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.