The End of Week 5

Week 5, just 25 days and they will be building the master bedroom wing sounds really impressive doesn't it, starting tomorrow. 
Although this was a short week with Thanksgiving on Thursday, quite a bit of progress was made despite the shortened work week. 

 The week started with the decking going onto the foundation.  Rafters set, basement coming together nicely.

 In three days the decking is complete on the addition.  Looks really big but when you consider it is the bedroom, walk in closet and full bath, then it gets smaller by the minute.  But the view...

There it is, what started it all... from the moment I saw it in November of 2004 until today, I have wanted to wake up seeing this view.  In five months it will be a reality. 

 

 Meanwhile, on one trip over to the cottage to see the progress on the bedroom, I found the gas company sub-contractors busy laying the gas  pipeline.  We even got one of  Dennis's finest policemen to direct traffic around the construction.  (Notice how wel he is irecting traffic with his hands in his jacket pockets!)

 

 Pipeline running down the right side of
Cedar Lane and taking a right into...

the cottage.  Gas heat, gas hot water, and best of all a gas stove.  Oh, and a gas fireplace.  What heaven. 

Finishing up and even putting down top soil and grass seed on the neighbor's yard.  Better get the hose out and water it for them. 

Lessons Learned This Week:

 

1.  Comparison shopping is very time consuming and in many instances difficult.  It is impossible to get clear cut estimates of the cost of windows and finding attractive lighting and plumbing fixtures at reasonable prices is tough.  I will wait to see what the prices are going through the plumber and electrician and then decide whether or not to buy through them or on line.  (I have learned that Delta now has a line of faucets with diamond technology in the handles, allowing for fewer drips and if you want a really attractive kitchen faucet which is made in Germany then you will spend over $900.  Now, can you just imagine me spending $900 on a kitchen faucet?)  I did ask Russ if it would be better to buy from the electrician/plumber or to buy what is needed myself if the cost is less.  He reminded me that if there is a problem with the fixture and I have bought it then I get to handle the return but if the professional orders the materials and there is a problem, they get to deal with the problems.  Will wait to see what the price difference is before I decide which way to go.  Will keep you posted on my decision.

 

2.  Need to get a timeline in my head as to when and what needs to be ordered and what will be done to the cottage in the next few weeks.  Am really torn between being here to see the transformation on a daily basis and the need/want to be home for the holidays.  Also need to figure out when and for how long I can get to Florida and what will be done when I am away.  Will not be gone when the kitchen goes in but can miss the wiring and plumbing part. 

 

 

I Love Before/After Shots!

There was quite a lot of work done at the cottage this week and I didn't have to change anything or best of all buy anything! 
Since there has been so much demolition done on the cottage and next week we start to rebuild it, a bit bigger and certainly better, I thought it would be a good time to compare where we started and where we are now. 
I continue to find this process exciting and daunting at the same time.  If I had known what fun this project would be, and I should have known how much I would like it as I have done many projects at my PA home, I would have done this professionally a long time ago. 
 

Cottage the first summer after some work to clean it up and ready to enjoy.       June 2005

Cottage gutted, gypsum board removed and replaced with plywood, foundation dug out, and water and sewer pipes removed.                                     November 6, 2012

 

November 7, 2012

The digging begins with the land being cleared and the foundation digging. November 2, 2012

 Water and sewer disconnected, hole dug, view opening up more and more.              November 6, 2012

Forms up after the footings were poured. November 10, 2012

 Forms off, waterproof tar layer applied and the floor of the cellar curing.  November 12, 2012

Another view of the basement.  I still am pinching myself that I will have this much room.  Interesting fact, as they poured the walls they placed the windows in the wet cement, amazing. 

Despite a huge dumpster in the front yard, the hole around the foundation became a garbage dump.  If I am ever feeling nostalgic about the fireplace, I will know that it is still on the property! 

Just look at the view we have opened up!  Cannot wait to see what the view is going to be like from the master bedroom.  This is what started it all!  Notice that the ground has been leveled off and the foundation hole filled in.  We are really moving along.  November 16, 2012

 Another shot of the leveled ground and the foundation with the new stairs, one where one will not have to fold in half to get down the stairs.  The middle garden is gone, allowing for the circular driveway to be replaced with two parking spots alongside the addition.  The shed will soon get two french doors, salvaged from the cottage, which will open to the view.  Hopefully the shed will become a workshop not a storage shed!  Placement really does open up the view even as one pulls into the property.

While grading was done around the new addition, the backyard was graded for the enlarged deck area.  Deck will run from the great room across the property to the far edge of the new addition, ending with the outdoor shower.  A view from there too.                                    November 16, 2012

 

Before/After: Opening the Great Room Chimney coming down one brick at a time.  November 12, 2012

 

WOW!    The new view from the front door as you enter the cottage.  Fireplace will be to the left of the double slider and the dining  area is to the right.  November 14, 2012

 

 Before and after: Nov. 2-16, 2012

Lessons Learned:

 

1.  When you read the contract for the building plan and I quote, " Landscape and drive by owner.", let the owner beware!  When I questioned this, the discussion which followed included the assurance that the property would be graded.  Since I do not want a sprinkler system or formal lawn I didn't think this would be a great expense.  I am recalculating my budget to include landscaping and driveway repair.  Let the "Extras" begin. 

 

 

Serious Work Begins - Friday, Nov. 9, 2012

The forms are going up early this morning so the foundation can be poured this afternoon.  Apparently the footers were poured Thursday evening and are set already.  Magic cement! 

I am not sure what I am more excited about, the cottage renovation or a stand-up basement.   This space will be the first basement I have had since 1981 in PA and 2002 in MA.  What shall I fill it with?  Too exciting for words. 

Cement truck arrives and they begin to pour the foundation.  Can you see the view from the new master bedroom suite in the background?  Just amazing. 

Cement being poured, very slowly I might add, into the forms.  It slowly settles into the entire space and then the rebars are added.  Very quick process too.  The panels are treated with an environmentally safe oil for easy removal when the cement is dried. 

While the foundation is being poured, Brendan begins to remove the wall, making room for the living room slider.  

 

In just moments, the wall is gone and the view is exposed.  Notice the timbers holding up the roof.  Now comes the work of framing out the door, adding a large timber for the header.  I stopped talking to both Russ and Brendan while they were measuring.  I reminded them to measure twice and cut once.  They must love me being around! 

In short order the slider was framed in and Russ began cutting out the plywood, opening up the windows in the dining area.  Look at the view!  I already have my seat picked out at the dining room table. 

 Lessons learned this week:

 

        1.  It is very difficult, if not impossible, to get an idea of the cost of windows.  If you go to the Internet, you will get all kinds of information but just try to get a price without giving away your information, location, and then you will get a local dealer.  There are a few posts which give a general idea but it seems to be a ig secret.  Wonder who decided this,the builders who want to bill you themselves or the dealers...or both!

 

        2.  As I was talking to Russ, I mentioned that it probably would have been less expensive to tear down the cottage and begin from scratch, as I had been advised by several builders.  It was how we were going to proceed when I was working with the first builder.  Well, it turns out that the cost of tearing down the cottage vs stripping it inside and out would have been cheaper BUT the cost of digging a whole new hole and pouring a complete foundation, also in the first plan, would have been tens of thousands of dollars more expensive.  SO, I saved money with this plan and best of all I saved the cottage. 

 

         3.  As I have said in a past post, I have been tearing out pictures of rooms I like from magazines for years.  I looked through those pictures this week and realized that the windows, woodwork, floors, cabinets, hareware, and details which appeal to me are extremely expensive to replicate.  I have asked Russ to take a picture of a room I like and give me a quote on the cost.  I don't think that any of us realize just how much the details cost, and I am beginning to believe that these magazines are giving us false hope when it comes time for us to renovate.  When we have this all put together, I will post the picture and the costs, should be very interesting.

 

           

Snug as a Bug in a Rug - Day 13 - Nov. 7, 2012

 Looks like new construction, doesn't it? I am constantly amazed by how much they can accomplish in one day.  Studs installed, plywood up, doorway moved, added support nailed in to the existing decking, window frames in place.  Arrived to find everyone still working on rafters despite the loss of electricity.  Now we didn't loose electric at any time during Sandy but it is out already with this nor'easter.  Really!  

                                                                 A few windows have been left in the cottage to provide a bit of light to work. The railing is off the deck so the view isn't interrupted by it.  The deck will be rebuilt across the length of the cottage with the outdoor shower right outside of the master bedroom. 

Guest room with an interesting vaulted ceiling and the awning window already roughed in.   

 Another view of the guest room with the awning window space on the left and the two double-hung windows going on the water side of the room.  Sun will stream into the room each morning and sparkle off of the water.  Inviting?

                                                              Open wall from the dining area to the right and the framed in window spaces below.  Should be a very cozy space since we are using the roof line from the original cottage.  Hmm, wonder what I will serve for the first dinner party?  Any suggestions? 

 

There are challenges with any renovation but when you are dealing with an 60+ year old cottage they come far more frequently.  If you look in this picture at the vaulted ceiling you will notice new lumber on the old roof rafters.  We had to do this because the original builder used rafters which were too long and the roof had sagged up to 2 inches in some places.  All square now.  Just waiting to see what the next challenge is. 

 

Not Much Left - Day 12 - Nov. 6, 2012

 In the daylight it is even more dramatic! New lumber on the front of the house frames the front door and two windows.  The rush is to try and get the plywood up before the storm hits this afternoon. 

 Walls you might ask, where are the walls? Windows, gone too!  Team is getting the studs to code and then attach the plywood.  Think it will be very dark in the cottage for quite a while as the windows will take 4-6 weeks to arrive. 
Standing in the great room looking toward the kitchen L. 






 Great shot for understanding the vaulted ceiling and how that is going to make the space seem bigger yet.  Lots of new lumber arriving, second check delivered this morning. 

Oh yes, another example of why it is so important for me to be here. Russ went to order the 9' slider for the living room area only to find that it is not longer made and we have to do an 8' slider. So, we centered the slider and added an additional double-hung in the dining area. 
This is the view from the dining room table, now this is what I call spectacular!

In Earnest

 Arrived this morning to find the lane crawling with cars and trucks.  I have always loved it that so few houses on the lane are inhabited but this fall it is a very good thing for two reasons.  One, we are not disturbing them with all the destruction and construction, and two, the worker bees have some place to park!

Water turned off...CHECK.   Sewer pipe cut...CHECK.   Electric...about to be detached.  Let the digging begin.   Always wondered what those colored hoses were on construction sites.  Makes sense, gray one: sewer, blue one: water.  So simple really.  Lots of day-glow orange spots on the ground: Don't dig here!

 

Apparently the late 1940's foundation is a bit iffy so the crew must remove the dirt from around it by shovel.  At least two truckloads of dirt/sand has been taken out at this point. 

There is not a surface or area of the cottage or the grounds that is not being attacked.  Off comes the cedar shake and yes, the clapboard siding too as it was not removed before the shakes went on.  Reason, walls are build of gypsum board, apparently a typical construction practice in the 40's and 50's before it got too expensive, but there is no place to attach the shingles if we keep it.  So off it all comes.  Noisy and very messy.                   

You might ask, how did they attach the clapboard to the gypsum board when the cottage was first built.  They nailed it to the studs, but the studs aren't 16 inches on center as they should be...they are 36 inches on center!  How did this cottage withstand storms and hurricanes with so little support?  (I really sound like I know what I am talking about, don't I?) 

Sorry this picture is so dark but it is getting dark very early on the Cape now.  Here is the front of the cottage, walls removed and new window holes built.  They left the front door on, really comical as you can walk into the cottage on two sides tonight.   

Hole completed and the foundation is still holding.  After two weeks of work I now know why all the builders I have talked to in the past two years suggested I take down the cottage and start from scratch.  Would have taken a day to demolish and work could have started right away.  Would have saved money and time.  Even so, I am glad that I didn't do that.  The cottage will not look anything like it once did but I will know that the bones are still there.  Maybe we will have to call the cottage the "Joan Rivers" House...so many face lifts barely recognizable! LOL

Day 10 - Relentless De-construction

Wow, had plans on Friday to go off Cape to look at lighting and to have lunch with a friend.  Arrived at the cottage only to find the crew hard at work moving the shed to another spot on the property. 

Opening up the view even more.  This is the spot for the new addition, the master suite.

 

 

When I got back at 4, crew gone but the sheds were ripped off of the back of the house and the land was graded.  The new deck will go along the entire length of the back of the house.  The railing will be replaced with a built in seat, running all around the deck, so the view will be unobstructed.  You will definitely see the water everywhere you go when the job is finished. 

 

Starting to look very bare.  Shed moved, lattise work removed, center garden, for what it was worth, scraped away, shutters and wisteria removed.  Monday they start diging the new foundation.  My little cottage looks very sad and lonely right now but it will be worth it in the long run.

 

 

All gone, roses, shutters, flower boxes, weeds.  They were busy little bees on Friday.

Out of focus shot of the interior of the gutted cottage.  I am standing in what will be the dining area looking at the great room.  Do you see the board that runs down the middle of the room?  That is the new wall which will divide the guest room and bath from the living area.  The board making the triangle on the right is where we are going to put the fireplace.  We think!  Stay tuned, it changes every day.  When the fireplace comes out next week it will look differently again!

Lessons learned this week:

             1.  You have to be on site to make decisions if you want your project to be a certain way.  I am not sure the shed is where I want it and if we have to move it or the tree in front of it, that will cost more. 

 

              2.  Decisions can change quickly, even from morning to afternoon.  We had decided on a window design plan on Thursday morning but after visiting the window showroom,  looking at the space, and my desire to orientate everything toward the water, we changed  the floor plan and consequently the window design.  What stared as four sliders at the back of the house now is two sliders and 4 or 5 double hung windows.  More ineresting and more light. 

 

              3.  If you ever think you would like to redesign a room or your home, keep a folder of pictures of rooms, windows, wall finishes, etc. that you have found in magazines.  Twice this week I have gone to my folder and found one for the window design in the master bedroom and one for the windowpanes.  If I hadn't done this the design would  not be as interesting.