39 Days and counting........

Most of the demolition is done and there is some rebuilding going on.  The electricians, plumbers and HVAC guys are hard at work.  Larry has been their right hand man...tearing down, running to the store, rebuilding and directing traffic.  Here are some recent scenes. Will we make it?

Our New Superhero!

We have immensely enjoyed hanging out with our Hungarian Homies this summer while Andrew has been working in the Boston area for Vivent.  From time to time, he pops in to give Larry a hand on the remodel.  He has mad skills and a great attitude. Thanks for all your help Andrew!!

Giant Sucking Sound

Well, true to expectations, the money pit is living up to it's name.  Removing plaster, tile, etc has uncovered a whole treasure trove of specialness!  No, we haven't unearthed valuable antiques, but rather rotting floors, rusting pipes and the like.  Enjoy!! 

Beefing up the bathroom floor above

 rotting floor under the tub

the dump..........

No, I"m not referring to the house:) This is a photo of the gigantic dumpster that Larry ordered when he started the project.  Originally, he thought it would be too large, but the guy convinced him to go with their largest model.  Normally, these hold around 1 ton.  But, not when Larry Brown does the packing.  His days of carefully packing overseas shipping containers to hold the maximum load have paid off.  Unfortunately this is not the final photo before they hauled it away.  When the guy came to pick it up, he estimated it would be closer to 2 tons.  Final tally.......over 5 tons!  The guy said he had never in all of his years in the business seen a dumpster packed so tightly.  When he dumped it, it came out altogether in a tightly pack cube!!  We just ordered another one:(

To permit or not to permit.......

This was the question.  Who knew that remodeling could pose moral dilemas.  Here, as everywhere, there's the legal and the "other" way to get things done.  Often the other way is fine from a quality standpoint and it's always cheaper.  But, in the end, it needs to be done right.  Sooooo, we are replacing ALL of the wiring in the entire house.  At least we'll be able to sleep at night and, when time comes to sell, we'll have a clear conscious. 

Firm Foundation

 The trenches in the foundation have been filled with cement creating a smooth basement floor with no earth exposed.  The existing steel posts were solid, just covered in rust. 

And MORE demo!!

The demolition has continued this week.  Hot and muggy temps have made for nasty working conditions. We are adding a second bath upstairs and totally gutting the existing one to steal some space. One bath upstairs is plenty for us, but adding an additional one will help with resale...when the time comes. 

The kitchen demo has proven to be very challenging and tedious. There is metal lathe on the ceiling with 1 inch of plaster.  In Larry's words, it is nasty.  It involves working overhead, using wire cutters and lots of banging. He can't wear his goggles because they fog up in the heat and humidity, so he uses safety glasses which allow for falling debri into the eyes at times.