Renovation - Week 2

This week, demolition continued and some construction started.

The week started with some temporary walls appearing in the house to support the ceiling as the load bearing walls were removed. Then most of the walls in the kitchen and living room were removed and then they opened up the back wall! Of course, just after they open up the wall, the weatherman predicts that we are going to get clocked by the remnants of hurricane Sandy (50-100 mm of rain, 90+ km/h winds) early next week - hopefully the blue tarp survives.

Once the back wall was down, work continued inside with the framing of the exterior walls so that they can be insulated. (Warm walls - what a concept!)

Our photos from the week:


The construction team took some pictures of the back wall and chimney coming down:

Renovation - The Goal

Of course, the big question everyone asks is "What will it look like?" Our designer did a 3D rendering of the design a while back, so you can see what the goal is. A few things have changed since these pictures were created:

• The addition will have siding, not brick veneer.
• The lower patio will be patterned concrete, not wood.
• There will be no balls in front of the new porch. (That was artistic licence on the part of the guy doing the rendering.)

Renovation - Week 1

We're through the first week. This week was about site preparation and the demolition of everything that wasn't structural. The heavy duty plaster/cement structure of our interior walls resulted in a lot of cracking, so the contractors pulled down a lot more of the walls than expected.

Getting Ready for the Renovation

Have we mentioned how much packing sucks? Fortunately we gave ourselves an extra week, because we seriously underestimated how much stuff we had. First, we thought an 8x8x16 POD would be enough...then we added a 7x7x8 POD for overflow...then we added a 8x10 storage locker...and things just barely fit.

The PODS system is neat - they drop off the storage bin on your driveway (using a totally cool, remote controlled dolly), you fill it up and then they haul it away. All the convenience of a moving van, without the rush. Of course, filling the PODS is like playing a 3D version of Tetris where none of the pieces match. Still, I think I did a reasonable job.



Christine and I finished packing late Sunday, she took Emma home and then I was at the house until 1 am Monday saving the bits of the house (flooring, lights, and such) that we didn't want thrown into the dumpster. The crew was in, knocking down walls, before 8 am Monday.



Christine found us a 1 bedroom condo to stay in while the house is renovated. We were worried about it being a bit small, but so far things are working out OK. (Check back in a couple months to see if we still feel the same way ;-) The biggest challenge was sleeping arrangements. Fortunately, Ikea sells high beds that are intended to go over a desk or something. Turns out they'll straddle a futon too.

Happy Thanksgiving

Sorry for the belated post. We've been pre-occupied with moving and preparations for the BIG RENO.
Here's a Thanksgiving picture from Emma.