Phone home....

         

Phone home.....

October 25th:  In an earlier post I described how the phone wiring was messed up, but I still had DSL, and if anyone wanted to call me, it was best to call my cell.  So, the electricians passed their inspection this week (as did the plumbers!), and that raised the still lingering issue of my phone service.  At an earlier point in the construction process there was a "phone box" on the back of the house that the wiring for the phone jacks inside the house went through and then connected to the phone supply line to the poles along the alley in the back of the house.  Well, at some point during demolition that phone box was removed and my DSL connection consisted of a direct wire to the phone pole because there was no box.  The photo below  to the left shows the mass of phone wires (outside and next to the new electrical box) that include wiring to new phone jacks and the old ones.



And the photo below and to the right is the new telephone box and the service line that climbs up the house to the pole.  The roll of wires will be tidied up eventually.  








So, thank you to whoever deregulated the telephone companies (maybe back in the Reagan years?), it only took about 3 hours yesterday when I called to request a repair order.  During those 3 hours I was transferred to 12 people -- yes, 12 (not a typo) -- during which I received contradictory answers to my questions, a few "Gee, that is a good question, but I don't have the answer, let me transfer you to someone else," to finally someone who didn't know but then tried to sell me an upgrade for faster Internet.   Of course, one of my questions was whether the "wire maintenance agreement" that was part of the "bundle" for the discount for my Internet service would cover the service call.  Again, I received a range of contradictory responses from "You are covered," to "No, that will be $85 for the service call and whatever other charges incurred for the box, labor," and so on.  

When the technician, who was a very nice guy who spent about 2.5 hours getting everything to work, was about to leave, he asked about the age of the house and congratulated me on a great looking project.  I thanked him for getting everything working -- now you can call me on either the landline or cell -- I asked him if I needed to do anything (code for "what is the charge") and the guy said, "Don't worry.  You're all set and don't need to do anything else."  I am so hoping that is code for, no charge.  But I'm sure I won't know until next month's bill arrives.

And, just in case you were curious about that one mile of wire, on the other side of the wall where  the electrical and phone boxes are, it looks like this.

So, I will continue to spend some time cleaning up even though the framers need to do a bit more work on the walls in the upper-level bath that is NO LONGER the master bath.

Next are some shots of the cleaned work site, because the framers are back and it won't look this clean for much longer.

The view from my office (current living space) through the hallway that goes past the master bathroom and into the master bedroom

This is the west wall of the master bedroom, with the door that leads to the covered deck.

This is the south wall of the master bedroom with the fireplace and windows.

Standing in front of the west wall of the master bedroom, here is the view back down the hallway with the master bathroom to the left and the closet to the right.

The view of the morning sunlight as it comes through the sliding door off the dining room

The view from the dining room looking through the galley kitchen to the gathering room

The back wall of the house or the west wall of the gathering room (with the fireplace!)

The view down the stairs to the basement where the new sewer connections have been made and covered with dirt, awaiting a concrete pour that will create a landing at the bottom of the staircase.

Standing in the gathering room looking south to the mud room

Finally, as I was getting ready to leave I looked down the street.  I can't believe it, but it looks like they are about to cut up the street in front of my house, that will mean a blocked street, while the city continues to lay new drainage pipe in my neighborhood.

Sure enough....my street will be closed all next week.  More detours, more traffic delays.

 There is no escape from construction!!!!!

That really sucks....

That really sucks...

October 24th (Thursday) -- Right when I think that the most trying and stressful parts of this process are behind me, something happens that just really sucks.

As a lot of the recent photos have shown, with progress, comes a lot of debris.  On Wednesday, I came back home to pick up my mail and found that a major cleaning had taken place.   I knew that this would happen at some point, but I didn't know when, so it was a wonderful surprise, until it wasn't.

I have become used to having lots of people in the house, and we've had an "unspoken understanding," that anything that has a tarp or plastic over it is my stuff and it isn't to be disturbed (and it hasn't).  The one room I've been living in has a closed door, with plastic over it to try to keep the construction dust out and no one has gone into that space, unless: a) they have asked my permission first;  b) in the case of the window replacement crew, I knew in advance and removed s lot of my stuff; or c) the electricians who needed to do new phone/DSL jacks, outlets, wiring issues, carbon dioxide/smoke detectors, which I didn't have advanced warning about, but knew at some point it would happen.  Before this project started I had asked the contractor if I needed to put a lock on the door of my living space, and he said no.  He was right, until he wasn't.

So, while I was reveling in the glow of the site clean up, I started looking around and noticed that things that were off limits had been "messed with."  I didn't think too much of about it because they were just minor things (e.g., I have two large flats of bottled water and some bottles were missing -- no big deal; some one had been in the refrigerator, but as far as I could tell, no beer or anything else was missing).  Remember, I haven't been living here because of the wiring in my living space and the bathroom plumbing had to be reworked.  Then I noticed that things that were under the tarp, but either displaced (e.g., and broom and dustpan on the upper level was now on the main level) or I could not find (e.g., an upright vacuum cleaner that had been under a tarp that I was using to keep my living space as clean as possible).  OK, the vacuum cleaner was a big mystery.  And, other, cleaning-related things were missing -- a mop; a broom and dustpan; a basin that I was using in my temporary kitchen to catch water from my 4-gallon water jug; a 50-foot extension cord, and the upright vacuum cleaner.  The contractor said that maybe the cleaning crew just took these items by mistake -- reasonable enough explanation, until it wasn't.  

After speaking with the guy who owns the cleaning company, he said he would speak to his crew.  Interestingly enough, he said that when leaving they notice that a mop and broom weren't theirs and left them in the front yard as the house was closed up.  The next day the owner of the cleaning company met me at the house and we went through it to see if my vacuum cleaner was moved.  By the way, they realized the extension cord was taken by mistake and he brought it back, so some of the items that were missing were returned, but not all of them. 

Still the vacuum cleaner was missing and the cleaning crew members said they hadn't seen it and didn't take it by accident.  The owner of the cleaning company assured me that his crew was bonded and insured, which my contractor requires, and that he understand that because most of his cleaners are immigrants, uneducated, and unskilled, that if anything was missing, he knew the finger would be pointed at his crew.  Nevertheless, the cleaning crew members were the only ones who had never been in the house before, the missing items were cleaning-related, and even though I was assured that they were trained not to "mess with" things under tarps, it was clear that someone had messed with things that they shouldn't have and the vacuum was missing.  

So, it really sucks that my vacuum cleaner is missing, especially when I still need to do another layer of cleaning to move back into the house and it has been a GREAT vacuum cleaner.  Right before the start of construction, I even bought new filters for it because I knew it would get a workout.  The cleaning company owner, while defending his crew and not wanting to damage his relationship with my contractor, accepted responsibility and said he would replace the vacuum.  I thought that was appropriate and reasonable and I went on the hunt to find a reasonable replacement, and the company owner would reimburse me.  I had invested in new filters, so I wanted to find the same model, but I did think that mine was used and whether it was appropriate to receive a new model, so maybe the owner should give me enough to cover its value.  I dunno...I was mulling it over to try to determine what was fair for everyone.

So, far everyone was being reasonable and it seemed like this was just a little bump in the road, until it wasn't. 

I do not take lightly the fact that the only logical conclusion is that someone on the cleaning crew messed with my stuff.  I had a sleepless night worrying about the consequences of this situation.  Would an unskilled laborer on the cleaning crew be fired over this?  What other possible explanation could there be for the missing item?  The only evidence was a logical conclusion and that all the other subcontractors said that hadn't messed wtih stuff or seen the vacuum (which we did have evidence of because they have been in and out of here for months).  My missing vacuum will be replaced by the cleaning company owner, but still that "unspoken understanding"  had been violated.  The owner assured me that he had a spoken understanding with his cleaning crew members and staunchly defended them, but also assumed responsibility

After spending several hours in the house cleaning, and this was more time than I had spent here in the last week because I had been staying at friends' house, I noticed a few other things were missing.  One of them was an expensive electronics device, and there was other evidence that my stuff was messed with (e.g., a container of batteries kept in the refrigerator was now on another floor of the house in a corner).

This has become really disturbing, and although the missing items will be replaced, this situation has soured the joy of a cleaned up job site.  This is a real downer, not to mention that not having my vacuum cleaner right now, just really sucks.

Swing the wire....

Swing the wire....

October 23rd -- The electricians and plumbers are working fast and furious these days.  I can't imagine how they handle 4 or 5 projects at the same time, but that is what they have told me.  Both the electricians and plumbers are a pair of guys who do all the work themselves.  I guess they need to get the work when they can because the economy is so unpredictable.

A major impediment to me being able to move back into my living space among the ruins turns out to be the local energy public utility.  The electricians need to "swing the wire" before scheduling their final inspection.  This is the term that is used to move the power line to the newly wired electrical service box from the utility's source (the overhead wires in the back of house).  When the electricians called the public utility to order this, they were given a window of "7 to 14" days before a crew could come out to do this.  I was told that electricians would swing the wire all the time, but recently the utility has specified that they want to do this. However, their 1-2 week window is not reasonable for any construction project, so, as shown in the photos below, the wire has been swung and the final electrical inspection is scheduled for today.  Who do you think swung the wire?  

    

The plumbers continue their work, including installing the copper supply lines for the double sinks in the master bathroom:

Connecting drain lines and plumbing vents:

    

Setting supply lines and drains around the electrical outlets in the kitchen

Roughing in the shower in the 3/4 bath off the gathering room...

and the sink in the guest suite bath.

My job these days is to finalize the selection of lighting fixtures, research ceiling speakers for the gathering room (home theater surround sound???) and master bedroom, and to gear up for tackling tile selection next week.

A rough week....

A rough week....

October 15th - 20th -- Whoever said "Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger" must have said that while in the throes of a home renovation project.  This was not an easy week, but in the end, all is well even though this was the closest I've been since the double refrigerator debacle to defaulting on my vow to remain in the "uber zen mode."

The week started with the expectation that I would lose my bathroom for 4 days as the plumbers needed to move the toilet and the sink.  No problem...I would take a shower Monday morning, pack up everything I didn't need and plan to spend Monday through Thursday nights at a very lovely home of some friends who were out of the country -- I was also looking after their home, so it was a win-win situation -- they were relieved their home was being looked after, and I had a nice place to spend a few nights. Well, not exactly as the week brought several unexpected challenges that violated the expectations of how I thought this week would go.

               

It was a little weird to see my toilet in a plastic bag, and the vanity and wall cabinet moved closer to my remaining living space, but that was OK.

 I was even OK when I saw the hole in the bathroom floor where the toilet used to be and the holes where the vanity faucets used to be.

                          
Then things slowly started to unravel....On Monday early afternoon the architect and I had scheduled the "electrical walk through" which was a sign that I would need to make more decisions about wiring and lighting, including the process to select lighting fixtures -- almost as bad as having to select plumbing fixtures.  The location of electrical outlets, especially in the master bathroom is related to the location of the medicine cabinets, so the contractor told me to go buy the medicine cabinets.  There is so much wiring going on in the house that other decisions started to pop up -- do I want speakers in the gathering room and do I want a surround sound system?  Do I want speakers in the master bedroom?  Given that both the gathering room and the master bedroom face west, where the sun is the most brutal in the summer, I also knew that I needed ceiling fans -- more decisions -- the apex of the gable in the master bedroom is 13 feet, but then I needed to figure out what size blades the fan should have, 36, 42 or 54 inches?  What length mounting extender do I need for the master bedroom ceiling fan?  Do I find ceiling fans with a remote control, but then should I also install a wall switch that controls the fan speed?  And, we haven't even gotten started on the rest of the decisions this week brought....

After the electrical walk through I realized that there were a bunch of lighting fixtures on the plan that were not included in the contractor's specifications list.  Or, let's put it this way, the only light fixtures on the specifications list were the recessed canister lights and the kitchen under-cabinet lights.  This meant a double-whammy:  more lighting decisions and then the realization that this was an item on the contract that was a budgetary exclusion.  I haven't looked at the contract for over 6 months and then it hit me that the target figure I thought this project was going to cost, and the amount I thought it would go over that amount was wrong.  I suddenly flashed to an image of a beautiful house with no furniture...

If that wasn't enough to get things to unravel for me, as they say in the infomercials, but wait there is more.  I had no expectation, nor did the contractor, that the electricians would be working in my living space.  We knew that eventually they would need to get in there as the plans called for quite a bit of wiring of new electrical outlets. As when the windows were replaced, all I needed to have was some advanced notice and I could move things to provide access. At the same time the bathroom was off-limits, I was not informed that the electricians needed to cut power to my living space, which was where I've kept almost all of my electronics (e.g., computer, TV, stereo, etc).  Not only did I not expect the power outage and lack of access to my computer, but in order to do the new outlets the electricians moved stuff around in my living space.  To their credit, the electricians are really sweet guys who mean well and then tried to tread as lightly as they could, but all of this was a huge surprise.  Perhaps it was the look of horror on my face Tuesday when I stopped by to get some clothes only to find my living area invaded, when one of the electricians said to me, "I guess this project is getting closer and closer to your last living space."  

So, my living space was unexpectedly invaded, I have to make a zillion more decisions about outlet locations, types of switches, light fixtures, speakers, ceiling fans, I also have to think about the growing budget of this project, how I had unexpectedly lost access to my electronics (and my ability to blog), I also needed to plan what clothes to take with me, along with food, to my temporary location, but most of my warmer weather clothes are still located in boxes in the garage I was not successful at finding last week.  And, my neighborhood is beginning to look like dumpsterville -- in the span of three city blocks around my house I counted, including mine, six construction dumpsters.  There is a lot of building going on (new houses as well as renovations), not only on houses like mine, but adding to the chaos in the area are constant driving detours as the city has been replacing sewer drainage pipes since June and they are racing to complete this project as the cold weather approaches.  I never know when my street will be closed or when a major street will turn into a one-lane traffic delay.  Oh, and did I mention that we had our first snowfall this week, that I was freezing cold because I couldn't find my wool sweaters, and I have been without my beloved expresso machine the entire week?  I could add a few more things to the list, but I won't, because I think the general idea of how I was totally overwhelmed this week should be clear.

Now, on to how I actually survived this week -- several good things also happened.  First, my contractor is truly an amazing man, and yet again I am thankful that he is my contractor.  We met on Friday and he very patiently listened to all my concerns and we went through the process, the budget, and he very keenly pointed out to me that this was a difficult week for me because of my utter loss of control about my house, this stage of the project, and my "lifestyle" could not have been greater.  He is one smart man.  He took the time to help me figure out the specs for the ceiling fans, light fixtures, the budget (which is not as much of the "runaway train" I was thinking it was) and also told me that he did not know the electricians were going to work in my living area.  While the bathroom plumbing was operational by Friday, the electricity was not, so I have not moved back in.  The electricians, however, told me that they want to work on both Saturday and Sunday, which I said was fine with me.  I cannot say enough how impressed I am by these electricians...they are young guys who are trying to grow a business and they are exceptionally hard workers.  Even though they often yell at each other, they always are quick to smile, are as sensitive as they can be, they put in long hours.  Last weekend and this morning, I brought muffins and donuts for them because they often don't even stop to eat.

On Saturday I was able to get access to my computer and spent a few hours trying to clean up the construction dust from my living space. I had been to a lighting place that was pretty cool and have narrowed down lighting choices -- I now know the difference between "wall washers" and "pin holes" as well as what is meant by flush mount, sconces, pendants, hugger fans, and so on. I also spent about 3 hours in the garage and was more successful in locating colder weather clothes, those boots I was looking for, and came to the realization that I don't really remember which articles of clothing I gave away and which I packed up that I can't find yet.  Whatever.  The unpacking process will be a trip.

I am also over the moon excited for the first time in several years by the upcoming World Series.  The St. Louis Cardinals blew out the Dodgers, and last night the Boston Red Sox won an emotional game at Fenway.  The last time these two teams met in the series was in 2004 when the Sox swept the Cards in four games.  I've become a Cards fan over the last few years, but still have a soft spot in my heart for the Red Sox as I remember how my first week after moving to Massachusetts to attend grad school some fellow students and I figured out how to sneak into Fenway and we watched a rivalry for the ages as the Sox were playing the Yankees and my pilfered seat was so great I could read the tag on Reggie Jackson's undershirt!  This was the perfect antidote to a ridiculous week of the Congress ending the government shut down, but stupidly setting themselves up for the budget and debt ceiling debate all over again in a few months.  Did they not learn anything when they shut down the government 17 years ago over a similar budget battle?  I think not.

So, things are better.  I am fortunate to have another place to live for a while, and soon the plumbers and the electricians will yield to the crew who will put up the dry wall.  I will have soon made all the lighting fixture decisions, but am still reading way too much about ceiling-mounted speakers.  This week I will sign the contract for the kitchen cabinets (here come a significant amount of frequent flier miles on my credit card!), I will order the new kitchen appliances (more frequent filer miles), and I will probably drink a bit more red wine.

On to the photographic progress from this week....

The closet for the master bedroom is taking shape as the two built-ins from my old bedroom have been mounted in the back of the closet (one unit has a hanging bar, and the other is a series of three drawers; I will eventually take the doors off of these units).

The bench in the new shower has been framed in and the electrical wiring for the double vanity has started.

All the existing light fixtures, mostly from ceilings have been removed, rewired, and then replaced (for now as I select new ones), although most are not currently powered.  The following photos speak for themselves to show the current state of "mess" with holes in walls and the ceilings, and construction detritus EVERYWHERE.

These images of the wiring in the gathering room, kitchen, and master bedroom also give a good sense of the "mile of wire" that will eventually travel throughout the house. The wires are not only electrical, but computer (CAT 5), cable, phone, and there will be both smoke and CO 2 detectors hard-wired in.

 

Here is a photo of the 13' high gable in the master bedroom, with recessed lighting, and the future location of ceiling-mounted speakers -- maybe now you can understand why installing a ceiling fan in this space is not as simple as it might seem.  I don't even want to think about what I will have to do when it comes time to change a light bulb, although the contractor and architect have both told me there is an extension pole tool for that!

The progress on the plumbing has been very interesting to watch as the framers wait to "box in" the fixtures as soon as the plumbing lines are done.  Below you can see the new sewer drains (in white) with the framing around these lines that will eventually be covered with drywall.  If there was any worry that the new construction would take away the character of an old house by making all the walls aligned and straight, these boxed in plumbing chases dispel those worries.

This is photo is also interesting because the blue lines are now what plumbers prefer to use over copper pipes (which in the above photo were the old plumbing lines to the upper level, that will be removed).  Copper has become prohibitively expensive, and it turns out that this high density, yet highly flexible blue plastic plumbing line is preferred because it is easier to install, connect, and is less susceptible to freezing in cold weather.  Below are a few more photos of the new blue plumbing lines as well as the framing for the plumbing and heating vents, all in the guest suite bedroom and bathroom.

The plumbing in the upstairs bathroom, which I am awaiting completion so I can move back in, has given this space a new look.

The vanity has now been moved along the west wall to the south so that it is adjacent to the heating vent and the toilet has been moved from the south wall to the north side of the vanity. The tub/shower has not been moved!  It will be an odd little bathroom as the medicine cabinet will remain in its current location, and I'm trying to figure out if the cabinet that was once over the toilet can be placed back above its new location, although it will be a bit off-center and will edge up to the vanity by 2-3 inches.  It may be appropriately "old house funky" or way too weird...stay tuned for the final placement. 

It has been interesting to understand how the plumbing and wiring has to be married in the house...



Here are some photos of the south wall of the galley-style kitchen.  The mason still needs to come back to lay brick below the new window, where a piece of wood has been temporarily placed to keep the weather out.  In the old kitchen the bottom of the original window was below the counter top, so that has been corrected with a new shorter window. 



The sink will be located in front of this window and to the right in the photo below, the new dishwasher will sit.  So, there needs to be plumbing for the kitchen faucet and drain as well as the dishwasher, but also the electrical outlets and switches to control this stuff.  This photo shows how the electricians also have to hang outlets and switches on the brick exterior wall of the house.

Finally, this cathartic and very long post will end with one more example of the challenges of this week.  Here is the view of the covered deck, where I am looking back at the doorway to the master bedroom.  Way too cool, right, but you'll see right below the cedar shingles, in between the window and the door, there are wires for a light fixture that awaits my decision, and there are three other exterior lights that await my choice.  As a wise friend told me, pick out one fixture that you really love, and just order four of them!