The Big Renovation Project

Work at the Big Purple Money Pit continues. We got the rest of the hall bathroom demolished and pulled out the bath tub. We had considered leaving the tub in place, but are happy that we pulled it out. The joist under it had been cut at some point and it was essentially unsupported. It would have really sucked to start a bath on the first floor and finished it in the basement.

We've almost got our ideas hashed out with the architect for how to finish the back of the downstairs and rework the upstairs.

I must admit that I'm feeling beaten down by the process. It seems like we'll never be able to put the house back in order and live there. Right now, with no working plumbing and several walls ripped out, it may arguably be less valuable than it was when we bought it, despite have a firmer foundation and new wiring.

I know it is now a sounder place and we're getting to the point where we can start putting it back together again, but it still feels like it's not coming together. Sigh.

Coal Miner's Wife

This is what you look after you take down a ceiling in a house that was heated for many years with coal.

And of course, should you try this in your own home -- wear a respirator.

About That Tree

As I mentioned below, we had to take down a very large, very rotten tree. It wasn't a particularly nice tree -- just a hackberry, but it was huge. We got the best price on taking it down from a guy known to some as "Crazy Billy."

Crazy Billy might not be what you'd call an educated man and looking at him just might make you think of Deliverance, but he knows trees and he knows how to cut them down safely.

So Crazy Billy and his guys were roping up and cutting the large limbs off the giant hackberry when one of our neighbors to be came running up, demanding they stop immediately and come down. Apparently the neighbor started demanding their license and taking photos of their trucks to document what was going on and when words were exchanged, they went inside and complained to our carpenters about the incident.

Then the neighbors called Justin, saying that it was a "historic" tree and would irreparably change the skyline. They wanted to know who diagnosed that the tree was rotten and noted that "the tree guys didn't seem very educated."

We hate to make enemies with neighbors we haven't even met yet. The other three neighbors we've met have all been extremely nice and neighborly. At least this couple doesn't live right next door. Of course, since they aren't even right next door, one wonders even more at their extreme concern over our tree.

We took pictures of the rot just in case we ever hear any more about it. But I'd rather have angry neighbors than a rotten tree in a yard I hope to let my kids run around.

Update

Things are still moving along at the purple house. Of course, we originally hoped we'd be moving in right about now, but naturally that was over optimistic.

Anyway, here's what's been done to date:

• all new duct work and a new upstairs HVAC unit
  
• new wiring, new wire from the street, wiring to the garage and a 200amp service
  
• new metal porch roof and new soffits around the porch with vents (three rotten layers were removed)
  
  
  
  
• a foundation around one room of the house, where we discovered the studs were sitting in dirt
  
• one room jacked up and no longer sloping crazily
  
• new doors on the garage, termite damage removed
  
  
  
  
• jungle in the back yard cleared
  
• hall bathroom gutted
  
• back utility room gutted
  
  
  
  
• flammable 1970s insulation removed
  
• 130 foot tall, 5 foot in diameter tree with significant rot from base up to five feet taken down
  

I think that about covers it. Today we meet with our architect to go over his plans to put the bathrooms, laundry room, kitchen and upstairs back together.
Later, I will share the story of the tree.

What Happens When You Are in the Middle of a Big Renovation?

We all know to expect time delays and unforeseen costs, right? Naturally those things are happening. Although things are moving right along and we've had very good luck getting people to come work on the big purple house, but when you clear away brush and find a quater acre of trash, a five foot in diameter rotten tree, and a destroyed fence where you thought it to be intact or when you pull off fake panelling and find studs sitting in dirt, well, these little surprises take time and money.

And when one of the family cars decides to die on the side of the interstate? You just have to be glad it is the ancient Volvo and not the vehicle that can carry the whole family.
In other words, things are progressing as expected in our renovations of the purple house. The HVAC work is finished. The electricians are mostly finished. The porch roof is just waiting for its metal. The back jungle has been cleared and leveled. A foundation guy is going to be taking care of the room that had studs sitting in dirt. One bathroom has been demolished.

Our original plan saw us hoping to move in some time in January. I suppose it should be obvious that that is not going to happen. However, the bright side of moving it a little later is that we'll be ready to put our current house on the market when more people are ready to start house hunting.