Adding on???

 

Adding On ???

December 15, 2012

 

The addition of a plastic barrier against the cold weather prompted lots of speculation among the members of our community.   It was rumored that we were building a BIG addition.  Hmm,  nope and many thanks to our friends for squashing those rumors.  Our contractor put up this barrier so he could fill in brick even on cold days.  He put a space heater out there, and it was really quite toasty.

 

 

Filling in Doors and Windows

December 13, 2013

 

I was gone a lot during December, but the guys kept working.  The old doorway was closed in.

 

 

The old windows were closed in and framework for the new pocket door was put in place.

 

This is the new bathroom window.  I know it is really a crime to live in Pella and not use Pella windows but we needed to find windows that "fit" the character of our house. 

Meet the Guys

November 27, 2012

 

 

Our remodel is being done by our contractor, Doug (blue sweatshirt) , and his helper, Carl (white sweatshirt).  I can't say enough great things about these guys.  Not only are they good at what they do, but they also keep the area clean.  Every day, the area is swept up and picked up.  They also do everything, plumbing, electrical, masonry, sheetrock, installation of cabinets, and trim work.  I'm sure I've missed something, but as you look through future blogs, just know that everything that is done is done by them.

 

 

 

 

We were so fortunate that they were able to get the new sewer pipe up through our walls without having to tear out any walls downstairs.  There was enough space between the walls but as you can see in lathe and plaster sometimes the lathe oozes out and could cause narrower spots in the walls.  (I'm learning a lot through this process.  No doubt I will be sharing this newfound knowledge throughout this blog). 

 

I probably won't have a lot more pictures of Carl because he really didn't not appreciate the camera.

Any guesses where the new toilet will be?

 

New Sewer Lines

November 19, 2012





 

 

The beginning of the remodeling project is definitely not the fun stuff.  Our old sewer lines were original which means they were 90 years old and a bit rusted through.  Some digging had to be done but fortunately, not the whole yard.  They were able to run a 4 inch PVC pipe through the existing 6 inch iron pipes.

 

 

 

 

As you can see by all the utility lines in this picture, we were pretty fortunate because I fear it would have been a little tricky.

 

 

I think we also would have had a LOT larger dirt pile.

 

I know it looks like a pretty big mess, but they really did a nice job of getting all of the dirt smoothed out.

 

You can barely see the new white pipe at the bottom of this whole.  I was surprised by how deep this pipe was and how far down the "nice" brick went.

Demolition Begins

On November 13, 2012, our little room gets gutted.

 

 

 

We had lathe and plaster walls and knob and tube wiring.  The contractor tore out the old hardwood floor as we are putting tile in this room.  We have it safely stored in our garage for patching in places. 

 

 

 

 

 

The neat part about the flooring was that it had the name of the lumber yard, Kuyper Lumber, on it.  The contractor also saved a couple of the nails that held it in place which were also pretty cool.

 

 

 

 

 

I know it looks like a mess, but I think it's really interesting to see what is underneath walls and floors when the old gets torn out.  Sadly it means we will have sheetrock walls instead of plaster but that's the price you pay for progress, I guess.

 

Let the fun begin

 Our project began on November 9, 2012.  There was a small room right next to our bedroom.  It has been an office and a nursery for our granddaughters.  Unfortunately, the girls preferred to sleep with their parents or grandma.  I don't think either one of them ever actually slept in this room.  Sooo we decided to turn it into a master bathroom.

 

This is said master bedroom.  Apparently, my keen photographers eye did not notice the laundry basket in the hallway.  (Note to self...do not leave laundry in the hallway once B&B is open.)

A pocket door will be put in this wall to access our new master bath.

 

Another door will be placed where this window is located to access a roof-top deck that will be built in the spring.  We're pretty excited for our new master suite.

 

But first, we needed to update our 1920s plumbing.  Our old cast iron sewer pipe was starting to rust through.  We were fortunate that they were able to put a new pipe right through the old pipe to the street.  But it did necessitate digging a rather large whole in our basement floor.

With the arrival of a dumpster, I knew that work on the inside of the house would be started soon.

 

In the Beginning ...

My husband and I bought this house 11 years ago.  We thought it would be a good size for his 2 daughters and my 2 sons.  Now they are all out of the house.  The boys are married and each have a daughter and one will be adding a little boy to their family in March.  The girls are each happy in their own places too.  Since the kids are gone, we decided to try a new venture.  We have been talking about turning our house into a bed and breakfast for the past 5 years at least.  This year, we finally decided to move ahead with our idea.  I like to bake and my husband likes to visit with people.  Since our home was a parsonage for many years, we decided to name the bed and breakfast, The Parsonage.  Pretty original huh.