Dunedin Domestication

The Next Phase

2009-06-22T17:53:00.001-07:00

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

2009-06-01T18:54:00.001-07:00

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

2009-03-16T18:58:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-16T18:40:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-16T18:14:00.000-07:00

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

2009-02-15T19:28:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-02-15T18:55:00.000-08:00

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!

Touch the Sky

2008-10-19T19:13:00.000-07:00

Lil A's room is going to up really really high, or so she says!!! Now that the floor is done, the walls on the second story are going up - and it really does look very high - especially to our neighbors! The guys had a GREAT weekend - Big A, Big Moe, and PHillip worked a full day with help from Brandon and Carleton. It was a very productive day - lumber was loaded, and walls were framed. The weather finally cooled off so they weren't dying from the heat - just the lifting! Lil A is very excited and got to have some fun climbing up the ladder with Dad to see her new room. F & C came in town for the day and had an opportunity to see the project first hand. Big A was really happy with the progress and we are all re-energized about the project.

Once we finish framing the walls, the roof trusses will be ordered, and Big A will start sheathing. We still have stairs to frame, the 'bumpout' to frame (we are extending our living room) and of course we have to tie all this in to the existing house.

Meanwhile, we are still getting by in our one room. The kids are sleeping good - although many nights I wish Lil T had his own room so I wouldn't have to keep getting up with him so much - I hear every little squirm and squeak. Lil A is sleeping like a champ which helps keep everyone happy!

Hopefully we can keep the project moving so I will have lots of blogging to keep up with!

Where has the time gone????

2008-10-19T18:57:00.000-07:00

Has it really been since Sept 15th that I last posted?????? AHAHAHH!!! Well, unfortunately not too much has been going on these last few weeks. Let's see....where did we last leave off? I think I am going to have to actually check my calendar.....the weekend of 9/20 Big A and Big Moe worked a half day and continued to work on those newly erected walls. Bro Wade graced us with his presence (at 9:00 in the morning on a Saturday!) and sort of helped, while drinking all our soda and crying about cutting his finger - not to mention he didn't actually have to swing a hammer since he used the palm-nailer!!! Ha-ha just had to get a few digs in for Uncle Wade -- it was a big help and we appreciate all the help we can get around here. No Brandon this weekend because it was Baby Ella's bday - the party was too cute and super fun. The next few weekends were uneventful - the project was essentially on hold waiting for the floor joists to be manufactured and shipped. Big A kept plenty busy with football and we just waited....

The weekend of 10/11 the floor joists finally arrived and Big A, Big Moe and Brandon got them up and installed. The second floor has officially begun!!! Hurrah!

Progress

2008-09-15T06:47:00.000-07:00

After a long weekend, we have four walls framed up. Hurrah! It is really starting to take shape now. Big A, Big Moe, and Brandon worked during the week two nights and Big A worked all weekend. It was a very productive weekend for him while the kids and I had some fun at the Dunedin Fine Arts Center on Saturday and then running errands on Sunday. The weather here is so insanely hot, Big A cut it a little short on Sunday - he just couldn't take it anymore. Now that the walls are up, we spent some time outside in the space talking about the layout and how things will look when it is complete. Big A snapped chalk lines to show the size of the bedroom, closet, and bathroom and for the first time I started to really look forward to having the project complete. It is going to be so fantastic to have a space for everything. It is also going to be nice to have a bathroom we can both fit in at the same time. There is still A LOT of work to go - the hard part comes next - framing up the second story and tieing into our existing house.

Wall up

2008-09-09T19:49:00.000-07:00

Big A, Big Moe, and Brandon worked Tues after working all day and got that one wall up - yeah! They got rained out, but at least it is starting to take shape. While we are getting by just fine inside the house, it is pretty tough on the nights Big A works after work - I had both kids screaming at the same time, and bath and dinner are hard to do without his help - although much thanks to Mimi for pitching in :). Of course as soon as he came in Little A was a perfect angel, so he was able to get her to bed without too much drama. It is going to be a very long few months.... There is no game this weekend so hopefully we can get a lot accomplished working as much as possible. I think Big Moe will be out on his boat enjoying some downtime so it will be up to us to keep the momentum going.

Floor Down, Walls to go!

2008-09-09T19:26:00.000-07:00

Progress!!!! That big pile is all the dirt Big A moved with the bobcat. I don't know what we are going to do with it all - it is sitting right where the pool is going to go (one day a long long long long time from now....) We had an inspection on Wed to insure the framing was strapped down properly and we passed. There was one small strap that needed to be fixed and of course they don't sell that particular strap anywhere so we had it overnighted. Little A had fun helping by giving Daddy nails and shooing away the mosquitos! The guys worked last Thurs (9/4) and got the floor sheeted. It really made the footprint look bigger which was good :). Then they worked Saturday and got one of the walls framed -- BUT we lost one of our helpers (BRANDON!) part way through the day and couldn't get the wall standing (if you look closely you can see it in the picture). Big A had to go to the football game on Saturday evening so he cut the day a little short as well - GO GATORS! It was so super hot anyway, I was afraid Big Moe was going to have a heart attack so it is probably a good thing they didn't keep going. Everyone took Sunday off and they plan to get that wall up this week - hurrah! We have lots of decisions to make about windows and other details - I have been given my list of tasks to do - we'll see how much I can get accomplished in the next week....

Framed Floor

2008-09-01T18:38:00.000-07:00

We are making some real progress now! After the bobcat expedition last week, we now have a BIG pile of dirt in our backyard. Little A had such a good time helping Daddy! Last Saturday, Big Moe came over and the real work finally got under way. Big A worked on putting beams along the existing house structure to get the tie- in correct and make sure it would attach properly. This pretty much took all day. Grueling work on his back up under the edge of the house trying to pound nails in the right location. He ended up doing a lot of pre-drilling because the old wood is so hard, the nails were bending. Grandma came to town and took Little A for the day which was a huge help to me. They had a great time (and so did I!). Sunday the guys worked a half day - we had to go to Little A's open house for school that afternoon, not to mention it is hotter than hell right now, so Big A was ready for a break. During the week Big Moe and Brandon came over a few evenings to keep the momentum going.

This weekend was Labor Day and Big A, Big Moe and Brandon worked most of the day on Saturday - it was rainy so they had to dodge the thunderstorms, but they got A LOT done (thanks to Brandon for sticking around Saturday afternoon!). It is finally starting to take shape. In fact, they didn't work on Sunday or Monday because they ran out of lumber. Big A did some minor work on Monday and now we are ready for the next phase which is putting sheeting over the floor joists. The codes require tons of strapping and bolting and nailing which has taken a lot of time in this early phase. Pretty soon we will have walls going up which is very exciting.

Life is still going fine in our cramped quarters. We struggle every day to stay organized and control the clutter. Little A is still sleeping well in her crib (poor girl!) and Little T napped through a great deal of pounding over the weekend, so I really can't complain. People keep asking me how long this project will take to complete. Right now, I just take things day by day and try to enjoy the process, and not think too hard about the end result. It will be done when it is done. It will probably take a lot longer than we think so to put a time limit on it at this point will only be frustrating. Big A is so lucky to have the skills to do something like this with his own two hands. We are also fortunate to have good help when he needs it. Big Moe has been very instrumental in getting started and he has provided lots of guidance in the initial layout.

Sheeting and walls to come next - Hurrah!!!!

Better than Disney

2008-08-22T18:58:00.001-07:00

Little A. thought this was the greatest thing ever!!!!! Cheaper than Disney too:)

Filling the Holes

2008-08-22T18:31:00.001-07:00

Well, I know it has been forever since I last posted, and because of that I have probably lost all of our readers.... but here it goes. Unfortunately, not all that much has happened which is why there hasn't been a lot to post about. Well, that isn't really true - a lot has happened but nothing very interesting to write about - and I have just been really lazy with posting :(. As you can see from the above photos, the masons made real progress and did in fact finally finish - they were primarily held up by rain. We had to have the holes inspected and then treated for termites. A big THANKS to Couch's Pest Control, who came out on short notice so we could have the treatment completed and our inspection passed, so that we could then have the concrete scheduled. Once the holes were filled, we had to have a tie-in survey done which took some time to get scheduled and completed. Then it had to be inspected. Once those things were finally done, the block was laid and the mason was out of here. During that time, Big A went lobstering in the keys for a week and when he got back we had a family reunion weekend at the beach so we were not able to get much done on the project (priorities!). The kids and I stayed with Mimi while the guys were lobstering and we all stayed in a condo at the beach, so there was a little break from our cluttered surroundings here. Last weekend, Big A cleaned up the yard with the help of Brandon and moved four tons of tree logs into a dump truck. We had lumber delivered for the first floor this week and now it really is GO TIME! Big A. rented a bobcat to clear away dirt in order to meet the required clearance under the house - he worked on that all evening. Tomorrow the real work will begin. Big Moe is coming over for some project management assistance and we look forward to some real progress. Little A. is very excited about her new room although we keep having to explain it won't be done tomorrow!

We are trying our best to stay comfortable in our little home. The kids are doing great and as long as everyone is sleeping I can't complain....

Potholes in my lawn

2008-07-16T15:39:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, the purpose of a blog is to keep it updated.... well, here is the latest update. We now have holes in the back yard - yes, just holes. It takes A LOT to get a project like this out of the ground and we have already hit 4 roadblocks.

Roadblock #1: We had to verify existing conditions for the structural supports and get a signed/sealed drawing from our engineer. Of course, this took TIME which means the work had to stop. Our house is old which means it isn't up to current code standards. We have to take this into account going forward. The architect/engineer team was very responsive and got us what we needed as quickly as possible (thanks guys!)

Roadblock #2: We had a big tree removed from the back yard before we started demolition, and there were massive roots and half the stump still in the ground. We called our tree guy and he was able to have someone onsite SAME DAY - he took care of that root in the pouring rain after hours! Yeah - KEVIN WHITCOMB TREE SERVICE ROCKS!

Roadblock #3: A/C - our AC unit was in the way and had to be moved. This was also done within 24 hours - thanks Brian and ABC Air!

Roadblock #4: RAIN. Since everyone was so incredibly responsive and took care of all the above mentioned roadblocks, it has been raining every day so the mason can't get back over to install the rebar. Damn rain!

Hopefully tomorrow (Thurs 7/17) the masons will be back on track and the holes will be finished and the project will be moving again. Big A leaves for the keys in a week so we hope the foundation is done by the time he gets back and then he turns into a framing fool. Wish us luck!

Gone

2008-06-30T08:31:00.000-07:00

The demolition is complete! Little A's room is now gone. Did I mention in my previous post that we are all 4 sharing one bedroom? She is still in her crib, with Little T. next to us in his bassinette (or in our bed....). So far it is working out okay. Big A worked all day on Saturday by himself trying to save siding and get a jump start on the complete tear down. He made good progress and in spite of almost electrocuting himself, managed to have a good day. Thanks to the help of Brandon & Phillip, Sunday was a great day - the three of them worked all day tearing apart sections of the room and hauling it to the dumptruck. By 5:30 the entire structure was gone and the room was sealed off. Big A saved some of the siding but was unable to salvage the tongue-and-groove planks in the ceiling. Apparently whoever did the construction glued the ceiling to the wood which created a big mess. The kids and I went to the pool and tried to stay cool - of course this project had to start in the dead of summer making life difficult for all of us!

Next: We decided to subcontract the block and foundation and we have a few questions to get answered before we are ready to go. We are hoping to have this work started Monday 7/7/08.

No Turning Back

2008-06-25T18:44:00.001-07:00

We FINALLY got our permit from the city about 2 weeks ago. It was a long process but not too painful and now that we have it there are no more excuses - it's go time. In order to start demolition of Little A's room, we had to figure out where to put all of her stuff and where she was going to sleep. We decided to move her stuff in various locations throughout the house (mostly to a living room that is now a playroom/toyroom/place to throw miscellaneous crap) and move her crib into our room. Now the 4 of us are sleeping in what once was our bedroom. Oh well, the baby was in there anyway, and as long as he doesn't wake up Little A with his night feedings, we should be okay. So far, so good.

Once we got everyone resituated, the demolition began! Last weekend, Big A and his helper got to work and completely gutted the room. There truly is no turning back now.

This weekend the whole room will be completely demo'd. This room was not part of the original house and we think it was added on in the 70's. Big A plans to completely skin the exterior and save all of the wood siding and the tongue-and-groove planks in the ceiling. We will save the windows as well, although since we are in FL we can't reuse them in the addition since everything has to be up to code -damn hurricanes! Perhaps they can be sold on craigslist or ebay. We'll see......

Introduction

2008-06-25T18:25:00.000-07:00

A little background: We are undertaking an addition and renovation project at our home in Dunedin FL and we are primarily doing it ourselves. This project is finally getting off the ground after being in the design stage for about six months and in the 'dream' stage for about 3 years. We are married with two kids and are slowly becoming everything we never thought we would be....but we hope this home project will ultimately provide a place of sanctuary and a unique identity in a sea of surburban sameness that defines our part of Florida.

A little about the project: Our home is a 1920's cottage, which is the type of home we desperately wanted to find when we moved back to FL after living in Seattle for 3 1/2 years. It had been renovated and was completely up to date and ready for us to move in 6 years ago when we bought the house. The renovation was nice, but we didn't do it ourselves and it isn't exactly what we wanted, so now we are ready to make some major changes, add some space, and make the house our permanent home. Phase one of the project is an addition which entails demolition of one bedroom to make way for a new two story addition to include a master suite, and two bedrooms and a bath upstairs. Phase two will be a renovation of the remaining interior space which will be reconfigured to take into account the new bedrooms. We hired an architect to help with the design because we really wanted to perserve the integrity of the original design and have an addition that fit with the rest of the house. Additionally, we were not afraid to take on some renovation to make the space 'work' in a sensible way. We are extremely happy with the design and the plans that have been prepared by our architect.

A little about us: 30 something married couple with a 3 year old daughter and 3 month old son. Big A. will perform the majority of the work himself (with a little help when necessary), while working full time, and on a tight budget. We also plan to live in the house while this is going on. We might be crazy. Hopefully we'll still be married by the time it's over. Enjoy the journey - we plan to!