Week 5

Monday

One huge decision was purchasing the new master bath toilet. I wanted to splurge on a wall-mounted system (the tank is hidden inside the wall), and since it's not very common to use these here in the US other than in commercial properties, this was a big challenge! Doing the research on product ratings and deciphering green building codes (especially in dry California with stringent water use restrictions), has taken a huge amount of my time and given me a lot of anxiety. After many hours of online searching, reading online reviews and personal recommendations, I am so glad to have finally placed my order. If you are unfamiliar with this type of system, you have to get all the pieces separately. Here's what we got: Toto Aquia with matching Toto soft close lid, and Geberit dual-flush tank and frame, and Geberit Sigma 1 flush plate.

Now I have to decide on shower systems. I stopped in at the plumbing supply showroom. Pretty... shiny...!

Then I went to the house to throw some clothes in the machine to find a lovely, airy, open-plan laundry area, although I am sad that they took out the big shelf my dad had put in for us when we bought our house.

Area where the new door from house into garage will go,
located next to the water heater and former workbench area.

Old wall had to be removed to provide frame for new roof.

View from family room.
The big opening is for French doors leading to the patio.

View from garden into family room.

Master bedroom - another set of French doors.

And here are my reasons for coming to the house every night: to feed and check up on the two feral cats who adopted us 7 years ago: Otto's mama Rose and Otto's auntie Rhynose (yes, the kids named them).

 Tuesday

The framing continues...

Starting to build up now, the roof.

The ridge which will be visible from the front.

Thursday

We have a hatch and ladder for the attic access.

The builders have made themselves a temporary drafting table.

Friday

It smells really good now, all the fresh wood joists overhead.

And now we have a 4 x 2 window in the family room as well.

We went to look for bathroom vanities and are still looking for the right kind of patio doors at a fair price.  Our architect came by for her first site visit and approves of the work so far. I have made an appointment with the Department of Water and Power so they can direct where the new electric meter will go.

Week 4

Groundwork is done... now the building begins.

Monday

Delivery!

The rest of the bedroom wall is gone!
The thick blanket of dead leaves and brush is cleared!

MORE wood!

Goofing around in the area that will be the new bathtub

 Tuesday

Huge bales of insulation delivered.

Walls are being framed!

Wednesday

 

Ummmm.... oops? Can't get into the garage anymore, door gone, opening blocked!
And there's no power either so we can't use the clicker for the front...

 

Thursday

The kids'/guest bathroom (rear) and Ella's bedroom

Ella standing in the hallway with the entrance to my bathroom to the left

Standing in front of the master bedroom closet,
looking through to the den/family room

Friday

Today we had a meeting with our contractor to discuss an unexpected issue with the garage entry. The opening for the old one (pictured above) is too small for the new door, which has to be a 6' 8" fire-resistant door in order to be code compliant, so the challenge was to decide where to locate it. There is a water heater, washer & dryer and a workbench along the same wall. The simplest solution seems to be to put the door where the workbench is and demolish the soffit on the kitchen side to give the door some headroom.

We also discussed adding a tankless water heater on the side of the house where the bathrooms are located to save water and energy.

Sunday

We went to the house to do laundry and move the workbenches with tools and other random garage stuff from where the new door will be located. ROADBLOCK! We found the entry again boarded over, now with two large horizontal boards, and when Jim managed to pry them open to get in, we found the washer and dryer had been disconnected and moved out of their alcove. It was unexpected and disappointing to not have been forewarned. We were able to get the front garage door open manually from the inside and Jim got the space cleared. I didn't get before pics but "after" will be posted in next week's update!

Week 3

Tuesday

Rebar has been laid.

 

Thursday

 Trenches for the patio footing

Friday

An exciting day...
we stopped by on the way to school to see that
concrete truck had arrived!

Saturday

Voila! Foundation.

 

 Sunday

Giving our new concrete a good soaking to help it set.

Week 2: Demolition done, groundwork begins.

Monday

Roof is now pulled back to the living room/kitchen, and all inside framing is gone!

There's that door still...!

A 5-foot deep hole where one of the posts for the patio roof will be

The demarcation for one of the other posts.

Wide view. The garden has been cleaned up of most of the debris.

The words may not last but the sentiment remains

Tuesday

The footprint of the kids' bathroom is now clearly visible on the left.
The part where our closet was (on the far left) will become their tub.

Drywall removed from old dining area.
On the other side is the garage with washer/dryer & water heater.

From hereon there won't be daily photos because the changes are not as blatant. The guys have been working hard 6 days a week.

Saturday
The rough plumbing* has started, and the city inspector is scheduled for this coming Wednesday. For the new foundation, a thick layer of gravel has been spread over the dirt over a thick plastic barrier, and rebar has been laid out.

* rough plumbing = the installation of water and sewer pipes, and vents.

We are now tasked with looking for the main bathroom fixtures & fittings: tub for the kids' bathroom, shower heads for both, and also have to start looking for tiles and doors (double French doors from den to patio and door from master bedroom to garden). Some of our neighbors have come to take a look at the progress so far, and they have been extremely gracious about the noise.