November 23, 2015
It's been a while since I last posted. It's been busy here and I've been busy traveling. No, we're not done with Phase One, but progress has been made, inspections have occurred and people are working toward the goal.
We're having the existing house completely rewired and new plugs and lights added. This can go on while the addition is being worked upon. It should take about two-three weeks, allowing for the Thanksgiving holiday interruption. The addition has been wired and we're doing the wiring in the existing house. We have recessed lighting in the living room now and the two bedrooms. Talk about BRIGHT! The dimmers haven't been installed yet. New outdoor fixtures for the front of the house need to be purchased as today the electrician, Greg, just finished that wiring.
We now have an HVAC system and HEAT! We only had about three days without heat and the temps dropped to the 40's at night. That's what down comforters are for, and cuddling. The structural inspection went well. Tomorrow we have rough plumbing inspection, deck structural inspection, lathing inspection and some others. We have picked out the tile for both bathrooms. After they sheetrock the interior we can have the tile put down and fixtures installed in the new bathroom. The kitchen sink isn't functional but the counter tops are still in place. The French doors for the new kitchen have been installed. In time, the existing kitchen will be demolished in Phase Two. Things are going well, but slow. I understand that is to be expected.
Below are some pictures taken over the last week or so. More later. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.
October 15, 2015
Work has progressed. We had a small bit of rain, but no problems. The replacement windows were installed (or halfway installed) today. We were able to be rid of the awful awnings which had moss growing on them. It is a significant change in so many ways. The soundproofing is working at about 90%, the house feels cooler with the high E rating and the windows crank beautifully. As of today, we still have no shear wall sheathing on the back of the house and no stucco so we aren't what I might call "climate controlled" and have no HVAC system yet. All in all it is better than it was before the window installation.
The addition has a roof and is sheathed today. Next they'll work on the back of the existing house and when the stucco is in place (and painted) the deck can be constructed. Once that is done we can trim out all the windows. I ordered the Brazilian Teak (Cumaru) for the deck and intend to let it gray out so that we don't have an annual deck refinishing in our future, except for soap and water. As we're in a fire rated area, I ran the material choice by the City (building & fire depts.) for approval. It was tedious, requiring two trips to City Hall, but as the product is 1" thick, has a high Janka rating and is Cal Fire Class A, we got approval.
I continue my quest for the right tile for the two bathroom floors. The tile I love will cost about $3k for the two rooms, just for the floors. I find that ridiculous. Each bathroom is only 8ft x 8ft. The quest continues. I did find the vanity for the existing bathroom with a Carrara marble top. So, tomorrow is another day. Maybe a tile day? Fingers crossed.
Best news, our threatened lemon tree is setting fruit. Miss Lemon (pronounced "leemoan" per Agatha Christie/Poirot) is alive and seemingly well. And, our camellias are beginning to bloom!
Work has progressed. We had a small bit of rain, but no problems. The replacement windows were installed (or halfway installed) today. We were able to be rid of the awful awnings which had moss growing on them. It is a significant change in so many ways. The soundproofing is working at about 90%, the house feels cooler with the high E rating and the windows crank beautifully. As of today, we still have no shear wall sheathing on the back of the house and no stucco so we aren't what I might call "climate controlled" and have no HVAC system yet. All in all it is better than it was before the window installation.
The addition has a roof and is sheathed today. Next they'll work on the back of the existing house and when the stucco is in place (and painted) the deck can be constructed. Once that is done we can trim out all the windows. I ordered the Brazilian Teak (Cumaru) for the deck and intend to let it gray out so that we don't have an annual deck refinishing in our future, except for soap and water. As we're in a fire rated area, I ran the material choice by the City (building & fire depts.) for approval. It was tedious, requiring two trips to City Hall, but as the product is 1" thick, has a high Janka rating and is Cal Fire Class A, we got approval.
I continue my quest for the right tile for the two bathroom floors. The tile I love will cost about $3k for the two rooms, just for the floors. I find that ridiculous. Each bathroom is only 8ft x 8ft. The quest continues. I did find the vanity for the existing bathroom with a Carrara marble top. So, tomorrow is another day. Maybe a tile day? Fingers crossed.
Best news, our threatened lemon tree is setting fruit. Miss Lemon (pronounced "leemoan" per Agatha Christie/Poirot) is alive and seemingly well. And, our camellias are beginning to bloom!
10-10-15 Building, building & building...
The framing is going on and only a couple of framing errors discovered. Sigh.
October 6, 2015
The framing has officially started. Tomorrow the walls may go up. Moving right along, sortof.
The framing has officially started. Tomorrow the walls may go up. Moving right along, sortof.
October 1, 2015
It's going slowly, no surprise. The foundation for the addition is in and the rough plumbing. The concrete has been poured in the forms. The floor insulation has been pulled up as the City Inspector wanted to view the rough plumbing. Corrections are required and tomorrow the Inspector will return for his 3rd visit on this issue. Hopefully, it will get signed off. Rain is expected in a couple of days and this has to be protected from water. The electrical service from the city was finally pulled through the conduit three days ago and the new meter installed. The new & replacement windows arrived on Monday. We may be able to get the replacement windows for the existing house installed after the threat of rain is over. John went under the house (for the umpteenth time) and was concerned that the anchor bolting wasn't sufficient, so back to the structural engineer for more plans and then the existing structure was re-secured a couple of days ago. It's only money, right? We all know a big earthquake is due, but we just don't know when. We'll be as ready as we can, whatever that means. As soon as the Inspector approves the current work, the wall framing can begin. That should go quickly. :) [Can't seem to upload the photos from today, so I'll try again tomorrow.]
It's going slowly, no surprise. The foundation for the addition is in and the rough plumbing. The concrete has been poured in the forms. The floor insulation has been pulled up as the City Inspector wanted to view the rough plumbing. Corrections are required and tomorrow the Inspector will return for his 3rd visit on this issue. Hopefully, it will get signed off. Rain is expected in a couple of days and this has to be protected from water. The electrical service from the city was finally pulled through the conduit three days ago and the new meter installed. The new & replacement windows arrived on Monday. We may be able to get the replacement windows for the existing house installed after the threat of rain is over. John went under the house (for the umpteenth time) and was concerned that the anchor bolting wasn't sufficient, so back to the structural engineer for more plans and then the existing structure was re-secured a couple of days ago. It's only money, right? We all know a big earthquake is due, but we just don't know when. We'll be as ready as we can, whatever that means. As soon as the Inspector approves the current work, the wall framing can begin. That should go quickly. :) [Can't seem to upload the photos from today, so I'll try again tomorrow.]
August 30 2015
The forms are filled and being watered down.
The forms are filled and being watered down.
August 29 2015
The concrete truck arrive and the pumper. Here's one pix and a short video (for those that want to see the concrete being placed into the forms WITHOUT being outside in the dreaded heat today.
August 27, 2015 All the forms for the addition and deck are in place and approved by the inspector. Concrete pour is scheduled for Saturday the 29th.
August 17 2015
Returned from trip to Chicago and found that the workers have been busy. Foundation trenches are dug and forms will be constructed for the footings for the addition and the deck.
Returned from trip to Chicago and found that the workers have been busy. Foundation trenches are dug and forms will be constructed for the footings for the addition and the deck.
AND THE WORK BEGINS, AUGUST 1, 2015
Preliminary work on the new tankless water heater (with conditioner) and the new electrical service is done. Awaiting the inspection on the new electrical box before wire can be pulled and the meter set.
The fence and gate on the driveway is installed, the Porta-Kan is in place, beautifully set in the front yard is a yellow "tardis" (Dr. Who would be jealous), and the BobCat sits waiting in the back yard. The dumpster should arrive later today.
Demolition on the patio and house back begins on Monday.
Below are some updated pictures:
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June 26, 2015
The work on the South side of the house has begun. We've removed 3 windows to allow for stucco work. When that is completed, approved and inspected, we can then have the new electrical service installed and the new tankless water heater installed, both to the newly stucco'd wall. This will free up the back of the house for the addition, plus improving our electrical service from 30amp to 200amp and giving us constant hot water. Baby steps.
The work on the South side of the house has begun. We've removed 3 windows to allow for stucco work. When that is completed, approved and inspected, we can then have the new electrical service installed and the new tankless water heater installed, both to the newly stucco'd wall. This will free up the back of the house for the addition, plus improving our electrical service from 30amp to 200amp and giving us constant hot water. Baby steps.
