The Final Few Weeks.

The past few weeks the crew has been installing wall and floor finishes  in the bathrooms, laundry and first floor.  Ceramic and porcelain tile was selected and installed in the two second floor bathrooms and marble was used for the powder room.  The master bathroom shower area came out looking very clean and modern through the use of 6" x 24" plank tiles stacked vertically with 12" x 24" planks for the floor. 

Due to the age of the building, the first floor had a few areas which were uneven and slightly sloped.  A condition which is pretty common for vintage buildings.  This was fixed by placing wood sleepers (cut with a slope) and new 3/4" plywood over the entire floor area.  This level sub-floor was then ready for the pre-finished, carbonized bamboo flooring.  It is now installed and it looks great! Slate and marble tile was installed in the front entry. The existing stair was refurbished with new oak treads and painted risers.  All the floor and wall finishes have come out exceptional.

first floor w/ new plywood subfloor.

new bamboo flooring

The exterior siding is installed but some of the corner trim boards still need to be completed.

I'm working on the finalizing the Family Room fireplace / storage design.  The west wall will have a modern gas fireplace with built-in shelving and a raised, horizontal concrete hearth.  Mosaic tile will surround the firebox and wood trim will finish off the entire area.  Painted wood shelving will provide areas for accessories, books and electronics.  There are provisions for a  flat-screen television which could be placed directly above the fireplace.

The interior will be primed tomorrow and painted by the end of the week.  The cabinets and vanities will be installed Wednesday.  Set-up for the terrazzo counters will begin Thursday with the concrete pouring to take place on Saturday. 

The lighting and plumbing fixtures will be installed this week.  The deck and trellis will be completed next week -- just in time to enjoy our Spring weather.  Carpet installed next week.  Finishing touches and staging the second week of February.

Dry wall up.....finishes to follow.....siding being installed.

Dry wall is hung and should be taped, sanded and primed by Friday afternoon.  The first floor  plan appears even more  spacious than the actual square feet it occupies.  The abundant amount of sunlight from the large side yard and minimal interior walls are two reasons which contribute to the open feeling.  The bamboo flooring will be installed next week.  Cabinets will follow.  We're assembling materials for the concrete (polished terrazzo) kitchen countertops.  These will be poured in place which is different from the mold formed countertops I fabricated for my home.  Pouring in place eliminates the need to move the heavy counters but also requires exact formwork and involves more work for the polishing phase since its in a finished kitchen area -- lots of plastic tarps to cover walls, cabinets, floors, etc.  



view from family room looking south to kitchen and living room

Siding and exterior trim are being installed and will be complete by the end of the week.  The side deck and trellis will be started next week. That will wrap up the majority of the exterior work.  We've been very fortunate with the mild weather so far.....I think that's about to change. 
The front exterior entry will have a standing seam metal roof in a orange / red hue to provide some color for the front facade.  



exterior siding installed



Plumbing fixtures and electrical fixtures are 90% purchased. The floor and wall tile selections are being finalized.  Paint colors will be selected - - mostly white wall with a few accent colors.

We're quickly winding this project up and have about three weeks of intensive finishing left.      

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.