Week by Week Progress

Today we have cabinets! Happy Birthday to ME!

Ok, backtrack to week-by-week progress...
I have to admit, before we started this project I estimated it would take 4 weeks. I expected to sign the documents at the closing table on a Friday, celebrate all weekend and start demo the following Monday. That didn't happen. Well, the celebration did happen, just not the prompt demolition.

We closed on the house and it was a full month before we got all the estimates and contract finalized.  Based on our requests, the contractor gave me a 9 week timeline. NINE!  Well.....somebody was a little off in her estimate.

We are currently on week 7 of the 9 week timeline and our contractor has done a great job to keep us on schedule. We have had very few unexpected issues, and for that I am thankful!

I am also EXTREMELY thankful for my parents who have allowed myself, our three boys and two dogs to live with them during the renovation. They agreed to four weeks but haven't kicked us out yet. We have taken over their home with NOISE & toys, many more mouths to feed and they haven't complained (to our face) once. Thank you Nona & Gpa! 

H1 has even helped with redecorating Nona's shelf.

This shelf holds all the toys he doesn't want his little brothers to reach. 

Eric's company has generously provided him a hotel room during the renovation, so none of us have to live in the reno dust and eat PB&J for nine weeks straight. 

When we come to visit Eric, we join him in the hotel. It is a little crowed with the queen bed, pull-out sofa and two pack-n-plays but we make it work. H1 thinks pull-out sofas are the greatest invention ever and he wants one for his birthday! H3 is at the door trying to escape. He has been successful once- mom fail!

Here the Week-by-Week details for the renovation nerds like me. 

WEEK ONE:

Demo of living/dining room wall, kitchen demo, doggie door install, carpet installation in bedrooms, back/side yard fence for dog run

want a 1976 double oven anyone? 

Window over what was the kitchen sink

 What was the wall separating the dining room and kitchen

 Dog door installed

Fingers crossed our dog will use this ramp and door. If not the kids will love it. 

 Dog run

Week Two: 

rough plumbing, reinforce joists, permit/engineering, add support jacks under foyer, replace rotted wood in bathroom

This is the week where I felt like we were taking handfuls of money and throwing it in the crawl space, never to be seen again. The contractor called it "reinforcing the joists" and I understand it is very important to be sure the house doesn't cave in when we take out all the load bearing walls, but really not much fun. 

Week Three:

add mudroom wall & door, foyer brick, bathroom tile floor, electrical phase1, install new potties

Week Four:

Structural Components: footers, temporary walls, steel beam manufacturing, two LVL manufacturing, beam installment.

Here she is: 30 foot long, 1500 pound steel beam

They had to make an opening in the garage wall to get the beam in the house

 I'm told a 30ft steel beam is not common in a residential setting. Getting this big girl up and in place was quite an undertaking. 

Footings going down to crawl space

 Steel beam flanked by two LVL (laminated veneer lumber)

Beam wrapped in wood that will be stained and remain exposed

Week Five:

framing for new kitchen window, subfloor removal and installation

In these photos, you can see how much bigger the new window will be. We are not going to have any upper cabinets on this window wall. The window will be a three lite casement window. The middle window will be fixed and the two outer window will crank open and have screens. This larger window will allow SO much natural light. Doing dishes will be a pleasure with a wide open view of the backyard.

Week Six:

complete trim on new mud room wall, new sheetrock, install sound proof barrier in plumbing bays, painting, white wash fireplace

With the open concept we had to reroute some of the plumbing. We were concerned we would hear the upstairs toilet flush while sitting in the kitchen, so just before the new sheetrock was installed we asked to add extra insulation around the pipes. Our contractor said most of the big box stores don't keep soundproofing materials in stock so he went to Guitar Center for the soundproofing materials. Eric (being a music-man, guitar lover, all around rockstar) thought that was pretty cool, but was bummed I didn't tell him sooner because he had a Guitar Center coupon. Ha! Week six, slightly over budget. 

Now that most of the "heavy lifting" is done, we are trying to get involved with cleaning this place up. I white-washed the fireplace stone and Eric started painting guest bathroom: white walls, gray trim: Before/during

If you are looking at this fireplace and thinking something about it looks familiar, you may of recently been to the zoo...or Africa. My fireplace looks like a giraffe. Well, it did look like a giraffe. Now it looks like an albino giraffe.

Before: this stone had lots of yellowish, brown and orange tones that didn't go with my color scheme.  

During: The top half is white-washed and the bottom half is not. Can you see the subtle difference? I just wanted to tone down the heavy bold colors.

After: it is not a drastic transformation but now it is a little softer feeling. Just took a dab of white latex paint mixed with lots of water and brush on until absorbed. Painting is therapy for me.

I plan to hang the same wood planks and Magnolia wreath over this fireplace like we did in our previous home. This will help cover some of the giraffes spots-ha!

Painted walls!!

The crew hard at work while I take pictures and cheer them on. They have done quality work and have been great in communicating with me. If you are looking to remodel in the Chattanooga, TN area, call Lewis Construction & Waterproofiing! I HIGHLY recommend Rod and his team!

White cabinets will be along this left wall.

Week Seven:

hardwood floors, carpet runner on stairs, LVT (luxury vinyl tile) installed

 Hardwood & underlayment being installed

Holy Moly I thought this day would never come: our house looks a little more like a home and not a construction site!

Upstairs hallway

Chair rail wall trim removed and prepped for board & batten

Foyer: they removed the trim around the opening and replaced with 1x6 that will be stained. Top trim installed for board & batten.

THIS WINDOW! Have I told you about this window? It is one of my favorite parts of the original home. This beauty is SIXTEEN feet wide and 7 feet tall. SWEET 16! Now that the "formal living room" walls are removed, the natural light front this window spreads throughout the main floor. Our dining room table will be centered in front of this window!

New trim around openings in foyer

Lighting is poor in these next few photos but the hardwoods are all in and stained! 

This photo shows the true stain color- brownish with a hint of gray. 

Week Eight:

kitchen cabinets installed, move furniture from storage to the house, stain header and cased openings in foyer, foyer Board & Batten Trim

Week Nine:

electrical phase2, countertops, backsplash, install appliances, install mudroom desk using re-purposed kitchen cabinets

(MORE PHOTOS TO COME AS WE PROGRESS)