Week 8

The crew continues to work on the back addition. We are still having record high temperature so they have been coming in real early in the morning. I am hoping the neighbors will forgive me for the noisy wake up call. The walls are up and I can start feeling the space. We were scheduled to install the windows next Monday but the Pella coordinator called me to tell me that they will not install the windows unless the roof is shingled. I had ordered the windows directly and had them initially scheduled for the following week but Steve was expecting to have everything under roof and asked me to move the installation date up thinking that a sheathed roof would be good enough. But the roof without felt or shingles that may not be dry enough and the window company would not take such a risk. It turns out that at any rate the roof framing was not quite completed by the end of the week so we returned the window installation to its initial date hoping that we will have enough good weather to complete roof. Steve brought me some large samples of the shingles and they look great next to the stone. So I am very happy with this selection and can't wait to see it up.

The framing of the back addition is a little tricky because it needs to be aligned with the existing roof of the garage and the intersection of the 2 roof lines with different pitches. We also had to install a supersized beam to replace a pre-engineered girder trusses. The large beam is needed to keep a clear span in the kitchen and was critical because I was trying to keep it as high as possible. We made some changes again going from a pre-engineered roof truss system to conventional framing. In general I try to use that whenever possible but it makes it difficult to make any adjustments if needed as we cannot cut or alter them. Plus there is the wait time for manufacturing. So once again I had to go back and run calculations to make sure everything is structurally sound.

The insulation remained an unresolved issue so I contacted a third company to come look at the project. I am learning a lot about foam insulation. That third company uses closed cell foam and will only work on existing walls filling the cavities through holes from the outside. The rep was very upfront with me about not being able to help. Then finally the first company called me back to give me a final estimate and tell me that they are working on my energy calculations to make sure we will not run into a problem with the building department. If all the paperwork is resolved then I will go ahead with them.

I also got a new HVAC bid and it is a lot more reasonable. We are adding a separate HVAC system for the addition and decided to go with the highest efficiency and quietest especially that the outside condenser will have to sit by the new back door.

Confession: With the intricate roof framing the carpenter asked me if he can trim the top of the beam. As with the bedroom beam I gave him the specification of what can be cut. I was not convinced it was necessary but he kept explaining that somehow it was going to protrude from the roof if we did not especially that I was trying to raise it as high as possible to it does not hang down into the space. According to my drawing it should not have hang down more than 4 inches. Steve and the framer explained the beam will hang down 8 inches and that the existing condition was not exactly as I had anticipated. To tell you the truth I was still not convinced despite several mock up they had done to show me how the rafters will run and connect. And since I was not the one actually cutting the wood and doing the framing I had to go along with their recommendation. As I said before remodeling is a bit more unpredictable then new construction and it doesn't matter how many additions I designed it is impossible to anticipate every condition. So as long as the change does not cause major negative effect we go with the flow and work with the changes.

Week 7

This is a chrged week with a lot of happenings. The master bedroom is pretty much framed and waiting for the windows. In discussion is the beam that would carry the roof replacing the wall we are taking down. Steve wants the beam to be flush so it doesn't hang down. That is optimal but it would mean clipping the ends. I need to make sure we can do that structurally. A little research checking the manufacturer specifications and we are good. I give the clipping specifications to the carpenters and the beam can go flush. The roof over the garage is also up. We had an oversized 2 car garage with  a storage nook. We added a bay and were planning on expanding the nook by removing the current laundry room to add a 4th car space. After serious consideration we decided to replace the laundry room with a full bath and a walk-in pantry and keep the storage. This is an example of a trade-off. Not adding the 4th car would save money that I can use somewhere else.
They also started framing the back addition. That is the largest part of the project. There is some more brick to take down. It is a hot week. 90 d. on wednesday so the workers leave early.
Thursday, Joe the Amish metal installer starts covering the dormer with metal. It is covered when I come home and could not see it until the next day when the guys uncover it for me. It looks great. It is awaiting the flashing and cannot be totally finished until the rest of the roof is done.
The stone guy dropped off the sample boards for the stone and I am really excited about the one I selected. I love materials especially when they are good looking and work well together. That stone will look great next to the existing brick.
I also finally got a quote from the first HVAC contractor. It was shocking. I am still waiting for the second quote and meanwhile contacted a third contractor that Steve recommended. Actually he had done work on a couple of commercial projects I designed and Steve built. I am hoping he will be more affordable.
Confession: I am hitting a wall with the insulation issue. Like I said I am considering using srayed foam insulation instead of batt insulation (the pink stuff). I talked to the product rep and quized him on the technical items. One aproblem is that we will have to provide the building department specifications and calculations to show that it meets the energy code requirments and I want to make sure the installer can provide us with this information before I sign up with them. The salesman came by again to look at the additions now that they are partly up and is supposed to get back to me. I confess that so far I am still not sure which way I should go. The delima is that I have no other option in regards to insulating the domer but I can go either way with the rest of the addition, except they will not come out just for the dormer. Not sure yet how this will be resolved.  

Click here to see pictures http://adventures-in-remodeling.blogspot.com/p/week-7.html

Week 6

The brick in the front is down and the framing of the master bedroom and garage begins. To speed things up Steve askes if can stick frame the roof over the badroom instead of using trusses. I agreed. We often do that unless the roof is too complicated to make last minute calculations. By the end of the week I can see both spaces.
The dormer window is delivered and installed and it really looks good on the inside even though it is still covered with blue plastic tarp. I met with the Amish roofer and asked for a price on using copper as well as regular metal. The copper roof will blow out the budget so I opted for a copper look metal that will remain shinny. The cost is still fairly high, higher than I expected and normally I would get another bid but Steve is not comfortable handing this installation to someone else. Steve is very good at working with me to make important things happen without breaking the bank and we worked it out so the metal roof could be installed. 
I am still waiting for the proposal from the HVAC contractor and decided to get another bid so I had another company that does both HVAC and plumbing come by. Steve's plumber never came to the site and I really wanted to talk about what needs to be done and how we were going to do it. I am also looking at installing an instant hot water heater for the kitchen and the added bath. Pete the technician was very helpful and educated me on my options. I am waiting on his proposal too.
Steve tells me we are 4 days ahead of schedule and that should be good news.  
Confession: I am behind in my selections and still have not finalized the kitchen layout. I tend to design and change things as we go. Not good for the schedule or the budget and it is the type of thing that normally discourage my clients from doing, but I am aware of it and I am making sure I know the cost of the change and if I can trade it off for something else I don't need as much. My aim is to not go over the budget and one way to do that is to take something out when you add something in. I will also forfeit the change if it will considerably delay the work.
See Pictures http://adventures-in-remodeling.blogspot.com/p/week-6.html

Week 5

The work on the dormer stopped. We are waiting for the window and the roof, so they can finish the outside trim. The insulation inside will have to wait when the entire addition gets insulated before drywalling and finish it.
They are also prepping for the slabs leveling the gravel and placing wire mesh. I put slabs even in crawl spaces. It keeps it clean and dry and easier to access and service. They also began taking the brick down from the front of the master bedroom and garage to begin framing.
The roofer came by with samples and I quizzed him on the installation, materials and warranties. He came back with an acceptable bid so he is on. The only problem is this roofer will not be able to do the metal roof over the dormer even though he can install the metal roof on the low pitch in the back. Steve is searching a sheet metal installer. He says he know an Amish guy who will do it.
I finally got the HVAC contractor to come by. It looks like we will need an additional unit to heat and cool the new addition. We are looking at a few options and he is supposed to get me a propsal by next week.
Confession: Mechanical and plumbing systems are not my strongest suit and I often rely on being educated by the contractors. The problem though is that each contractor or supplier wants to sell you what they have and used to, so it takes some more research to sift throught the inforamtion. At the end of the day I have to rely on what makes sense and not just nod my head at what is offered.
See pictures http://adventures-in-remodeling.blogspot.com/p/week-5.html

Week 4

This week is mostly filling the gaps between foundations, water proofing the foundations, placing footing drains and back filling with gravel and dirt. We have too much dirt and luckily a friend/client for whom Steve was building an addition needed the dirt. It was great, he just moved it from one project to another. The front of the house looks much cleaner now without the high piles.
Confession: As I stood in the dining room looking out on the completed foundation I suddenly realized that I had made a moronic design error. I looked down on the new crawl space over which we are expanding the dining room and realized that I could have created a corridor to connect the new basement to the existing basement. It is hard to describe here without looking at the plan but it was a very belated AHA moment that even my husband and contractor could not believe we did not think of it. The original plans had the basements connected but when we revised them to scale down the project that connection was lost. Our house was built in the late sixties and has only a partial full basement with a lot more crawl spaces. The addition is adjacent to the garage and a crawl space so the connection was not obvious. It should have been but sometimes when working on something for so long one becomes blind and loose fresh insight. Steve was as bugged about it as I was and we stood there discussing what it may take to make it happen. The amount of money and work it would require was prohibitive. It would set us back weeks. So I had to forgive myself and move on.  
See Pictures http://adventures-in-remodeling.blogspot.com/p/week-4.html

Week 3

They stripped the foundation forms and upon inspection guess what. We see a hole in the basement wall. For some reason the concrete contractor thought he needed to jump the foundation at that point. Why is beyond understanding. Why would anyone with a common sense think that not closing the walls in a basement is a good idea. He also forgot to place the beam pockets. The foundation work is certainly not up to my expectation. It is not structurally unsound just sloppy. As I suspected the original concrete contractor was not available (because we had to wait so long for the permit) and not wanting to delay the work, Steve got a last minute replacement. Well the problems are to be corrected at the contractor's expense. We had a couple of rainy days and not much work is done. But then they came to reform the area that needed to be fixed. Meanwhile the carpenters continue to work on the dormer. They opened up the inside and I could finally see the framing. I notice that the frame is not as thick as I had expected.
Confession: I assumed that the guys understood how the dormer should be built. Well it is solid and looks good but the thickness of the barrel frame is barely adequate for insulation. The alternative is to use sprayed foam insulation which does not need venting and is more efficient. The guys bring in rigid foam insulation panels trying to convince me that it will work. I could not see how it would form to a barrel roof, I guess they can score it but there will be so many cuts and pieces that the insulation value would be lost. The truth is they are not equiped to apply sprayed foam. It is a specialty so I began to research and hunt for a company that can do it. One company that specializes in it would not come out just for the dormer, they need a bigger job I began considering using this type of insulation throughout. It is supposed to be a better product but it is also more expensive, about 30% more. Apparently it is so energy efficient it qualifies for a tax credit. 

See Pictures http://adventures-in-remodeling.blogspot.com/p/week-3.html

Week 2

There is a lot of cutting in the existing foundation to create access from new to old. Forming the foundation took about 3 days. Meanwhile the carpenters began working on the eyebrow dormer in the front of the house. This is one feature I really wanted and felt would really make a difference. Steve had assured me they absolutely positively know how to do it. They built several. Well surprise surprise, they built dormers before but not like this one. It is fairly complicated because of the curves and is taking much longer than expected to build. By the end of the week the foundations were poured and I could see what the dormer will look like.
Confession: I had designed a bathroom in the new basement. It was a questionable item. The new basement is a foot lower than the existing which makes it too low to connect the plumbing without the need of a pump. After several days of debating the pros and cons we opted to remove the bathroom. We did not want to worry about a pump malfunction and a sewer back up. Frankly I don't know much about them but my husband who was most concerned researched it and came to the conclusion that it was not a good idea. The space will be mostly used for exercise and we are putting a bathroom right up by the stairs so we did not feel it was a big compromise. I had 2 plumbers come look at the job early on but they could not tell me much until we excavated to see where the existing plumbing is. That is the nature of remodeling, it is not always easy to plan things ahead and one must always be ready to make adjustments.

See Pictures http://adventures-in-remodeling.blogspot.com/p/week-2.html

Week One: We have a PERMIT

Monday June 21^st 7:45 am; I get the call from the building department. The permit is ready to be picked up. Finally after 6 month of submittals, changes, revisions and delays due to an understaffed and overworked building department; we can now start construction.
Tuesday; I meet with Steve the general contractor to go over the plans and schedule and he drops a bomb. He informs me at the eleventh hour that he needs to move the foundation walls 2 feet away from the existing to allow for form installation and removal. Forming the walls the way I had them is not impossible just more complicated and the concrete subcontractor had not planned on doing it that way. Moving the foundation walls affects the space and layout. It's like a domino effect. I scolded him for not telling me about this problem until now especially that he had the plans for 6 month and had assured me that he had gone through them with a fine tooth comb. This was not a small oversight and I am now wondering what else will pop up at the last minute. The excavator was already lined up and there was no time to reconsider a different method; after waiting so long to get started I was not willing to postpone the work, so I went along with the change scrambling to make sure that the layout will still work and that everyone had updated plans reflecting the changes and dimensions. So as you see even an architect is not immuned from unexpected complications and the truth is that additions and remodeling are the hardest to do because of all the hidden and unknown situations.In this case though there was nothing hidden and there was no excuse.
Confession:  I knew that the way I designed the foundation was non conventional, and that I should have verified it with the contractor ahead of time but I relied on the fact that he had the plans for a long time and that he studied all my details and since he did not bring it up I did not think it would be a problem. I broke one of my most important rules. NEVER ASSUME.

The rest of the week: The tractors are here and the guys begin demolishing the porch and concrete slabs. Excavation begins and we now have a mini grand canyon in the back yard. Huge piles of dirt are forming. By the end of the week the footings are formed and poured. They need 5 days to cure.

See pictures http://adventures-in-remodeling.blogspot.com/p/week-1.html