Week 22 saw only one day where construction work occurred: Some cabinetry fixes to accommodate the microwave and convection ovens, and tuning of the HVAC system. No name selected yet for the humongous heat pump.

During week 23 framers started a backyard landing (or steps) at the sliding door, but did not complete it because they were unsure if, for purposes of passing inspection and adhering to plans, it needed to be a landing or a set of steps. We had some more electrical work bits finished, which finally resulted in plugging in the ovens and an outlet for the kitchen ventilation hood.

In addition, the Swanstone shower surround was installed in the new bathroom! And after much delay, the kitchen subfloor has been leveled, ready (we hope) for Marmoleum Click installation.

You may see more photographs at the gallery. There are three pages of albums for this project, so here’s a link to weeks 22 and 23.

…And several more electrical bits hooked up — including HVAC! Well, the HVAC system needs a lot of tweaking — but, hey — except at a dorm back in college, I’ve never lived in a place with air conditioning. My Bay Area mentality still resists the idea, but our HVAC system has a heat pump, which apparently is more energy efficient than a conventional A/C condenser. Not only will there be no gas fueling the system, it will be powered by the juice squeezed from the future solar panels, however indirectly.

In addition, the contractors recently started to install the appliances, but due to a lack of prepping and missing parts, that aspect is temporarily on hold. Part of confusion is a notably absent inner metal shelf for the microwave to sit on top of the oven. Bosch shows it in their parts’ catalogs, but there is no part number or name associated with it. As if it shouldn’t exist!

Vent hood set, but not functioning — no electrical outlet, for one. But I like how it makes the kitchen feel more like a kitchen. And yeah, those bright white wall plates and receptacles will depart soon, to make room for the steel and dark grey bits (sample near left).

You may see more photographs at the gallery. There are three pages of albums for this project, so here’s a link to week 21.

My, I’m large. What will you name me?

To add to the list of setbacks: We had told the general contractor about the uneven nature of the kitchen subfloor, due to the transition between old and new parts of the house, and they assured us that the flooring subcontractor would be able to make it level enough to lay down the tiles. But when the sub arrived, the subfloor wasn’t properly leveled by their (the sub’s) standards. Thus another delay.

Let’s step back, this being 20 weeks into the renovations, to review the major tasks remaining to do:

• Finish electrical work: install remaining fixtures, turn on remaining circuits (like HVAC!), label the electrical box, etc.
• Fix tile in bathroom floor, and install kitchen backsplash tile.
• Install plumbing fixtures in kitchen. It’ll be great to have more than one working sink on this property.
• Install kitchen appliances.
• Install the shower surround and shower door.
• Install bathroom fixtures.
• Correctly level kitchen subfloor, then install Marmoleum Click tiles.
• Install refrigerator and its waterline.
• Install and repair hardwood floors.
• Finish installing interior doors.
• Build wood landings for the garage and backyard.
• Install gutter downspouts.
• Install trim for windows, doors and baseboards.

The above list isn’t by any means comprehensive, of course. For example, it doesn’t include the punch list of minor items, such as debris to be removed, holes needing patching, and so forth.

As usual, you may see more photographs at the gallery. There are three pages of albums for this project, so here’s a link to weeks 19 and 20.

We were happy to find a color for the living-dining room, then paint it ourselves. That just leaves the den-entryway, hallway and new bathroom — eventually. Also, we had two sun tubes installed in the new hallway, the darkest region of the house. They’re only 10 inches in diameter, but wow, do they bring in a lot of light!

In addition, the counter tops were finally installed, after some delay in either fabrication or shipment (or both). The result, though: beauteous.

Zodiaq and Caesarstone are two of the more popular brands of engineered quartz, but we lucked out by seeing samples of Legacy, a similar material by the Verona Marble Company. We wanted a dark grey, but not too dark, with a grain that was neither too fine nor too chunky. Legacy’s “Africa” fit the bill perfectly. For contrast, we got a lighter grey surface with the same variable granularity for the island counter tops, called “White Ash” by Caesarstone.

It was also good to finally get a door installed between the kitchen and garage, as seen in the above photo. The door really helps cut down on drafts, especially after Simon sprayed in insulating foam between its frame and the drywall. There’s still a sizeable gap at the bottom of the door, but that should be fixed after the floor is installed.

Unfortunately, the shower in the new bathroom had to be redone by repositioning the pan against the studs, so that the (future) surrounding surface will be flush against both the pan and the greenboard. (We learned that a shower pan should ideally go in before any greenboard, and of course before setting tiles. In our case, though, the shower pan was installed after the drywall phase.) This also means repairing the floors tiles that were so carefully installed a couple weeks ago.

Again, you may see more photographs at the gallery. There are three pages of albums for this project, so here’s a link to weeks 17 and 18.

In addition, we had floor tile installed in the new bathroom.

They also completed the brown coat layer of the exterior stucco. We’re eager for the third and final coat to be applied, because then the gutters can be finished (downspouts would be handy in this weather), as well as get the HVAC running.

Another item from the past week, a particularly beautiful one IMO, is that Simon patiently wrangled our new network wiring chaos into a neat compartment. (Okay, so there are still some cables needing termination. But this is SO much better than our previous situation, which consisted of wires all over the place and haphazardly positioned devices. Interwebs, tellyvizhons and fonez, bring eet on!

Once again, you may see more photographs at the gallery. There are three pages of albums for this project, so here’s a link to week 16.

The following week saw more activity: Second “brown coat” layer of exterior stucco applied, kitchen subfloor raised with 1/2″ plywood so that the cabinet height is more usable, the template made for the engineered quartz countertops, and some electrical fixtures installed, including lights, outlets and ceiling fans.

Lamp shades for the pendants will come later.

We’re now in the finishes part of renovations, which means going through another round of “hurry up and wait” — essentially waiting for materials and labor to be ordered and scheduled, respectively.

But speaking of finishes, we (well, mostly Simon) managed to paint the kitchen. Pretty easy (okay, except for the time in prepping), since there’s not much wall space remaining after cabinets and tile. The tile, though, will come after the counter tops, which will be next week, maybe?

Plus, here’s another cabinetry photo, because why not? At a glance the panels have a Shaker look, but up close you’ll see the inset trim which sets it apart from that popular style. Subtle, yet profound — for us, at least.

For the curious: The doors are a cope and stick inset style called “Denmark,” constructed from beech, by CalDoor. Our cabinet maker applied conversion varnish to give the wood a warm, durable clear finish.

Again, you may see more photographs at the gallery. There are now three pages of albums for this project, so here’s a link to weeks 14 and 15.

Crown moulding not yet installed. The upper corner diagonal cabinets will eventually have frosted glass doors. That mondo pipe is for the vent hood, right above the future cooktop.

The odd thing with paint primer is that while working, its odor doesn’t bother me. But once I step away for an hour or so, the fumes hit my nose and eyes like a truck. Gack. Fortunately, the primer seems to both dry and volatilize quickly.

I also learned that low or zero-VOC paints (e.g., Sherwin-Williams Harmony) really do make a difference if one is sensitive to fumes. They really are low in odors, and what smells there are dissipate rapidly — in a day or less, which is rapid in my book for wall-to-wall chemical application. Compare this with the non-low VOC paints (e.g., Sherwin-Williams SuperPaint), which still stank the following day, and gave me a massive headache. The main disadvantage (so far) with the low-VOC paints is that they’re more viscous, so a bit more difficult to spread on a surface.

White primer in the kitchen in the background, beige unprimed drywall in the foreground.

The kitchen cabinetry comprise the first truly attractive things we’ve had installed during the renovation. Mmmhm, natural beech wood and brushed nickel hardware. From time to time I find myself petting the drawers and doors, even though they haven’t been completely installed and adjusted.

Plus an island! Crown moulding is partially installed, along with some cabinetry hardware.

It’s mid-winter, yet the HVAC can’t be finished until the exterior stucco is done. The heat pump sits outside like a condenser, near the house wall, so any stucco work would mess it up. Thus we won’t have central heating until the new year. Brrr.

You may see more photographs at the gallery. There are two pages of albums for this project, so here’s a link to week 13.

Panels of sheetrock screwed into the studs (rough drywall):

Drywall taped; photo by Simon when my camera’s memory card died:

Finally, texture via plaster goop. It’s yellowish beige when wet, turning to creamy white when dry.

Also, while it might not sound terribly exciting, the exterior new (and torn) bits got their first layer of stucco.

Once again, you may see more photographs at the gallery. There are two pages of albums for this project, so here’s a link to weeks 11 and 12.

Pink and fluffy!

A couple large stacks of drywall were also delivered. They haven’t been installed yet — perhaps next week? Fortunately, however, it is drywall made locally.

You may see more photographs at the gallery. There are two pages of albums for this project, so here’s a link to weeks 9 and 10.

One of the trickier parts of the framing involves adding a couple more Strong-Walls (steel-reinforced shear walls). The open nature of the remodeled kitchen and dining-livingroom meant removing a load-bearing wall, which originally was an external wall. In order to literally load balance the building, the structural engineer indicated that additional shear walls be added to the existing stretch of that wall. Right outside our bedroom. The stucco has been removed, and now we can see sunlight peep through the small holes made. It seems to be fussy work, since the framers need to carefully drill into the existing foundation, for insertion of the shear walls’ mondo screws. Don’t want to crack the foundation, but also want to avoid hitting rebar, which could break the (rather expensive and ginormous) drill bit.

Due to scheduling wackiness, we now have a different carpentry (framer) subcontractor. We hope the framing work will be completed in the next week or two. But hey! These framers fixed the new bathroom window so it’s straight and lined up with the existing bathroom window.

You may see more photographs at the gallery. There are two pages of weekly albums, so here’s a link to week 8.

Are these enough light switches?

Below, the amusingly mysterious outlet behind the toilet, which was removed soon after this photo was taken. The electricians mistakenly thought the toilet was a high-tech heated unit. Wouldn’t you wish to contemplate the internet while sitting on a warm porcelain throne?

Once again, you can see more photographs at the gallery. There are two pages of weekly albums, so here’s a link to week 7.

We finally got our spankin’ new roof! That! Should NOT! Leak!

In addition, the HVAC subcontractor installed the ductwork and registers, thus firmly pulling our heating (and cooling) system into the 21st century.

HVAC return in the hallway, a.k.a., the air intake.

Moreover, the temporary wall went away after the skylight and windows were installed. Hail to sunlight!

Once again, you can see more photographs at the gallery. There are now two pages of weekly albums, so here’s a link to week 6.

The sheathing for the addition’s walls went up, along with radiant barrier OSB for its roof.

The formerly dreary, north-facing-no-windows kitchen will have a sunlight as well. Yay!

Once again, you can see more photographs at the gallery.

In spite of this and a bit more delay due to rain, the framers managed to build quite a lot this week: subfloor insulation and ventilation, the subfloor itself, frames for the windows, a frame for the kitchen peninsula, a start on wall sheathing, as well as a start on the ceiling — all within the dining-living room.

And there’s the beam, to go between the existing house and the addition. Just waitin’ for next week.

A garden view, through heavy eyebrows.

We’re coming upon our deadline for selecting finishes, which reminds me how much I can get frustrated with the creative aspect of design. I certainly have opinions when shown examples or choices, but boy do I suck at coming up with sensible patterns and color combinations. We’ve more or less decided on the counter surface, tile and flooring materials for the kitchen and bathroom. We’ll see whether they’ll fall within our contract’s allowances

See more photographs at the gallery.

We didn’t have much visual progress this week, primarily due to the rains. The framers installed plastic sheets and tarp, and the roofers came out to batten down the felt paper. After the storm, we only had about a square meter of dampness (near the backyard, not near where we hang out, fortunately), which dried up in a few days.

Before the framers could continue, we had the subfloor plumbing installed. We need pipes for the new bathroom and kitchen, after all!

The plumbing work reminds me of something I dearly miss right now: decently tasting water. The paraffin (from flux in welding / soldering) and chlorine flavors REALLY drive me nuts. We can’t really attach a water filter to the bathroom sink or tub faucets, either. Sure, I could get flats of bottled water, but it goes against my waste reduction habits. And we’re rather short on room these days. Man, will I be happy to have those kitchen faucets installed. Perhaps sometime in December or January.

A view of subfloor plumbing outdoors: Pipes for the kitchen sink.

See more photographs at the gallery.

Second, because we want to avoid dust as much as possible, we’ve had to seal up what rooms we do use: the existing bathroom, study and bedroom. The problem with that is ventilation. An air purifier helps in the bedroom. But things still get fuggy, e.g., dishes and towels don’t dry off nearly as quickly, if at all. We can’t really run any powered ventilation anyhow (fans or the vent in the bathroom), because half the house has no ceiling. The insulation and drywall won’t be installed until next month. So we have drafty days for a bit.

The foundation is complete, though, as are the joists to support the subfloor under the addition. Yay!

Completed foundation.

Joists for the subfloor.

See more photographs at the gallery.

Onward to the pictures! As usual, more at the gallery.

A temporary “skylight” during the removal of the old roof tiles.

Bam! No more Ugly Back Room. The debris was hauled off, of course.

Semi-invisible hallway, with purposefully missing chimney.

They started to put up forms, which will become a wooden frame mold for the new foundation.

I’m a bit late in posting this entry, since it’s now the second week of remodeling. I continue to blame the Neverending Upper Respiratory Crud of Doom which slows me down far too much. Throw in the current chaos of living in a half-house, and the inevitable cram of selecting More Things, and, well, you get the picture. I’ll try to maintain weekly updates, nevertheless. They just might not be…timely.

The back yard (outdoors) view of the back room that was torn down. This region will be replaced with a Newer, Better addition that’ll include the new dining-living room, and part of the new kitchen. In addition, solar panels will be installed on the roof of the addition.

The front living room with the useless fireplace. This will become a somewhat smaller den-like entryway, to accommodate a new hallway and path to the kitchen.

The retro kitchen. It was literally from the 1950s. The doorway and “window” on the left side open to the Ugly Back Room

The Ugly Back Room. This monstrosity was built during the 1960s. And yes, it managed to pass inspection back then. Why the hell wasn’t it placed on a raised foundation to match the rest of the house? Probably because it was cheaper and easier.

This room is now no more.

• Resident Scrub-jay and lizard, having made themselves comfortable here this past spring and summer.
• My first uploads of insect pictures, including a green dragonfly and sleepy bees.
• Even more flowers: more Gilias, more Clarkias, Penstemon and Mimulus, Cistus, and a mondo sunflower.
• Garage improvements and removal of the wretched, obsolete gas heater in the living room, all occurring in August and September 2008.

With last year’s iPhone purchase, you’ll see the addition of lower-resolution images. The device makes photo spontaneity easier, but shakier in appearance, alas.

Honkshuzzzzz… (But taken with DSLR, not iPhone.)

Nevertheless, the spring wildflowers are coming to an end — but they’re going out with a blast of Clarkia! There are very few of the Showy Farewell to Spring (Clarkia bottae), the pale pink ones with white centers which I often see in the foothills.

The most populous flowers overall are the Elegant Clarkia (Clarkia unguiculata), which come in a wild range — from deep magenta to salmon to carnation pink to nearly white. I’m amused that different colored flowers seem to come off of the same plant, too.

Note the magenta-ish one sprouting on the upper-right of an otherwise pink stemfull of flowers.

There’s yet another set of Clarkia blooming as well — also called Farewell to Spring (Clarkia amoena), but showier than the Showy one. Like the Elegant one, this comes in several colors, such as red with white splotches, white with hot-pink splotches, pink with red splotches, etc. All with a rather floppy poppy-like form.

True to their name, these flowers herald the conclusion of the annual wildflower season in our garden, even though there are some Mountain Phlox and Calpops making an appearance. While it’s sad to see them go, summer will soon bring forth fruit, veggies and the (continuation of more) perennial flowers.