The Next Phase

We passed our framing inspection last week! This is a HUGE milestone - it means we can get insulation and drywall underway. Of course, it wasn't without incident...our first attempt was red tagged. Apparently we did not have all the required paperwork available for the inspector and instead of calling us, we just got the tag. We had what they were looking for, but it wasn't in the permit box. Twenty five dollars later, we were officially passed. Hurrah! While things may not move faster, at least we are in the next phase and things will start to take shape. We decided to pay someone to do the insulation and the drywall. Apparently, we can pay for a professional insulator cheaper than we can actually buy just the insulation ourselves. That one is a no-brainer. While Big A and Big Moe could certainly hang the drywall, it would take FOREVER and we just don't have that kind of time. Therefore, we are paying someone to drywall which will get us moved in much faster and it will be professionally done. With Big A's perfectionist streak, doing the drywall would have been a frustrating and never ending task.

Things on the homefront are okay. Now that the hot weather has really set it, the house is getting even smaller. The front room just does not cool down and since that is where we are living, it is not so comfortable these days. We had a weekend off, as we took Lil A to Disney for the big 4! We had so much fun and for a whole two days, we didn't even talk about the addition or think about home. It was a great escape and tons of fun for all of us. Now we are back and I am anxious to get things rolling again. It is going to be a really long summer, but now it kind of feels like maybe there is an end in sight. We'll see....

We are planning to do the roof this coming weekend. I will have to find someplace cool to escape with the kids -- probably the pool....

Major Milestones Accomplished

Why does it take me so long to post? Why has so much time gone by since my last entry? Well, I guess we are just busy living! A lot has happened in the last few months and I will take a few moments now to do some updating in case there is anyone out there who still looks at this blog. After the bump out was finished, we went on a great trip to the Keys so there were a few weekends where we didn't work at all. It was such a nice break from our cluttered house, from the addition, from everything. We didn't have the best weather on the trip, but it really didn't matter because we had a chance to completely chill....
Big A worked every weekend in April. He worked some days by himself and a few weekends he had help. He primarily just did piddly stuff to finish up framing. Mid April he worked with Big Moe and Brandon and they completed the interior stairs - another major milestone. The whole interior has finally taken shape.
Early May was less productive, as we had quite a few things going on. We took Mother's Day weekend off and went to see Janes Addiction & NIN at the Ford Ampitheater which was FANTASTIC. Little A and Little T were away over night and it was a nice break from the grind. The next big hurdle to get through before we can finalize our framing is the installation of a very large beam in our existing attic. This beam has to tie into a concrete pad under our existing floor. I think Big A was a little apprehensive about this task and was putting it off, but we finally got to where it had to be done. We were very nervous because we didn't know what it was going to entail - was it going to mess up our bathroom? Would walls be knocked down? Would our one bedroom be affected? Most of these things we just wouldn't know until he got up in the attic and started working. I took the kids to Gvlle while they tore up the floor to install the concrete pad. This was inside our existing house and I just couldn't be here to watch - too stressful. When I returned, the pad was poured and there was plywood over the floor in our hallway. The next weekend, it was time for the beam. Again, the kids and I vacated and the guys went to work. It was a long grueling day (mostly for Brandon), but they got it done. They had to build a shore wall in the kids bathroom to hold up the house while they cut rafter tails in the attic. I am sure the place was a mess, but it looked fine by the time we returned. The bathroom is fully functional so things remain relatively unchanged in our existing living space.
Plumbing and electrical were also completed during the months of April and May. We passed two plumbing rough in inspections so that trade is behind us for now. We were red tagged on our electrical rough in, but I think our guy fixed the minor transgressions.
Big A removed our existing back doors in the 'playroom' to move them into the bumpout. He still has to install them in the new section, but that backroom is now quite a bit darker as it is covered up with plywood.
We are still doing okay in our little home. Sometimes I get really down about how long the whole process is taking. Sometimes it seems there is no end in sight. Other times I just pretend it isn't even happening. The kids are doing great so I can't complain. My trip to Gvlle worked out quite well as the kids had fun seeing their grandparents and I got a chance to relax and visit with some friends as well. This weekend while the beam was being installed Mimi and I made our first pilgrimage to IKEA. It was fun to see how nice and put together a living space can be. While I should have been excited, envisioning it as MY new space, I am just not there yet. I am hopeful I will be when we are a little closer.
Up next for the exterior - SIDING! Big A is working on pricing for siding and trim. There are lots of different options and many decisions to make....
Up next for the interior - FRAMING INSPECTION! If all goes well, we will start closing it up with insulation and then drywall. Then there will be lots more decisions to make....
It is hard to make decisions when it takes so much time to research and analyze the different options. Even when it is narrowed down to a few choices, it is very difficult to determine how something will look once it is installed. Forget about trying to do this in between making meals, doing laundry, working, going to school/karate/swim lessons.... it feels overwhelming at times. The kids and I did have an adventure going to a few lighting stores and a few tile stores, but it was all futile - I am no closer to selecting lighting or tile than I was before dragging them around. If we can just keep moving forward, stay positive, and be happy in the moment, we'll get through it. Everyone keeps saying how great it will be in the end, but for me, if I spend any energy waiting for the end I will make myself miserable. So, we just take it one day at a time. Big A has done a fantastic job working on the project, and I know how lucky we are to have a husband/dad with his capabilities and talent. I will post pics soon....

Bump

There is a little piece of our addition that has been neglected until now. It is the 'bump-out' that is extending off the back of our existing house. It is a great architectural detail and it is going to add about 3 feet in width of additional living space in the house. Not a lot, but enough that (I think) it will make a big difference in the room. All this being said, it was a COMPLETE nightmare to tie this bump-out into the existing house. As you can see from the photos, we had to rip off siding and connect roof trusses to the attic and it was quite an ordeal. Big A, Brandon, and Big Moe worked one Saturday for about 12 hours. It was awful, but they got it done and then Big A and Brandon finished it up the next weekend while Big Moe was on vacation. Just this last weekend it was dried in and windows were installed. We are planning to reuse the existing doors. For now the exterior really is complete - at least for this round of the work. We obviously still have to do siding and roofing, but we can move forward on other aspects of construction.

HVAC, electrical, and plumbing are up next. Once those portions are roughed in and inspections are passed, we can start insulating and drywalling. At that point we will probably run out of money........ ah, I am being cynical (I hope Big A doesn't read this)..... It'll all come together somehow....

It Ain't Easy Being Green

When we first started this addition process, I had high hopes for some of the innovative things we could do to make the project more Earth-friendly. Construction is notoriously bad for the environment - wood, chemicals, etc. It isn't something many of us think about because it is just how things are done - especially here in Florida where we aren't very progressive (of course I mean the collective "we" Floridians, not "we" as in us here in our household....). Well, those high hopes have slowly diminished as reality has set in. Green Building is VERY expensive. Just a few examples:

Insulation - there are several types of 'green' insulation out there that we can actually get in this area. There is a soy-based insulation that is sprayed. There is also bat style insulation made from recycled blue jeans. Both of these types of insulation are more than triple the cost of fiberglass insulation. In fact, we are actually paying someone to install fiberglass insulation for LESS than we can buy just the insulation and install it ourselves. How crazy is that?

Countertops - I really wanted recycled content countertops. I saw some really neat products on This Old House and lots of advertisements in the cool home publications like Dwell that we have been getting for the last year. It turns out there is a guy locally who sources and installs a wide variety of green countertop products - including PaperStone; Vetrazzo; Ice Stone; etc. I went to his shop thinking I needed to pick out a counter for our bathroom. I was really excited about this excursion and was impressed with his operation. At the cheap end of the scale his products run $75/sq ft. My hopes were dashed and I left feeling very frustrated at this whole process (more on that later).

Tile - Same thing as the countertops. I want mosaic tile in the shower/bathroom to create a spa-like atmosphere. There are a few great websites out there with beautiful tile including some fantastic recycled options. It is out there but at upwards of $25/sq ft, it sadly isn't even a remote possibility.

So these are just a few examples of how difficult it is to be green. Someone recently asked me if the green building movement was a 'scam'. I think scam is a pretty strong word, but I will say I have a much different outlook on it now that I did a year ago. Given the economic times and just how darn expensive everything is these days, it just isn't going to work for us this time around. Why are things made from recycled or sustainable materials so much more expensive than the other stuff? That is rhetorical - I know why, kind of like why it is cheaper to feed your kids McDonald's than it is to feed them fresh, locally sourced fruits and vegetables. It is a sad state of affairs. Now I am rambling (I better be careful or we can see where this is going to end up....). We will definitely use the low VOC paint and we will most likely get a tankless hot water heater. That is about as green as we are going to be I am afraid. We'll just have to do all we can to recycle and create less waste in our daily living.

That's a Wrap

Well, the addition is moving along - better than my blog posting....Every Saturday Big A works on the house and most of the day Sunday. Saturdays are the big day, usually with help from Brandon and Big Moe. The last few weeks have been focused on finishing up the dry-in process which means completing the exterior sheeting, drying in the roof, installing house wrap, and installing windows. This is all pretty much complete and it really looks great. The windows make a big difference. All the framing is done as well, so now we can start focusing on the interior finish out. Life is okay inside, we are just dealing. Everything is very cluttered, but we are all sleeping okay so I can't complain too much. Little T. is out in the playroom in his pack n play so I am definitely sleeping better. I think once this is all done, he will move from pack n play straight to a bed and never sleep a night in a crib. Poor Little A is still in her crib - she is almost 4!!! Oh well, good thing she likes it because there is no place for a bed for her....I keep telling myself one day it will be done and it will all be worth it...

Windows

With the roof up, the guys could finish framing up the rooms on the second floor - also a huge milestone. And just this week, we were able to get the addition section dried in - roof and walls. After dry in, it was time to install the windows. Last weekend was the first floor - with a big thanks to Big Moe, and this weekend, it was the second story, with another big thanks to Big Moe and Skuncle Wade. The windows look GREAT (and they should since we had to pay the big bucks for the hurricane-proof, high velocity, blah blah kind that the stupid code requires!). They really define the space; and the interior is now taking shape and there is light at the end of the tunnel (sort of).

Apology & Update -- Framed up & Raising the Roof!

I cannot believe I haven't posted since October. I am sure we officially have lost all readership for this blog. I deeply apologize to those who may care.... I guess the whole point of having a blog is to actually write something on a regular basis - Jeez! I always think it is this big deal to sit down and do, like I am just too busy or something, when really it only takes a few minutes. Anyway, I have a love/hate relationship with the addition project, so maybe I have a love/hate relationship with the blog as well.

Fortunately, I can report that a great deal has happened since October. Mostly all good stuff. Progress moved along through the holidays. Framing continued with lots of help from Big Moe & Brandon. The second floor was framed and then it was truss time. We had planned to have the roof trusses installed over the holiday break since we had 2 weeks of work off, but the order didn't come through so we were totally thrown off schedule and very frustrated. There wasn't much to do up to that point until we got that roof going, so it was a frustrating and uneventful two weeks. We kept busy doing piddley stuff. Once the trusses arrived in early January, it was time for the roof to go up. We had lots of help that weekend (thanks family!) and it was a rousing success. With the trusses on, the framing of the interior space of the second story could be completed.

Things are holding steady in the living quarters. Little T. is crawling all over since the first of the year and we have to keep a constant eye on him. We also finally HAD to get him out of our room - he was keeping me up the entire night and it was not fun for any of us. Not to mention he was days away from jumping right out of his bassinet - we really got the use out of that baby container! Most little ones only do a few months there, but since he was so small and Little A. is still in her crib, we didn't have anywhere else to put him. We had to come up with a solution - he is now in the "playroom" in a pack in play. It is working out much better. We can't make too much noise past 8:00, but by then I am pretty much done anyway. He is sleeping better (only up 2-3 times instead of 5-6) and so am I. YEAH!