More Destruction!

As another failed inspection comes and goes and creates a whole new set of headaches, there is more work to be done! More destruction! But first, there are walls up in my new kitchen, so very exciting! And now, the laundry room walls come tumbling down! Oops, now it's too late when the plywood arrives to put any on the walls before leaving......

We are pushing 100 trips to a construction/building store! I'm sure I've missed some counting along the way.

I am leaving tomorrow for Salt Lake City, Utah for a sales training. I never thought I would be happy to say I was going somewhere where it's 17 degrees, but at least that hotel room will be warm!

HD/L/S/WC: 98

A Huge Pile of Wood in the Middle of Venice Blvd.

Ya know, it starts out as any Monday around here, we need this, we need that. Gotta run to this supply store and get this and that. So I start out on my crusade, first to White Cap for a few quick things and I'm off to Stock's for some wood and off I go. After a struggle to get help at the lumberyard, I finally find someone, pull the car over there and he starts to get the wood, grabs one end and then looks at me and says, "are you going to get that end?" Of course, I'm looking around to see who he's talking to when I finally realize, it's me! I have to get my gloves from the truck, and yes I do just leave them in the truck, just for reasons like this! So WE proceed to load about $500.00 worth of plywood and some 2x12x12 pieces of wood and some more. It was a full load. I should have known right then when he asked me for help loading the truck that I was in trouble! I go inside, pay my tab and leave. As I get out the driveway, to the light at Venice Blvd., the light turns green and I go. I didn't think I took off very fast at all, but the wood was not secured in the back and as I drive thru the intersection, all but 4 pieces of plywood come off the truck in a perfect pile and land directly in the middle of the intersection! I could not have been more precise in landing the pile squarely in the middle if I had tried to measure it! But there it was $500.00 worth of wood sitting in the middle of Grand View Blvd. and Venice! And I am in a state of shock! I pull over and all I can think to do is call Brian, my sales guy at Stock's, he's less than a block away. I call over there, emergency emergency I need Brian right away, and I'm waiting and I'm waiting as I'm watching everyone honk and roll over some of my wood! I am just freakin' out, Brian's not answering and I don't know what to do. I then decide to drive home ( it's only about 5 blocks) and get some of my workers to help me move it. Just as I make that decision and start driving home, Jack calls (lucky guy!) and I don't even say hello before I just start spewing "I dropped the whole pile of wood in the middle of the intersection I don't know what to do, I have to go" and just like that I hang up on him. I'm sure he's freakin' out but I don't have time to talk! I pull up to the house with the horn blaring and everyone is waving at me, "Hi Michelle!" I jump out of the truck and start yelling "Andale" "Andale" which is hurry in spanish, and I'm waving my arms like a maniac and telling them, in english, what is going on, they look at me like I'm crazy (true point) I tell two of them to get in the car and off we go. I speed away and as I'm mumbling and swearing to myself I look over and notice one of the workers just hanging on to his seat belt (no time to be buckling seat belts!) I speed up to the intersection and my best speed racer turn right up next to the pile in the middle of the street. What else could I do? We jump out and start loading the wood and I look up and what do I see? But my man Brian from Stock's hoofing it over to help!!!!! I hear him say, "is that why you were calling!" and I think to myself da! He tells me a customer of his comes into Stock's and says "if anyone wants some free plywood it's in the middle of Venice Blvd." (a real comedian that one!) and Brian looks up at him, the guy says in a black truck and Brian yells, "Michelle" leaves his customer standing there and just takes off running to help me! Who sweet is that? Of course he shows up and we only have a few pieces of wood left to load but so what! I was just so impressed that he came a running to help! With Brian's help, we finish loading the truck, pull over and tie it down, this time! and away we go back to the house and I'm thinking to myself, It's only 10am............... HD/L/S/WC: 95 p.s. sorry no photos, I was just a little too freaked out to get my camera!

Down came the ceiling!

Again today was a fire drill. We had rented a trash bin and they were coming to pick it up tomorrow, so we decided this morning to have them take the ceiling down in the living/dining room because it needed going and we had room in the bin. But what a mess! Lucky it cleans up nice!

Nice open ceiling makes for a nice warm house! We have an inspection tomorrow, and hopefully we will be able to cover the ceiling with plywood from the top. That should warm it up a bit. But I will say this morning was so cold, I think it was warmer inside the refridgerator, not 100% positive, but it felt warmer inside than it was outside!

HD/L/S/WC: 96

A Loooong Weekend!

A long weekend mean lots of work! Our crew actually showed up on Thanksgiving day (now that's something to be thankful for!) There is now plywood up on the outside of the new living room. You will see, it is really starting to look like a room! See my Mackie dog laying in the sun of the new window? The two windows and the fireplace. The Front door and the front window. They're not really in order, but if you look at this photo first, then back up to the photo with Mac, you will be going around the room and then view the next photo, you will sorta get a feel for the room! Well maybe! HD/L/S/WC: 94

Happy Thanksgiving!

So much has happened over the weekend I forgot where I left off....The walls are up in the kitchen, I know the picture sucks because I took it at night, but I couldn't help it! That is my fabulous big window that my sink will be in front of! I will have a beautiful view of my backyard while I'm slaving away at the sink! So for those of you who know me, you know I will not be spending much time there! As a matter of fact, I used to say I would go into the kitchen once a day to feed the cat! But now I'm making provisions to feed the animals in their "own room" aka the laundry room, so what am I going to do with that big kitchen? Not sure....

Here I am doing my best to channel Yogi Bear with my "fresh baked pies" that are cooling in my new kitchen window! Happy Thanksgiving!

HD/L/S/WC: 91

Shut up! Two walls are up!

I can't believe my eyes, but it's true, there are actually walls being built in my new home! Here Juan is first starting out this morning. Here I am, again, sitting in front of my new fireplace!

Here they are putting the wall in place. See there will be two windows, one on either side of the fireplace.

See both walls! That is my beautiful front window!

Here I am again in front of the fireplace, as it's coming along!

HS/S/L/WC: 84

Two passed inspections in one week!

Yes it's true! We passed two inspections in one week. I think it's a miracle! Could we possible be moving ahead? We also have the worker now coming on Saturdays so that should speed the process up a bit. I must get some walls built around me, it's damn cold in the house and it ain't gonna get any better. It's about 50 degrees in the morning! We are trying to lay the second layer of plywood in the kitchen but you should see the work these guys are doing to get that done. there are about 20 layers of previous floors to get it even with the original floor! Check it out , this poor guys has to chisel off all those layers:

Yuck!

Here is T-Bone enjoying his new scratching post! He was using the 2x4 that was holding our kitchen ceiling up, not a good idea, so I decided it was time to get him his own! He looks like King Kong climbing to the top and then swatting at you!

Here he is eating a treat from off the top of it! He is so cute!

HD/L/S/WC: 81

The Plywood is down!

I came home and was very excited to see the plywood down! It really looks like a room and a house! In true Shimizu style, nothing ever goes as smoothly as it needs to! Even though the pictures look great, it appears that the foundation is a little lower than it is supposed to be, our contractor did not account for the second sub-floor in our existing house. So now we need to get more plywood to even it out! Or we could have him remove all of the plywood in the existing house, that means move everything we have in what little of a house we have left. I'm very not happy about it but if it means spending a little more money to have it done in one day, that's the way we're going. Can anyone say Ca-ching? HS/S/L/WC: 79

Moving forward!

The plumbers were here again this weekend and are set until we get some walls built! In the meantime, Jack and I got started on doing some electrical wiring in the existing house. This leads to a 30 minute conversation about where we should put the lights and switches in the kitchen! But that is the fun part! It is so cool to be a part of how people will use this house for years to come! With the foundation having been poured for the new living room, the floor joists layed down and passed inspection! Now the insulation goes in and then the plywood. We have another inspection tomorrow and hopefully before the end of the day tomorrow, they will have started to frame the house! The front and the rear! When I get home tonight, this will be covered in plywood! HD/S/L/WC: 78

A Rare sight!

This will probably (and hopefully) be the last time I will be able to see and take a photo of the full moon from my new kitchen! I mean with no walls!

Plumber's working on Sunday?

Can you believe that the plumber's were here working on Sunday? And all day Sunday too! Here is the plumbing for the new powder room.

There is forward progress!

Check out these photos! Finally some wood being layed down. These are the floor joists for the new living room area and in the back, the new kitchen area. Once we get another inspection, we can lay down some plywood and start building up! Here is the new living room area, with the fireplace. First from the front, then photos from the roof, looking down the next day.

Here's the kitchen... See my little Whitney? Now there is plywood on the inside of the garage. This is great because with the gate closed it helps keep the dogs in! Plus it means we are moving ahead! HD/L/S/WC: 68