there is really nothing interesting to post today, but my mom is making me update the blog!

so, we continued to run wire, replace switches and outlets, and run cable and phone lines.

here is a photo of the kitchen electrical box installation (please try to contain your excitement!)- we drew the elevation of the kitchen cabinets on the wall to help us. (the door will be removed)

today we began the rough wiring--so far, this has been the easiest task---love the rough wiring!!!



this is the current state of the furnace closet that is in the middle of the kitchen. this has to go asap! we have received the new furnace, and we have prepped the area where the new furnace will be located. the gas pipe fitter should be by any day now to run the gas line to the location of the new furnace...any day now...




this used to be 2 small closets, one for the hot water heater and one for linens. we opened it up to accommodate the new washer/dryer unit.

beaming!

5 weeks ago...


yesterday...


today...

thank you keith!!!

today we removed the remnants of the back wall of the living room and replaced it with a 5-1/2"w x 9-1/2"h x 18' beam.

since the ceiling was sagging 1", we couldn't simply install the beam, we needed to jack up the ceiling.

our friend keith came to the rescue with his 20 ton hydraulic jack- you can see scott, keith and "jack" here in this photo...jacking up the end of the beam and raising the sagging ceiling framing! (click photo to enlarge)

tear down that wall

the wall between the old porch and living room is stripped down and ready for removal... this is the view from the old porch toward the living room--you can start to see how the space will open up!

click for larger image


here is a photo taken from the living room looking back towards what was the old porch (now enclosed)

click for larger image

remember this?...

some more framing...

today, we finished the framing of the wall between the kitchen and living room. (keep in mind that the entire furnace closet-the one with the louvered door in the photo-will be removed, opening up the kitchen).

we also received the 20' LVL beam today, so we are now ready to remove the bearing wall between the living room and the old porch. in order to do this, we will need to build a temporary wall to support the ceiling/roof, while we demo the wall and install the beam and columns. we will begin that endeavor tomorrow!

electrical upgrade

yay, our electrical contractor installed our upgraded electrical service today! the existing service was split into 3 separate electrical panels- one in the master bedroom (how nice), one in the furnace closet, and one in the old work room. so our electrician will also consolidate our breakers into one shiny new box. we will be doing "minor" electrical work ourselves (adding outlets, light fixtures and running dedicated circuits to the kitchen appliances, etc).

porch floor leveling

yesterday, we framed the floor in the porch so that it will be level with the floor in the living room. we first covered the concrete slab with 'ice and water shield' (waterproofing). the framing took all day- as you can see in the photos, the slab is pitched in 2 directions and so each joist had to be set in place and scribed to the floor in that location. thank goodness for laser levels!

1 month update

so, we have been working on this flip for 1 month now...the good news is that so far we are on-schedule and on-budget.

we have completed the "addition", and if all goes as planned then demolition and rough framing will be complete by the end of this week.

next in line are the utilities (plumbing, electrical and heating), and once roughed-in, we will begin installing the finishes!

the finishes are scheduled to take another 4 weeks, after which we will be ready for the cabinet and fixture installations...and then we head on outside to take care of the roof, siding, deck, and landscaping!

gas pipe camouflage!

the 2 side dowels were easily knocked out of the wall with the crow bar ...but the center "dowel" did not budge when whacked 3-4 times with the crow bar...why? because it was the GAS LINE!!!


so, the gas line now changes the plans for a closet...

water main

the existing water main/meter comes up through the slab in the kitchen closet. we are removing the closet and relocating the water meter. this move requires a new water main to be brought in from the street. to prepare for this work, scott cut a hole through the concrete slab in the corner of the kitchen (see photo). the new meter will be hidden within the kitchen cabinet.

fireplace

Modern vs. Traditional

Which style of house would you prefer: Modern or Traditional?

please post your comment, thank you!

help us decide!

we discovered that there was a door that entered directly into the living room, but it was covered up. we are going to re-open that door and close up the door that entered through the kitchen. we cannot decide on a layout...here are three options, please help us decide.


Plan A: Closet at Entry, but no Eat-in Kitchen



Plan B: Larger Eat in Kitchen, but no Closet at Entry




Plan C: Smaller Eat-in Kitchen and a Closet at the entry (would you sacrifice the Kitchen space in order to fit the closet?)

Thank you!

upgrading incentives

we just found out that NSTAR (or KeySpan) will give $$$ for upgrades: installing insulation, new energy star windows, energy star lighting and/or appliances...

for example, NSTAR will pay its gas customers $10 for every energy star window installed.

they also perform free energy audits of your home and make energy/$$$ saving suggestions, and inform you as to which rebates are available.

check out http://www.masssave.com/ to find out more---its worth a call!

bathroom demolition

the existing wall tile was plastic....PLASTIC!

but it's all gone now and we are ready for rough plumbing next week!

we decided to keep the existing tub and toilet as they are in good condition, but we will replace the sink/vanity with a pedestal sink.

during demo...

a note from beyond

this is what we found when we removed the medicine cabinet today! lol!

kristen installed door hardware today! woo hoo!

transcendent trash

we had a spiritual moment at the dumpster today (note heavenly rays)

we have definitely been blessed with some great weather- but it will be back down to 34 degrees in 3 days. brrr.

Master Walk in Closet- framing progress...

Update...

Living Room expansion:
Since we now have the porch enclosed and the windows and patio door installed, we are ready to demolish the existing wall that separates the porch and the living room. We will need to replace that wall with an 18' long beam! After speaking with our structural engineer, it seems that the best solution for us will be to add 2 columns in the space to support that beam (otherwise, the beam will have to be too deep and we just dont have the ceiling height to accommodate it). So, we will be adding 2 columns---about 30" from the walls---leaving a space of 12' between the columns. C'est la vie!

Master Bedroom:
Today we worked on the Master Bedroom expansion and framing of the walk-in closet...which is now complete! This task involved removing an existing wall so that we could gain 2' in the space. The bedroom is now 12' wide by 14' long and the walk in closet is 8' wide x 6' deep. The next step in the Master Bedroom is to rough in the additional electrical outlets. Once that is complete, we will be ready for the final finishes in that room!

Critters:
So, I have been wondering where all of the spiders, mice and miscellaneous bugs have been...I suppose I expected to uncover alot of critters in the demolition process. Just when I thought we were critter-free...we found a mouse nest in the fiberglass insulation in the porch ceiling, and a poop-load of mouse droppings in the pull out cutting board in the old kitchen cabinets....ick! oh, and I can not neglect to mention the partially decomposed mouse carcass that I happened to rake up with the leaves...ugh!

Porch Progress