Corona Red Roses

Renovation Update

Well, things never go as they are supposed to.

Construction has finally started at my place. The contractor has, in the past two weeks, finally begun work. The rain put a stop to it for awhile. It's a bit frustrating. I do have a Port a John in my driveway along with a big dumpster.

Already, I spoke with the contractor about the workers leaving trash in my yard. Just a few plastic bottles so far, but I don't want them to get into the habit.

So far, they have dug about 8 holes and put concrete in them. That's it.

My friends came over on Saturday. We ripped out the walls in the living room, tore down most of the walls between the dining room and the kitchen and removed about half of the kitchen cabinets. I'll have some photos soon. I'll post them. We tore down the drywall and removed all the studs that weren't supporting windows or electrical equipment. Interestingly, there was absolutely no insulation in the walls of the first floor. The place must have been leaking air like crazy - no wonder I could regulate the temperature very well. I have some lovely bruises to show off.

The contractor also changed the schedule twice since my last post. First he says it'll be about 3 to 4 weeks after they start that I will need to move out. And then, late last week, he says he needs me to move out by the 17th. Quite a change in some ways. I checked the calendar -- the 17th will be three weeks after they started, but like I said all I have today is like 8 holes. So, this was the pace they were expecting?

So, I'm almost done prepping the house. I have to take down the ceiling in the kitchen, pull the final cabinets (including the kitchen sink), and pull up the flooring in the kitchen. That should do me for demolition work - we'll see.

I spent several hours last week just window shopping for the things I have to buy:

I've already picked out my appliances. I have a relative at Whirlpool -- so I get them as much as half off the retail price. Those will be ordered with my next paycheck. I have selected the following:

The Whirlpool GS773LXS stove -- It's a 4.7 cubic feet gas range with Accusimmer burner, baking with Accubake heat distribution system. Seems pretty cool.

The Whirlpool GU3600XTR dishwasher -- it's dishwasher with concealed controls and a stainless steel interior -- with SheerClean wash system that keeps the water clean throughout the entire cycle and Accusense which can actually determines the load size and dirtiness of the dishes itself.

The amount of decisions to make is a little daunting, but I am getting there. It's just a lot to figure out. I'll keep you posted.

posted by Corona Red @ 2:23 PM