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.