See how excited and happy he looks:
This is his favorite part!
Here he is in action- (I also find the toilet from our former out-house)
Later in the evening when the bobcat got stuck and large pickup truck wouldn't start, it wasn't as much fun.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Ed + Bobcat = Amazing!
Today Ed finally got to use his favorite toy--- the bobcat! We are digging the back yard down a bit to accommodate the basement entrance and allow for a patio underneath our screened in porch.
See how excited and happy he looks:
This is his favorite part!
Here he is in action- (I also find the toilet from our former out-house)
Later in the evening when the bobcat got stuck and large pickup truck wouldn't start, it wasn't as much fun.
See how excited and happy he looks:
This is his favorite part!
Here he is in action- (I also find the toilet from our former out-house)
Later in the evening when the bobcat got stuck and large pickup truck wouldn't start, it wasn't as much fun.
Basement stairs, electrical work, and digging!
Things are moving along at the house. HVAC was finished up last week, we got our basement stairs, the electricians are doing their thing, we got our permits for the screened-in porch and Ed finally got to dig with his bobcat! You'll also enjoy Dennis' cameo, Ed's new boots, and Alex's exotic lunch choice.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Basement framing, more plumbing, HVAC, and a new tub!
We couldn't be happier with the way the basement is coming out! I'm so glad we decided to dig out the basement and even out the floor. The ceiling height is great down there!
We got our new hot water heater (an 80 gallon high efficiency gas hot water heater), the gas lines were installed for our fireplace and stove, the plumbing is pretty much finished, and the HVAC work is just beginning! Tim also picked out a great soaking tub, that they just installed!
We couldn't be happier with the way the basement is coming out! I'm so glad we decided to dig out the basement and even out the floor. The ceiling height is great down there!We got our new hot water heater (an 80 gallon high efficiency gas hot water heater), the gas lines were installed for our fireplace and stove, the plumbing is pretty much finished, and the HVAC work is just beginning! Tim also picked out a great soaking tub, that they just installed!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Framing, Pouring Concrete, and a Pizza Party!
Plenty of photos to catch up on! The framing is almost done. They poured cement in the basement to level the floor and started framing that out as well. The plumbing bones are there and almost finished. Electrician this week, HVAC and screened-in porch next week, and then who knows.
I will leave you with only one quick story - Mary and I went to the house this past Friday night before Big Art and the Motts Machine showed up. Ed and the guys were there smoothing out the concrete in the basement. They had also picked up three cases of beer. It was already 5:30pm and they still had 2 hours to go. Mary and I offered to get pizza to go along with their beer and they accepted. 45 minutes later, Mary and I returned (now one drink down ourselves) with 5 xtra large pizzas, a 12 pack of beer, and a bottle of
wine. Long story short - Mary and I left around 7:30pm with only the bottle of wine! Hilarious!
Click here to see all of the photos!
I will leave you with only one quick story - Mary and I went to the house this past Friday night before Big Art and the Motts Machine showed up. Ed and the guys were there smoothing out the concrete in the basement. They had also picked up three cases of beer. It was already 5:30pm and they still had 2 hours to go. Mary and I offered to get pizza to go along with their beer and they accepted. 45 minutes later, Mary and I returned (now one drink down ourselves) with 5 xtra large pizzas, a 12 pack of beer, and a bottle of
wine. Long story short - Mary and I left around 7:30pm with only the bottle of wine! Hilarious!
Click here to see all of the photos!
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Day 15-19 of Construction!
Crazy things happening at the house! They started the interior structural work. They started taking apart the outhouse. They dug tunnels in the basement. They laid plumbing in the basement. They took apart the deck in the back. The last part about the deck is even funnier since we kept our spare key on the windowsill...on the back right window...that now has no floor beneath it and thus no way to get the key. Hilarious :)
We also have some cameos - Avery (before we went to the Eagles game - Holla!), Victor digging out the plumbing under the deck stairs, Jose working in the basement. Great stuff. Enjoy!
We also have some cameos - Avery (before we went to the Eagles game - Holla!), Victor digging out the plumbing under the deck stairs, Jose working in the basement. Great stuff. Enjoy!
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Digging out the basement!
Today the crew started digging out our basement floor in order to level it off. When they finish, we should have a beautifully flat floor and an 8' ceiling height throughout the basement.
My New Favorite Store: Community Forklift!
Community Forklift is my new obsession! They have all types of salvaged building materials, appliances, cabinets, windows, doors, tiles- you name it! It's basically like a Goodwill or Salvation Army store, but instead of selling clothes, they sell building materials.
There are so many hidden treasures in this place! Today I found several pieces of molding/ window trim that is almost identical to the stuff we have in our house! We got 13 feet for $3.60! Unfortunately we probably need about 100 feet of this stuff, but it's a start... AND we'll have an excuse to go back there many times!
There are so many hidden treasures in this place! Today I found several pieces of molding/ window trim that is almost identical to the stuff we have in our house! We got 13 feet for $3.60! Unfortunately we probably need about 100 feet of this stuff, but it's a start... AND we'll have an excuse to go back there many times!
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Demo time!
After 3 days of hard and very dusty work, the demo is 98% complete! Amazing! I'm so glad we didn't attempt to do any of the demo ourselves!
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Selecting a Contractor
Tim and I had the hardest time selecting a contractor. Having seen the work (and drama) of several contractors that our clients and our company have used to renovate single family homes, I had a pretty good idea of who to interview and who not to interview. We had three different contractors give us estimates. We probably met each contractor at the house at least four times to clarify our scope of work and try to get them down to a price we could afford. I think we changed our minds about which contractor we wanted to go with about 6 times! It was awful. Every time we finished meeting with a contractor, we felt like we should go with that contractor. It felt like we dating all three and had to dump two of them.
In the end, we selected our contractors for the following reasons:
1. They were by far the most responsive. They had their bid in first, always sent what they said they would send us, almost always picked up our calls and were very easy to reach. Some of the others were harder to reach and would take a few days to return our calls. We figured if they were hard to reach now, when they should be trying to impress us to win the job, they would be much harder to reach after they got the job!
2. The guys we were dealing with for the bid, were the ones that would be on site managing the crew throughout the process. With the other two, we weren't quite sure who would actually be on site to manage things.
3. They produce a high level of finish. I feel like they really care about the end result and about the little details. One of the other contractors wrote in his contract that the drywall would come out crooked because it was an old house- that was a bit of a turn off.
4. They are freaking HILARIOUS and so much fun to deal with!
The infamous duo: Ed and Alex
In the end, we selected our contractors for the following reasons:
1. They were by far the most responsive. They had their bid in first, always sent what they said they would send us, almost always picked up our calls and were very easy to reach. Some of the others were harder to reach and would take a few days to return our calls. We figured if they were hard to reach now, when they should be trying to impress us to win the job, they would be much harder to reach after they got the job!
2. The guys we were dealing with for the bid, were the ones that would be on site managing the crew throughout the process. With the other two, we weren't quite sure who would actually be on site to manage things.
3. They produce a high level of finish. I feel like they really care about the end result and about the little details. One of the other contractors wrote in his contract that the drywall would come out crooked because it was an old house- that was a bit of a turn off.
4. They are freaking HILARIOUS and so much fun to deal with!
The infamous duo: Ed and Alex
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Befores!
We are expecting our Brookland Beauty to look quite different in a few months, so we took tons of photos to remember it in its original form... Here are just a few:
We are expecting our Brookland Beauty to look quite different in a few months, so we took tons of photos to remember it in its original form... Here are just a few:Thursday, September 17, 2009
Our Fabulous Fixer Upper!
Tim and I just purchased a 1905 Victorian fixer upper in Brookland! As soon as I saw the wrap around porch, the huge corner lot, the original woodwork and staircase, I was pretty determined to get the home. As soon as Tim saw that the yard would allow for the puppy he was promised, he was determined to get the house!We were pretty lucky to get it because all types of investors were going after this one, but with some great guidance from our favorite Menkiti Group realtors, we had the winning bid and went under contract 30 days ago.
The process from contract to close went surprisingly smoothly, and we closed today on our incredible fixer upper! I've never held such a big check, so I couldn't help posing with my princess wallet that I won in Bingo.
A big shout out to mom for helping to finance our dream home!