Spring weather....

Spring-like weather has allowed the crew to continue working on some of the outside projects. I arrived at 8:30 this morning to see the concrete truck in front of the house.  They poured the front concrete stoop and the walkway pavers leading to the front side walk.  It will be great to be able to walk on a paved surface instead of a muddy walkway.  River rock will surround the pavers to finish off the walkway.  

concrete pavers leading to front entry stoop

At 9:45 am I headed towards Schaumburg to visit that Swedish design center, also known as IKEA.  It was a successful shopping excursion.  Seven wood / glass linear style kitchen wall cabinets were purchased to provide a contrast to the dark maple base cabinets.  Economically priced at $ 98...but some assembly is required.  Several light fixtures were also obtained for the bedrooms and storage areas.  We'll need to make another trip in a few weeks to get bathroom accessories and more light fixtures.

Some miscellaneous interior framing was completed this week. Kitchen soffits and the attic storage room were framed. And a small closet was built in the second floor Den / Nursery adding to the functionality of this room. The exterior wallcavities were filled with batt insulation and are now ready for the gypsum board.
Next week should see the start of the siding, installation of dry-wall and the construction of the exterior deck and trellis.  Were making great progress and the final month will be exciting.

H A P P Y    N E W    Y E A R!   I'm looking forward to 2012.

A few key layout modications to add Storage....

Electrical, Mechanical and Plumbing all finished up this week.  Electrical and Mechanical work was inspected.  Plumbing inspection will happen on Tuesday.  Insulation will start on Wednesday.  All the dry-wall should be hung by the end of the week.  That will be a big transformation for the space. 
The exterior siding and trim boards will be installed next week.  The deck and wood trellis will be built the first week of January. 
After seeing some of the wall framing going up we were able to  make some field modifications to pick up more storage space.  Without a basement this is key to provide areas for additional storage.  The first floor now has a walk-in storage room underneath the existing stair. The master bedroom has some additional built-in storage closet that frame into the attic space.  The attic will have an 8' wide x 20' long storage room complete with a pull-down stair, insulated walls and fluorescent lighting -- great for Christmas decorations, out-of- season items, etc. etc.  Due to some re-framing needed to add headroom at the stair, the second floor den / nursery will also have a small closet.

Attic space prior to storage room

I did a revised kitchen elevation with a mixture of wood / glass wall cabinets and some built-in storage/display boxes . This should create a unique and custom look for the kitchen. as well as adding some useful storage areas. We'll be working on the poured concrete countertops soon. 
The bamboo flooring was picked up on Friday along with some bathroom vanities. We're assembling all of the items for the final month of construction. It's time to select the remaining finishes like tile, lighting fixtures and the family room gas fireplace.
The project is moving along on schedule and on budget. The final month will be fun.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

It's getting fun now....the final month....

The Mechanical, Plumbing and Electrical rough-in work is complete.  The city inspections will take place this week.  All the trades worked very well and efficiently together.  There were a few days when all three trades were in the house working at the same time.  Insulation and gypsum board will get stocked this week and installed next week. 

rear addition from east side

Windows were installed last Friday.  It's encouraging to see the natural light streaming back into the house after being closed up for a few weeks.  The interior spaces get a huge amount of sunlight due to the extra wide yard. 

front living room windows

The kitchen cabinets and plumbing fixtures were ordered today.  These items will arrive in

plenty of time to be installed in early January.  Flooring will need to be finalized soon.  The siding and trim boards will be installed this week to finish up most of the exterior work.

3722 West Sunnyside has been listed in the multiple listing service.  Kenneth Arrizola, from Baird and Warner is handling the real estate listing.  He set up a preview open house last week on Thursday evening.  We held this event just a few blocks from the property at my current house on Hamlin Avenue. Floor plans, architectural renderings and some material samples were viewed by a nice group of real estate agents.   One agent has requested to do a showing for her client but we'll need to schedule that viewing in a couple of weeks when the house is closer to being complete.  In my opinion, we're getting close to the best part of any renovation project...that occurs when  the gypsum board is up and the finishes and detail items start to be completed.  It's all coming together and looking very good but I think I'll really be excited in about 3 weeks!

The Site Sign in up....

The exterior site sign has been installed...it looks better than the house at this point!

site sign

But that will change soon as much progress has been made this week.  The roof is done...hvac, plumbing and electrical are all nearing the rough-in completion...we will get the city inspections and then we should be be haning drywall in a couple of weeks.   Windows will go in early next week and then the siding and wood trellis framing will begin.  In the next week I'll be finalizing the cabinets, picking fixtures and selecting the floor finishes.  We have made a few layout changes to add additonal closets and storage...an item that the buyer always wants.  There is no basement at this house but we have a walk-in storage room, additional closets and a great, accessible attic area with a pull-down stair.  This should be enough room for a small family. 
Our real estate agent sent out a preview listing this afternoon to a select group of buyers and has fielded a few inquiries already.  It could get exciting now!

Roofing almost finished....hvac,electric and plumbing to begin...

Slower than expected progress is being made on the new roof shingle...it is about 50% done and it should be completed by the end of Saturday.  Windows will go in next week and siding will follow shortly after that.  The exterior should be complete before the really cold weather gets here.

 

west side of main roof / addition roof



                                                                   

new electrical service drop

The electrician has set a new exterior mounted drop for the electrical service wire and installed a new electrical panel.  The electrical boxes and conduit will be installed in the next few days.  Monday the mechanical ductwork installation will begin.  This will take 3-4 days to complete.  The  plumbing rough-in work will also start early next week.  This could be somewhat of an experiment to have all three trades working in the same house at one time......even though they do this on HGTV all the time it's not usually how it works in general practice.  I think the sub-contractors have worked together before so it should be fine.  The plumber has the right-of-way because he is dealing with gravity.  If all goes well the electrical, mechanical and plumbing rough-in should all be completed by the end of next week.  This would be great and would make up for a little lost time in the schedule.  

 

We made a design change in the master bedroom by raising the ceiling height up to about 12'...this creates a great volume in the bedroom.  Windows on the north and east side add nice natural lighting with good cross ventilation.  



master bedroom with raised ceiling



  We have completed the design of the real estate site sign.  This will be fabricated and installed next week.  After 6 weeks of construction we are about halfway done...this is slightly ahead of schedule.  I estimate our completion date to be about January 13th, 2012. Our General Contractor, Real Estate Agent  and the Ownership Group are all very pleased with the progress and current overall look of the project.                              

1 month completed....2 months to go...

After one month of construction we've made alot of progress on the renovation and are on schedule.  A few minor surprises once the walls and floors were opened up but minor re-framing will solve these items.  The rough framing for the main house and the new addition is complete.  The new addition adds some valuable square footage to the overall layout and really opens up the first floor.  Windows will be installed later in the week.  Siding and roofing will also start soon.  In another week the exterior should be almost finished.  We'll start on the plumbing, electrical and mechanical rough-in this week.  This should take about 2 weeks to complete.  We'll need to get the city inspections for this work and then we can proceed with the drywall installation.

new addition framing

Material selections will need to be made in the next couple of weeks. We've received three quotes on cabinets and will make a final decision this week. Plumbing and electrical fixtures will also be chosen.  We'll choose items which are in stock and readily available to not prolong the construction schedule.......need to keep everything moving along....

A site sign will be designed and fabricated to advertise the soon to be completed single family home.  This will hopefully generate some more interest from prospective buyers.

Reconstruction has begun...

front elevation



rear additon floor framing




















The exterior siding and trim was removed and taken down to the wood sheathing......the shell of the house is just a stripped down box now but fortunately the reconstruction has begun.  The framers are working on the interior and the exterior walls of the new addition.  This should be completed by the end of the week.  Windows have been ordered and will be ready to be installed by next week.  The new roof will be installed later this week.  We've made some selections for the exterior color scheme...the siding color is a light stone color (" sandstone") with the window and corner trim a contrasting dark brown color-- Benjamin Moore Texas Leather.  The front porch will have cedar columns with a accent color on the new metal roof.

front yard

I did some landscaping work last weekend in the front yard.  Two new ornamental juniper shrubs were planted with some mulch. Three metal planter pots will also be installed in the front yard with some boxwood shrubs.  Concrete pavers leading from the sidewalk to the front porch will be poured and loose gravel will finish off the pathway.....the re-construction process is gradually bringing the house back to form.....stay tuned.

Project In Full Renovation Mode

After several dumpsters, the house has finally been cleared out of all of the cabinets, fixtures, plaster, and other junk which had been stored in the attic.  The plumbing and electrical rough-in work can now begin.  

The concrete walls were stripped of the formwork and the walls were back-filled with dirt.  Rigid insulation board was installed on the inside of the foundation walls.  Crushed stone was added as a base in the crawl space.  The wall framing crew will start on the exterior walls of the new addition early this week. 

I visited Remodeler's Home Supply last week and received a bid for new vinyl windows. We are waiting on one other bid to compare the numbers.  We'll choose a manufacturer and place the order for the windows next week so that they are on-site as the new walls get framed.  One of the advantages of a local vinyl window is that they can be delivered to your project within five days.  Most wood windows would take 3-5 weeks.  With the cold weather rapidly approaching we'll want to get the walls sealed up soon.  These days, I find that construction crews will work through the cold weather and especially if they are in an enclosed space with some heat.



front cedar fence



fence panel



Last Friday, the GC assisted with the front fence project by removing the old 6' high board-on-board fence and also set the new 6x6 posts in concrete. Over the weekend I installed all of the 2x2 cedar fence panels with the galvanized spacers.  The wood fence design is similar to the one that I designed and built at my Hamlin Avenue house. It's a simple design but several curious and friendly neighbors have commented that this fence is  "quite an upgrade for the house".  I have assured them that the main house will also be looking good very soon.  We wanted to get the fence completed early on so that we were not forced to dig post holes in frozen, snowy ground. Additional landscaping will be done in the front yard space to add some curb appeal. 

 

3722 West Sunnyside Progress

Demolition continues on...the old lumber, lath and plaster is being removed from the building -- a hard and dirty project that I have participated in the past on some of my own homes...glad to not be doing it for this project.   The building will soon be cleared out allowing for the new plumbing and electrical rough-in work to begin.   Not much worth salvaging from this house.

The excavator is also on-site digging the hole for the new addition.  The rear addition concrete footing is being formed and will be poured today.   The new concrete foundation wall should be in by the end of Wednesday.   We'll be ready for the new exterior wall framing in a few days....I can't wait to see the new addition walls going up. 



It's great to see the progress being made by the crews but there is still so much that needs to be done in a short time.....soon the outside will look like the rendering below... a clean, two-story frame house accented with a cedar front porch and a large open deck with a wood trellis. 

End of Week One

Good progress was made for the first week of construction.  Trees were removed.  The interior demolition is well underway with no major surprises.  Materials were ordered and delivered for the new front fence.  The excavator will be doing the exterior demoltion on Monday including the old sidewalks, front stoop and side deck.   In order to allow the machines full use of the site the new cedar fence will be installed next weekend after this work is complete.
Nelson, from my office did four different exterior color renderings.  We have reviewed the color renderings with the "Design Department" (my business partner, my wife, our real estate agent, etc.) and have chosen to go with a light tan color siding, brown trim boards, brown roof trellis and a natural cedar front entry porch.  The existing house roof will get shingled in a tan/brown blend of architectural style shingles.  Color rendering will be posted next week....once I figure out how to do that....more to come...

Tree Removal and Demolition...

Yesterday I met with a couple of tree cutters.  Two existing trees in the back yard need to be removed.      This was required because both trees were severely leaning on the neighbor's property as well as being in the path of the new addition. This morning at 8:15 am my neighbor informed me that the trees were coming down.  I did a quick site visit to check this out.  It was amazing to watch the tree cutters climbing the tree and strategically cutting and using the ropes to direct the large sections of cut tree down to the ground and away from existing buildings and fences.  No damage done.  The neighbors even commented on the quick and clean work from the tree cutters.  Two other stumps were removed and a beautiful 50 foot tall silver maple tree was trimmed up.   The area is now ready for excavation which should begin on Thursday.
Demolition has started on the inside.  It's always exciting to see the old plaster and lath come down.  The first of several dumpsters will arrive tomorrow to keep the work area clean.

Our goal is to have this single family renovation / addition project completed in three months.  This is a rather aggressive project schedule.  In order to have any chance at meeting this timeline all long-lead items must be selected, ordered and obtained prior to their installation date.  I'm currently working on the cabinet, window and material selections for the project. These items need to be ordered soon so that they are on-site in 3-4 weeks......that's all for now.

3722 West Sunnyside..... day one (day 115)

This week has been the culmination of several months of planning, house searching, presenting purchase offers, reviewing cma's, preparing permit drawings, reviewing closing documents, reviewing construction bids, meeting with building officials, etc, etc...  My business partner and I  made the initial cash offer on 3722 West Sunnyside on July 1st.  Almost four months have passed since then -- 115 days.   During this period there have been numerous scheduled real estate closings which were cancelled and rescheduled .  Yesterday, October 20th we finally had a successful closing.   This morning was the much anticipated City of Chicago Department of Buildings Permit Intake Meeting.  I arrived at 9:15 am to meet with Project Manager #7.  It was our lucky day -- from the random selection process, Craig MCleary was assigned to be PM #7.  Craig is one of the best Project Managers at the City of Chicago.  He reviewed the permit drawings, contractors, Energy Code Compliance Forms, and  numerous other required permit forms.    By 9:30 a.m. (fifteen minutes later) I was leaving with my building permit in hand!  If the City of Chicago was this efficient with all of the building processes and reviews it was be a much better place to conduct business.   I want to personally thank Craig MCleary for his expertise and efficient review process.  Tomorrow morning I'll be meeting with the General Contractor to review the construction schedule.  Monday morning demolition will start.  Hopefully we'll be excavating for the new addition foundation by Friday.  It's been a long road so far but I'm very excited about this new project.  If all goes as planned the completely renovated two story, 4 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath single family home which sits on a 42' wide site will be completed and ready for it's new Owner (yet to be determined) in about 3 months.  I plan on sharing the renovation and construction process through this blog site with many insights and photos of the entire process.     Hopefully you will find it informative.....and maybe you can help to supply the new buyer.  Please tell your friends, associates, neighbors,  and everyone else you know who might be interested.
And now, its time to celebrate.....I'm thinking sushi for dinner......