When you dig for the perc test, the deepest hole is about 9 feet. And you really want to see dry dirt there.
Our dirt was wet. Like, really wet. About 30 minutes after we dug the hole there was several inches of water at the bottom. That's bad. Really bad. So we dug another hole in another area of the property that should be drier. And it was really wet at 6 feet.
So today is the official perc test and then the engineers and person from the county health department will decide what kind of system we can have. At this point, it's not looking good for a system that will work well for the future of the place as a horse property, or the cost will be so high that it just doesn't make sense. So I might be back to the drawing board with the house plans and we might be stuck with just 3 bedrooms. What a bummer.
We want to convert it from a 3 bedroom/1 bath house to a 4 bedroom/3 bath house. The house has an old septic system, and to add another bedroom means we have to increase the size of the septic tank. To do that, we have to move everything to the back yard where there is more room for the tank and leach field. To do that, the dirt has to be good. And by good, I mean dry.
Yesterday I met the backhoe guy and someone from the engineer's office (planning septic systems now requires an engineering firm!) to dig some holes for the perc test. The perc test measures the percolation rate, or how quickly water drains through the soil. When you dig for the perc test, the deepest hole is about 9 feet. And you really want to see dry dirt there.
Our dirt was wet. Like, really wet. About 30 minutes after we dug the hole there was several inches of water at the bottom. That's bad. Really bad. So we dug another hole in another area of the property that should be drier. And it was really wet at 6 feet.
So today is the official perc test and then the engineers and person from the county health department will decide what kind of system we can have. At this point, it's not looking good for a system that will work well for the future of the place as a horse property, or the cost will be so high that it just doesn't make sense. So I might be back to the drawing board with the house plans and we might be stuck with just 3 bedrooms. What a bummer.
Friday, September 28, 2012
Open concept
Yesterday we officially achieved the open concept I'm going for in the new house by removing the wall separating the living room and kitchen. I'm a bit bummed that we'll have to put a post right at the end of the countertop to support the two headers. It was just too long of a span for a single header. I also finished the design of the kitchen cabinets yesterday (Oh my gosh, it's going to be awesome!!), so will be placing an order for them soon.
The bathrooms are mostly framed in, so things are moving right along now. Yesterday I also spent some time picking the tile for the two main bathrooms and I think I finally found some things I like. Weeee!
The bathrooms are mostly framed in, so things are moving right along now. Yesterday I also spent some time picking the tile for the two main bathrooms and I think I finally found some things I like. Weeee!
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
More demo
Capable Guy and his Capable Helper continue with the demo of the new house while Lachlan and I continue making the rounds down at the county to get all the permitting taken care of.
This is the view down the hallway from the living room to the back bedrooms, with the kitchen on the left.
Here they've removed the wall separating the kitchen from the bathroom and also removed the walls where the furnace and water heater used to be. They're being moved to the outbuildings so that the one original bathroom can be split into two full bathrooms. We also removed the exterior door (now covered with plywood on the far left of the photo below) in the main part of the kitchen. It seemed silly to have it because there is a set of French doors just about 10 feet away from it, and removing it gives us valuable wall space for cabinets. Weee! Progress!
This is the view down the hallway from the living room to the back bedrooms, with the kitchen on the left.
Here they've removed the wall separating the kitchen from the bathroom and also removed the walls where the furnace and water heater used to be. They're being moved to the outbuildings so that the one original bathroom can be split into two full bathrooms. We also removed the exterior door (now covered with plywood on the far left of the photo below) in the main part of the kitchen. It seemed silly to have it because there is a set of French doors just about 10 feet away from it, and removing it gives us valuable wall space for cabinets. Weee! Progress!
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Demo
Over at the new house, the kitchen is pretty much gone. Open concept, here we come!
Oh, and the bathroom, furnace and water heater are on their way to being gone, too. :)
Monday, September 10, 2012
All in a day's work
We're starting to see progress over at the new house. After spending all of last week clearing the monster weeds out of the backyard and trying to get estimates for new siding/stucco and a new roof (and being stood up by FIVE different contractors!), Capable Guy started gutting the kitchen today.
This morning:
This afternoon:
Progress is good. I'm also making progress, at least a tiny bit, in regaining control of my life. I am working out the final details needed to hire someone to help me with the shop. Like really hire someone to really help me (not just sucking up to Lachlan's babysitter to help out every now and then). We're still working out the details, but I think she'll start in 1-2 weeks. I'm SO excited about the thought of having my area be more organized and more productive, spending more time with Lachlan without watching the orders pile up, and maybe even getting back to printing regularly again. Yeehaw!
This morning:
This afternoon:
Progress is good. I'm also making progress, at least a tiny bit, in regaining control of my life. I am working out the final details needed to hire someone to help me with the shop. Like really hire someone to really help me (not just sucking up to Lachlan's babysitter to help out every now and then). We're still working out the details, but I think she'll start in 1-2 weeks. I'm SO excited about the thought of having my area be more organized and more productive, spending more time with Lachlan without watching the orders pile up, and maybe even getting back to printing regularly again. Yeehaw!
Friday, August 31, 2012
Monopoly
When I was a kid, Monopoly was my favorite board game. That, combined with growing up in a house that my parents built themselves, is probably why I love the idea of real estate and renvoating properties now that I'm an adult.
When I lived in Baltimore I bought a 1920 brick rowhouse and over the next 6 years proceeded to gut and rebuild it, doing the vast majority of work by myself. When I got married and moved to Colorado, we bought a 1950 house that started life as a gas station, and over the course of several years we substantially remodeled it.
Since then I've been itching to get another property to work on. And today, I finally have it. I just finished signing the papers to make it official. It was a bank owned property, and getting it wasn't easy. That's a big part of why I haven't been here much lately. I feel like I was the third real estate agent working on this purchase, I had to be involved so much.
Between my shops and Lachlan I unfortunately won't be able to do much, if any, of the work myself. But we have a capable guy to do the work and I get to make all the decisions, which seems like a good compromise. :D So here she is in all her completely original 1960s glory. Take a good look at her now, because she won't look like this much longer. In fact, work starts tomorrow...
I hope you all have a wonderful Labor Day weekend. Enjoy the last few days of summer!
When I lived in Baltimore I bought a 1920 brick rowhouse and over the next 6 years proceeded to gut and rebuild it, doing the vast majority of work by myself. When I got married and moved to Colorado, we bought a 1950 house that started life as a gas station, and over the course of several years we substantially remodeled it.
Since then I've been itching to get another property to work on. And today, I finally have it. I just finished signing the papers to make it official. It was a bank owned property, and getting it wasn't easy. That's a big part of why I haven't been here much lately. I feel like I was the third real estate agent working on this purchase, I had to be involved so much.
Between my shops and Lachlan I unfortunately won't be able to do much, if any, of the work myself. But we have a capable guy to do the work and I get to make all the decisions, which seems like a good compromise. :D So here she is in all her completely original 1960s glory. Take a good look at her now, because she won't look like this much longer. In fact, work starts tomorrow...
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