Amazing how much faster the carpenters work than the concrete guys.



The deck is more completed than in this picture, but this was a dramatic-looking pic.

Minor issue: the existing house and addition's foundations are level with each other, but the old construction used 2x10 joists, and the new spec'd 2x12's. So the 2x12's are notched to fit to the same height. 2x12's aren't needed for strength, just stiffness, so the architect (my father) signed a note saying it was OK to do this.

The electrician is supposed to be out tomorrow or Thursday, hopefully to move the electric meter onto a post so they can start building up the walls.

Meanwhile, the delivery company called to say they want to deliver my cabinets (hah!), but that was straightened out, Home Depot and Thomasville never gave them the new date (March 1). They may charge to store the cabinets if it gets delayed beyond then.

All that's really left is to pick out cabinet hardware (probably from Ikea--great prices for clean-lined pulls and knobs), and light fixtures.[/img]

Lots of stuff in the last week or so:

• 2/15 - Nothing
• 2/16 - Electrician came by to move the meter out of the way... but decided that a pouring thunderstorm might not be the right time to play with live wires
• 2/17 - Electrician moved the meter (but we need him back to move a the phone cable, it's in the way)
• 2/18 - Ordered light fixtures
• 2/20 - More lumber delivered
• 2/21 - Bit of a tiff with the village over tree protection... now that the horse is out of the barn and the cement trucks have finished running over the parkway
• 2/22 - One wall is up!
  
  We've also got a change to the plans that will cost me a few benjamins, due to a mismeasurement in roof heights -- drainage will be more complex than we thought. Received the first of the light fixtures.
• 2/23 - Several more wall segments (photos tomorrow), need the phone cable moved and more lumber to continue

Thought I'd posted this earlier, but I must have hit Preview then never hit Post.

cool thread.

we re-did the kitchen in our chicago bungalow a couple years ago and totally agonized over the countertop surface.

we wanted a solid surface, but didn't want the 'modern' look of engineered stone, even though there were a few colors of silestone that we really liked.

we don't like granite due to it's busy, formal look. too fancy, too flecked, too sparkly, too shiny.

we looked at literally thousands of little samples, but couldn't really visualize what we wanted. eventally, a contractor sent us to a warehouse where all the slabs are stored. seeing the entire slabs really helped us to visualize what the counters would look like in the kitchen.

we ended up with a green slate, which, like soapstone and limestone, we heard, scratched very easily.

we loved the color and the subdued matte finish of it, and so we decided to take the plunge and deal with the scratches.

well, more than two years later, i am pleased to say that there has been very little scratching. we are not overly careful with what we put on the counter, and while there have been a few scratches, nothing major, nothing glaringly noticable, and nothing that doesn't almost vanish with a quick application of mineral oil.

i can post some pictures if anyone's interested. (can photos be uploaded here, or do you have to use a third-party host site? ) it's brazillian green slate, and very much resembles a green version of those science class lab tables that someone metioned upthread.

while i love my kitchen in it's finished state, and don't envy the months of construction you're going through, i have to say that i kind of miss the fun of designing, choosing, sourcing, and then installing all the various elements that go into remodeling a kitchen. it was a fun process that i thoroughly enjoyed.

hope it works out just the way you want.

elakin wrote:(can photos be uploaded here, or do you have to use a third-party host site? ) it's brazillian green slate, and very much resembles a green version of those science class lab tables that someone metioned upthread.

Hi,

You can post images, though the images need to be hosted by a 3rd party like flickr.com

I have an old house where I like to keep things sensitive to the house's style rather than contemporary trends. I completely understand your dilemma buying counter materials. I once read in Old House Journal where a couple bought old slate chalkboards, which they cut to use as their countertop material. I can easily visualize your Brazilian green slate fitting the bill. If it is not a big deal, I would like to see your countertops.

Thanks!

Regards,

Forgot to take pictures yesterday, they're already working this morning, so I ran out to get a few more before much happens. They're ripping the edge off my garage roof for where everything meets up.

Click for more photos

Basically, the new rooms are walled off from the outside (one small gap not counting the door, until a cable gets moved).

HI,

Before they cover the walls with drywall, take pictures of the roughed in wiring and plumbing. I saw this on a do-it-yourself show, which made a lot of sense for any future work.

Regards,

Today they installed the tall wall on top of the old garage wall, and the rafters over the main kitchen. Luckily, I came back from a meeting in time to stop them from finishing the rafters, as they hadn't accomodated the island's vent hood chimney.



Cathy, of course I'm going to photograph where the electrical and plumbing and gas goes. Actually, the electrician may hate me shoulder-surfing, but I have a lot of requirements that are sketchy or nonexistent on the plans that I want to make sure are right, such as switch positions, outside lights, speakers, etc.

Apparently, they'll be waking me up at 8AM Saturday, finishing up the roof sheathing. Need to make sure the blinds are closed on that window I've been taking pictures out of.

These guys even worked on a Saturday.
Yesterday...

and today

Only got a couple of pictures -- the cam batteries need recharging. If there's still daylight, I'll upload some more.

The carpenters improvised where there wasn't detail on the pantry ceiling, so it'll only be 8' high -- not as useful for ristras, country hams, salami-making, but still a good hands-length higher than the rest of my house. I got them to move the mudroom ceiling higher on pleas that I'd already bought a chandelier-style light fixture for that space.

It's looking kind of dark in there, but white paint and light-colored tile will help a lot, as will the lighting.

If it is not a big deal, I would like to see your countertops.

not a big deal. i'm always looking for more chances to show off my kitchen!

the first shot gives you a good look at the green slate countertops, the second one gives a better idea of how they fit into the overall feel of the kitchen.

Got a few more pix up this morning to show Saturday's changes, and just a few more now to include the finished swale between the new wall and old roof. It looks big enough to do skateboard tricks on.
Click for more photos



The roofer is supposed to be out this afternoon to seal the whole thing up by tomorrow. That will be good, because it's supposed to rain Wednesday.

elakin-

Your kitchen looks fabulous! Thanks for the photos! (A kitchen remodeling project may be in my near future, so I'm always on the lookout for new ideas).

Scope Creep
The bane of any project manager, the destroy of budgets, all spawned by innocent words:
As long as we're...
Y'know, that'll never match the new...
While we're at it...

So far, we've mostly resisted this, until yesterday. Some of the work in the old kitchen could be considered extra, but it was always part of the original budget. A couple other things are under consideration, such as burying the electrical cable (contractor offered to split the cost, but I still don't have an estimate), and a few things never made it to the original plans (exterior lights) so I'll end up paying a little more for the elctrician.

But yesterday, when the roofer came out to see the wacky swale needed between the old and new roofs (see pics above), he pointed out some problems in the existing roof, and made me what I'm pretty sure is an excellent offer (tempered partly, I'm sure by the fact that he and his crew would be out there for the new roof, and there was already a dumpster on site). So I've got a new roof. Pictures tomorrow.

These guys did a great job: a 6-man crew stripped off the old roof, replaced some rotten plywood, put down ice dam shield and tar paper, did a little surgery on flashing and gutters. Cleaned up after themselves (and cleaned out my gutters huzzah).

I knew the roof would need to be replaced in a couple years, and this way everything matches. Changed from black to brown which looks nice but no longer matches my front shutters

As a certified Project Management Professional, this can mean that my project has gone out of control... Another way to look at it is a new project, with its own budget, and a rapid implementation due to opportunity costs. Another way to look at it is that the project had a scope change approved by management (MrsF).

At this point, I'm not expecting anything else until next week, when the windows and doors arrive, and the plumber and electrician will follow on their heels. Then the fun part - getting the rough-in inspection from Mt Prospect, village of the damned hard to please.

If you want the name of the roofer, send me a private message.[/i]

elakin,

Super looking period kitchen. You must have quite an old home. I assume the gleaming white tile on the walls and tiles on the floor are original? If you ever tour the Glessner House on Prairie Avenue, you will see similar details. The Brazilian slate counters looks terrific.

Do you happen to have a ballroom in your home? If yes, then I am eternally green with envy.

Thanks for the photos.

Regards,

A few new shots of the new roof up on Flickr


Much of the stuff you see below the new windows will be covered by siding. A bit of the Tyvek was melted away in order to torch down the flat roof pieces.

That's my neighbor's TV antenna, by the way.

JoelF wrote:A couple other things are under consideration, such as burying the electrical cable (contractor offered to split the cost, but I still don't have an estimate),

In the mid-1970's after we upgraded our electrical service, Commonwealth Edison offered to bury the cables. During this time, my Dad had the idea to bury the phone lines also. While it was ok with ComEd to put 'their' wires into the ground, they were not going to allow the phone lines. The phone company would have to dig their own hole. My Dad had to come home early to negotiate between the crews at our house and their management on the phone. In the end, our electric cables and the equivalent of 8 telephone lines were buried. This all predates cable, which is the only cable coming from the utility pole.

You may want to phone your utilities to see if they will bury the cable. While it may not be for as good a deal as we got long ago, perhaps at a lower price than the electrician.

Regards,

According to my contractor, they're on more friendly terms now, and they'll bury your cable and phone in the same conduit.

I still don't know how much it will cost me, though.

Super looking period kitchen. You must have quite an old home. I assume the gleaming white tile on the walls and tiles on the floor are original?

thanks, cathy! yes, our home is a 1919 chicago bungalow. standard bungalow size, too, so, sadly....no ballroom.

and while i'm happy you mistook the hex tile floor and subway tile wall for original, they're not. all part of our total gut job and re-do of the kitchen. we wanted it to look and feel as if it could be original, though, so i'm always happy when people assume that.

here's a shot of what the kitchen looked like when we moved in

Nothing happened for a week. The way my General Contractor manages his subs, I'm really glad he's not watching my sheep.

Today, when I've got all-day teleconferences, the plumber and electrician show up, armed with outdated cabinet layouts, measuring from a wrongly-positioned window frame instead of from the corner, putting vents in bizarre locations (like right where my in-wall stereo system is supposed to go, and generally tracking a pile of mud across my freshly drawn chalk lines showing where the cabinets and appliances will go.

It's all straightened out, no harm done. I'll take a bunch of pictures in the morning (the electrician didn't leave until 6PM).

Newly done:
Plumbing:
All vents and drains are installed, except for the last foot on either end (through the roof and connecting to my existing drainpipe), and the supply lines are pretty much the same: 'stubbed' beneath the three sinks (main, bar and shop sink by the back door) and end before reaching my existing supply lines).

Electrical:
Boxes and lines are being run all over the place. The electrician knows everything that's being put in now, so the things not on the original plans will be corrected.

To Do in the Near Future:
Gas, HVAC
Rest of the electrical rough-in
Windows (supposedly monday)
Siding, flashing and gutters
Then, the village can put a stamp of approval on it, and the interior work can be done.

To be done jah only knows when:
Remove the rest of the excavation, and put in the concrete stoop and airconditioner pad
Bury the electrical lines and install the 200 Amp service

Meanwhile, the new crawlspace is no longer sealed off from the current house, and there's a lot of cold air I'm trying to block off. I can't just put a board across it anymore, because the plumbing comes out of the hole now.
(edit: 16 new pics up!)

Updates:

Friday, the electrician roughed in another wall's worth, plus the main ceiling fixtures, exterior lights, etc.

Sunday, I ran speaker, ethernet and phone cables. None of which is tacked up in the crawlspace yet, because the electrician hasn't run his conduit: I want to give him priority of placement so that I can make sure I stay about 4 feet away from any parallel runs. That will be hard, given that everything has to come out of the same 4-foot-wide hole, but I want to minimize proximity to powerline noise. I used nice Monster 14-2 twisted, shielded speaker cable rated for in-wall. Zip-cord is a no-no for in-wall.

Today: most of the windows and doors arrived, except for the motorized clerestory windows (the ones you can see in the out-the-bedroom window photos above). Tomorrow, they'll be installed.

elakin,

I just noticed today you had replied regarding your kitchen. You did an inspiring job making it seem period because you certainly had me won over. If you are not opposed, I would love to see the new working area of the kitchen.

You should consider submitting your efforts to Old House Journal, which does occasional kitchen editions.

Regards,

thanks again for your comments, cathy. i replied to you in a private message, so as not to steel joel's thunder in his remodeling thread.

Late Tuesday, some more of the light fixtures arrived from Northwest Electric.
Today, the window over the sink, and the french door were installed, and the rest of the old house siding and sheathing removed.

I've changed my mind: the contractors aren't little kids, they're teenagers: "Oh, I'll finish it tomorrow." They were supposed to replace my old back door today too.

Ten new pix:


(grr... for the third time now, I've forgotten to Submit after Preview, and I'm re-entering my message)

Four new pictures of my new back sliding door, and a couple studs added to the tall wall to support the upper timbers. And they're gone again. Like teenagers, "I didn't bring that with me today, I'll take care of it tomorrow."

Latest news
Friday: put some insulation around the new door, and the shower base they exposed when tearing the old sheathing off. The rest of the light fixtures arrived

Today (Monday): Siding started. Three new pix

A little more siding, 2 more pics. I'm concerned that they screwed a plastic box around one of the coach light conduit spots... but not the other. If it's not consistent, I'm going to make them fix it.

Cathy2 wrote:Before they cover the walls with drywall, take pictures of the roughed in wiring and plumbing.

This is excellent advice to which I can offer one slight improvement: print or back up your pictures files. You will want them some day.

Also, ask your contractor to face-staple the insulation batts in the exterior walls. It's not major, but if they side staple them air channels get in and some of the batts get compressed, reducing the effective R value.

Wednesday - nuttin
Thursday - Plumbers were here for about three hours -- they got called away for an emergency, I hope to see them again on monday. The in-room stuff is all "stubbed out" and the drains mostly done, but they haven't hooked up to my supply and drains, punched the vent out the roof or put in the gas line.

Two new pix, I'd have more but the cam batteries were too low to run the flash in the crawlspace.

I was out of town for much of the last week, and I keep meaning to get pictures taken, but nothing lately.
During the last week, the plumbing and gas was completed except for the vent through the rooof -- should happen Monday, April 4.
Electrician has been busy with the rough-in, and having to pull stuff out he's already done because of things the carpenters need to do, but is just about done for the rough-in inspection.

The big pile of dirt in my back yard is now gone, except for the mammoth piece of concrete (gotta get a pic of that soon). Now I have a mud pit for a back yard -- I'm going to need a bit of topsoil, and a lot of grass.

The carpenters should be out on Monday to install the last windows (powered, which is one thing the electrician is waiting for), and put in the new door to the garage and the last few supporting studs, headers and whatnot. If all that happens, the inspector should be by Tuesday, and insulation and drywall can happen after that.

The biggest snag is that the contractor didn't understand how bad-@$$ my vent hood is: It's a 50-pound unit that sits on the roof -- meaning that the roofer will have to come back out to install it. They'll need to build about a 1.5-2'-deep soffit at the angle of the ceiling, so that the chimney part of the hood will come down low enough to be effective. And that's before the electrician can wire it (sigh).

So I'm not really that optimistic about that Tuesday inspection.

Assuming it's not pouring tomorrow, I'll get those pix.
(edit) - 12 new pictures up on Flickr, including The Mystery Rock:

Monday, April 3 - contractor did not show up, did not return calls
Tuesday, April 4 - same
Wednesday, April 5 - one laborer came to attach rafter braces and put fire-caulk around pipes and conduits that come through the floor.
Thursday, April 6 -- New windows installed, framing for new door to garage added, the second layer of header over the sink windows was added, and a 'too-deep' wall (don't ask) was furred out.

Minor updates:
Plumber arrived this morning, installed vent through roof, and outlet pipe for sump pump (but not the sump pump itself). Six new pix, mostly of yesterday's work.