Year three of the elephant

[Chicken lady]

Last night I had a two hour free design meeting with a really cool designer at Home Depot (if she doesn't love her job, acting would be a good alternative!).

The cabinets are going to be less than I thought - even full price - which is good. But dh and I are still in disagreement about a couple of significant details. Also, there is a sale on until March 5 that would save us almost $3,000, so I'm feeling a lot of pressure to buy. Otoh, she says they have sales fairly often (pressure not coming from designer) and we won't need the cabinets until fall.

dh is however, stalled on electric work until we finalize the design. (He needs to put in kitchen outlets, switches, and oven/cooktop wiring.)

i am am happy because there was a particular style of pantry cabinet that I really wanted, but I didn't have room for a full height 36" cabinet, and she found it in a 24"!

[Teacher Terry]

If you found the cabinets you want on sale I would buy them because they may not be available in the Fall. Their lines of merchandise do change. Great that they are less $ then you expected.

[Tussiemussies]

Yes, I agree with Teacher Terry, so many times I didn't buy when the time was right and lost out for good. Can your husband plan the electrical around what you will have?

[Chicken lady]

He needs to know exactly what we will have, he doesn't need to have it.

i was just not set on the layout. It was nice, but too generic. Dh and I worked on it tonight and tomorrow I am going to make an appointment to go back in. We left one side wall and most of the back wall untouched, but changed the other side wall and a corner a lot. The designer is probably not going to like my corner. But maybe she will have fun telling crazy customer stories about me.

the new design (if it all checks out) has my 36" pantry, a stacking silverware drawer, and maybe a mail/grocery list/message board/charging&parking location for my iPad and phone. I expect it to be a little more expensive, but that will be ok. A lot more and the "message center" becomes a blank end cap instead of a shallow cupboard.

[Chicken lady]

I came home from the meeting with two kitchen versions to show dh. We are going with version 2 except we are making one cabinet 3" narrower because I don't like how close the molding will be to our actual window (we custom made the window out of other windows, so the model was an approximation. Visually, the gap between molding and window frame would be too small.

no message board - it was also too tight and heavy looking - I don't want to give up any regular cabinet space on that side to keep it.

work today, but we will get things finalized and ordered by the end of the weekend. New kitchen layout is about $200 more with more bells and whistles. (Silverware drawer, turning a dead space into a drawer, less customization for dh to do on the oven cabinet, finish panels around the fridge frame)

last night we had a horrendous storm. My yard is still full of little streams. But:
the streams are flowing away from the house.
and the basement is bone dry.

before we started this, the basement would have had water halfway across the floor. In all that was left to do, I had forgotten the pleasure of a dry basement.

[Alan]

last night we had a horrendous storm. My yard is still full of little streams. But:
the streams are flowing away from the house.
and the basement is bone dry.

I hope you stay dry as the storm continues this morning. Thunder and lightning and hail, oh my!

[Chicken lady]

Well, do far so good for us, but my dd had 10" of water in her garage (under the house, partly below ground) last night.

we ordered dh range hood tonight. Cabinet finalizing appointment is on Sunday.

[Chicken lady]

We ordered the cabinets!

also picked out lights for the kitchen ceiling. Dh has most of the plug/switch boxes attached to studs, and we recaulked around the chimney where it was leaking slightly when we got both heavy rain and wind at once.

[Chicken lady]

All the open electrical boxes are attached to the studs - outlets, fixtures, and switches. Two in the tall ceiling have wiring, temporary fixtures with bare bulbs, and a working switch. All of the fuses have been installed in the breaker box.

[nswef]

Yahoo!!! That elephant will be gone eventually.

[Chicken lady]

The kitchen wiring is "done" (all the wires are in but they are not connected to the fuses nor are the switches/plugs on because it is easier to drywall with open boxes and open boxes can't be "hot")

this leaves the outlets and lights in the main part of the room and three exterior lights. Dh would have gotten a lot farther, but he was called in to work second shift on Saturday - at least the overtime will help with the 100ft of wire he says we still need to buy. Also I am grateful that he gets overtime.

He thinks he can finish the wiring next weekend. (Although I think he may have forgotten we have plans with dd2 on Saturday)

besides helping him feed wires this weekend, I found two Pyrex pans to put on the "ask kids" pile and used up some of the stockpiled soap making supplies. (I will be offering soap at my booth at the pottery sale at the end of April - because I have soap dishes and "related items" are allowed.)

[Teacher Terry]

Will the remodel be done by the end of year 3?

[Chicken lady]

That would be nice....

i don't know. It will depend in part on how fast the drywall goes up. We haven't talked to anyone about installing that yet. So:
electric, inspection, insulation, drywall, plumbing, inspection, painting, floors, cabinet and appliance install, choose and install light fixtures. Only the drywall is going to be hired out.

i am still resigned to the 5 year plan - when we got married, dh was halfway through his "last two years of school". He graduated 4 years and 4 months later and finally had a job three months after that. When it became clear that the addition was going to take more than two years, I asked "is this going to be the same two years it took you to finish school?" and he said "mmmmmaybe."

[iris lilies]

We just put a top coat of paint on our second floor hallway and middle room. We started this house in 1989...

[Chicken lady]

Noooooooooooo........:0!

[iris lilies]

Noooooooooooo........:0!
It was once common here to live in houses that were 20-30 year projects. There were many young, enthusiastic but broke renovators of our old houses. . Now those old timers like me are aging out and are selling out to professional contractors who complete the job in a few months.

[Chicken lady]

We originally bought this house in February 2002. We started gutting it that afternoon. We moved into the barn in March. We were able to move our furniture into the house in August. We have never stopped working on it - the hole in the drywall behind the headboard of our bed is patched but not taped. There is one bathroom left to gut and redo.

but I am still fantasizing about a completely finished addition by 2020.

[Teacher Terry]

My DH and a helper did our entire house in 3 1/2 months. My DH worked 7 days/week and the helper 5. We were not living in it. When young and poor we did a room every 2-3 years. By the time we had lived there 14 years the whole house was done and then we had to move for a job. Some of the run down houses in our neighborhood have been bought by young people and most of them take out a construction loan to have the inside done before moving in. I was surprised when I heard this.

[Chicken lady]

Nobody knows how to do the work anymore.

[Chicken lady]

The wiring is done. He calls tomorrow to schedule the inspection. He had one wire staple and almost ten feet of wire left over.

[Mary B.]

The wiring is done. He calls tomorrow to schedule the inspection. He had one wire staple and almost ten feet of wire left over.

WOO HOO! Hope the inspection goes well.

[Chicken lady]

Inspection at 2:00.

also, I found a couple of small books I can part with this morning. The purging has really been reduced to a trickle, but it's trending in the right direction. I am doubtful that I will get inspired to do anything big again until I can move some furniture into the addition. I should probably track better to be sure I'm truly reducing.

[Chicken lady]

So, we passed the electrical inspection, but we are running into some technical issues on the plumbing (actually, they are regulatory issues and not physics issues) so dh is frustrated and taking a step back this weekend - we're going to focus on planting trees and enjoying a visit from our daughter and heart grandson today.

we ordered the insulation and are trying to find a time to have it delivered (the need for a 6 hour window on a weekday bumped into my increased work schedule)

[Tybee]

Good for him for stepping back when frustrated. This is such a good life skill, and definitely one I am working on.
And congrats on passing the electrical inspection!

[Chicken lady]

So, dh took the day off yesterday and met with the plumbing inspector. The inspector looked over dh plans and calculations and granted him variances on the plumbing issues. (Which is good, because the easiest fix to get in compliance would have been redesigning the kitchen in order to move the sink, and the kitchen was designed around the location of the sink, fridge, and cooktop, and the cabinets are ordered.)

plumbing shall continue. The first order of insulation arrives Tuesday.

[mschrisgo2]

Congratulations on the variances! Full steam ahead.

[Chicken lady]

All of the roof penetrating things are done (vents) it has been raining hard for several hours and no leaks.

dh says the plumbing should be done by May.

[Chicken lady]

All of the insulation has now been delivered. It was cool today, so dh started putting the roof insulation in (with minimal help from me) instead of working on plumbing.

i bought some books and some blocks at goodwill yesterday to give away to kids at the foodbank. I am sorting through my kids old blocks and pulling out the random small/partial sets they collected over the years to toss in with the goodwill blocks. (The childcraft maple blocks, the gnome blocks, and the architectural castle blocks stay, but 11 ikea blocks? No.)

(the blocks I bought are already a mixed lot, so I'm just making "sets" that look like they would be fun to use together, a good art teacher project)

[Teacher Terry]

CL; great idea to give that stuff to the kids. When I was a SW i gave away all the kids clothes and toys to the foster families because foster kids can be so hard on toys. I also did an internship at a variety of poor schools where free lunch was offered in the summer and I would bring stuff for the kids to take home. All summer I would see these kids wearing my kids clothes.

[Chicken lady]

The peak of the roof is insulated - hardest part - and most of the way down the large central vault.

[Chicken lady]

All of the ceiling insulation is up. Slow weekend on the house because my car needed new brake rotors and ball joints.

Did a barrel firing today and used up a bunch of wooden scrap from demolition/construction, eliminating a large box from the studio barn.

[Chicken lady]

The insulation is done except for the wall the sink will be on - we have to have a plumbing inspection before we can do that part because it will hide parts of the work. Dh is now working on the plumbing. Unfortunately he had to spend the whole morning removing some existing ductwork in order to locate the drain pipe correctly. After he installs the drain pipe, he will put the ductwork back below it. I swear my basement ceiling looks like a multi highway interchange in a major city! Good thing it is super tall!

[Chicken lady]

We had a really full and crazy weekend. 7 people and two dogs staying in the house, plus visits from heart daughter and grandson, our best couple friends and their daughter, and our son's future mil and her s.o.

at one point we had two dogs and twelve people in the house while it rained and we remembered why we are building this addition! It will be so nice to be able to eat in one room!

along with other adventures, the drain line has been installed and we are ready for the plumbing inspection. (Turns out that is after drainage, supply pipes come later) so dh will try to schedule that today.

i managed to give a few of the things in the house to visiting people.

[Chicken lady]

So, no idea if anyone is still reading this long, long adventure, but we had a busy morning.

passed the inspection! - dh will finish insulating over the drain pipe this weekend.

and had a visit from a drywall contractor who is going to bid the job. Dh really liked him, so if he comes in near the figure dh has in mind, it will be go. If not, we will need another quote (which may be difficult because it has taken some time to find one guy willing to quote the job.)

[nswef]

You are amazing Chicken Lady. I enjoy reading about your progress.

[iris lilies]

Yes, still reading. Your blog here is entertaining, keep it up.

[beckyliz]

Keep posting, please! We're cheering you on.

[Chicken lady]

The quote came in $300 under what dh was hoping. We are go!

the inspector has to take one more look stupid the completed insulation and electrical boxes before they start. Hopefully that will be tomorrow. The drywall guys estimated that they can start around the 19th.

[Chicken lady]

Passed inspection. Drywall delivered. Guys can actually start Tuesday, dh is going to schedule the kitchen cabinets (6 week lead)

suddenly this feels like it's coming together fast!

[nswef]

That's great news CL.

[mschrisgo2]

CL, I think I'm seeing a finished kitchen in your summer!

[Chicken lady]

Oh no, the kitchen will not be finished! The drywall guys will hopefully be done quickly, but then we have a "vacation" (family obligations) so no painting will get done til the second week of July. I am slow so I don't know if I'll even finish painting before the cabinets come. They will arrive at the beginning of August (?) and then dh will start installing, with my help, on weekends. If I'm lucky, the cabinets will be in place before my son gets married Labor Day weekend, but we haven't even chosen a sink or counters, and he has a bunch of appliances to wire in. Plus the supply line part of the plumbing.

but it was a nice thought!

[Chicken lady]

Dye all starts this morning!

iin other news, the cabinets will be here the 10th!

dh says if I paint the kitchen first, he will install cabinets while I paint.

also, I have been making some progress in the studio. Mostly organizing, but a little purging. I have made a couple of really hard decisions. The on-line hoarding group is helping.

[Tammy]

I just want to pop in to say that I continue to love your updates on this three-year project.

[Chicken lady]

The drywall is up. The finishing guy says it will take him at least until the end of next week.

i salvaged some drywall pieces to make ware boards and line some of my wire shelving for plaster molds and I now have a bee in my bonnet to claim my studio space (I would say "reclaim" but it has always been a mix of pottery and kid stuff.)

i am sorting through the toys and moving most of them to the basement (which means that when I am done, the two room basement is going to be a wreck again, but the rest of the house and my studio are going to be nice.) The basement can be the next elephant. Some of the toys I am giving the kids a choice to take now or donate, but my youngest doesn't have anyplace to take anything to right now, so I don't mind putting the distribution off a couple more years.

[danna]

Thanks for the Updates Chicken Lady it is good to see you are making progress!

[Chicken lady]

Dh had the HVAC guy come back this morning to discuss putting a third zone upstairs in the original house. I would need to reclear a significant portion of basement and move four small bookshelves and a little bench (too small for children) with some dolls on it (one of the few places I still have dolls not packed away).

dh said "you're going to have to move things again. I'm sorry." I said "I'm going to put everything in the living room."

i think this is a great solution because it leads to only four problems. Dh can't reach the piano, which he doesn't play often, anyone who comes over sees the mess (I don't care), dh can't reach the stereo, which he plays too loudly, and no one can see the television. I can quite happily live without the television.

i can just leave everything in the living room until the addition is done and we need to move the piano.

yes, this sounds aggressive. But I am not the person who wants a third zone. After he puts in the 3rd zone, we will have far more nights when we air condition instead of sleeping with the windows open because he sleeps better that way. I sleep better with the windows open. So we are going to have added expense (ongoing added expense) which will decrease my quality of sleep, lead to more fights about the blankets on the bed, and - during installation - create more work and disruption for me.

i think he should give up the television until it is done in order to avoid me having to give up the use of some other area. The living room is the least functional space in our house. The inadequacy of the living room is most of the reason for the addition. He can move the tv to his office before I start clearing. He will tell me that is too much work.

[Teacher Terry]

The last thing I would do is give up the livingroom. That should be a place to read, relax, sit in a comfortable chair and for your DH to watch TV. I really think the fact that you have to keep moving tons of stuff constantly should tell you that you have way too much stuff and need to get rid of some instead of rearranging. What a waste of your energy/time. I know you won't do it but your collections could go to a good cause and help them raise $.

[Chicken lady]

Yes, I know we disagree on wether or not I should get to keep my stuff. This is part of why I am now talking about that elsewhere. I am quite sure that I could find a large group of people who would feel that dh sitting in a chair watching tv is a huge waste of his time and energy and our electricity - but his values are not harming anyone. Nor are they more valid than my values. (If you are going to argue that my stuff is harming him because he finds it annoying, then by the same logic, the tv goes too.)

the fact that I gave to keep moving stuff constantly is caused by the fact that I have accepted my husband's right to significant empty space and his use/designation of all the rooms that are not constantly involved in construction.

He has an office. It is far from full, but the surfaces in it get very dusty. My surfaces do not get dusty because I am constantly doing things on them. maybe he should give up his dusty turntable or throw out all the back tax records (we have never ever used or needed those, we keep them "just in case" - like many of my things, many of which have been used or needed) and I should put my sewing basket which I use at least once a month in his office instead of in the back of the guest room closet. His office has a comfortable chair with an ottoman where he sits to watch Netflix and YouTube on his iPad. He does crossword puzzles there or on the porch or at the kitchen table.

The living room is small and dark. 95% of the activity in the living room is one or more people watching a movie or tv show together (once or twice a week) or dh watching sports with the volume turned up so loud that you cannot concentrate enough to read anywhere else in the house - because he likes to be able to leave the set on, wander off, and come back when it sounds interesting. The rest of the use is sleeping on the couch - we have beds or me getting books off the shelf or dusting/rearranging/puttering with decorative and functional items on the shelves - an activity I enjoy. Or vaccuming or straightening the pillows on the couch and refolding the blanket (he moves the pillows and blanket for his use and comfort and then leaves it looking messy.)

when dd and I watch a show together, we use an iPad or laptop so that we can set it wherever we are also doing something else.

i am sure this post sounds grumpy. It is less grumpy than it started, because I edited out a lot of sarcasm. I feel grumpy because I thought we had agreed to disagree on this issue, and yet, I feel a need to respond to your comments because this is my thread, so I will be returning to it for feedback/encouragement on the stuff I am actually trying to do, and I don't really want to come back to a bunch of people who missed the previous conversations and think it would be helpful to help encourage me to do things I definitely do not want to do because they are relevant to somebody else's life not mine (I love being a mom, however, I would never suggest Ultralite that he would be less lonely if he adopted a kid.) nor do I feel supported when I basically say "I am standing up for myself this time, I should not have to bare all the burden of a shared goal - his important issue, his inconvenience" and I am told "but you should be inconvenienced, not him, because you have bad values." - btw, those people buying these items to support these great causes - is that ok? Because that's people like me, and you can't have the effect without the cause.

btw, the 4 small bookshelves that would have to be moved are upstairs along the wall where the bedroom flows in his office and have both my stuff and his stuff on them. This wall will need to be cut into. This was not in the original plan, and in case I wasn't clear - I don't actually want to do it.

[nswef]

You must feel very frustrated and angry. No advise except to breathe.

[mschrisgo2]

Maybe DH will change his mind after he sees the bid- ?
I'm guessing the cost will be significant.

[Chicken lady]

Most of the capability is already in the new system. The guy said the biggest hardware cost would be the $250 fan and motor. So, that, ducts, and labor.

the drywall guy is guessing Tuesday will be their finish day.

[Teacher Terry]

I get it that you just want to vent and don't want any solutions. I will probably quit reading this thread since I find it painful I hope you get the house you really want when all the work is done.

[Chicken lady]

Thank you. I think that is probably a good idea. I'm sorry you find the thread painful. I do in fact often want solutions, but not ones I have rejected multiple times at length.

For me, the solution to "I have to move this stuff again because the places he keeps telling me I can keep it keep having to be emptied" is not "get rid of the stuff" my brother in law shaved his head when he started going grey. Many men would not consider that a good solution.

[Mary B.]

Most of the capability is already in the new system. The guy said the biggest hardware cost would be the $250 fan and motor. So, that, ducts, and labor.

the drywall guy is guessing Tuesday will be their finish day.

Aha! Air conditioning zone! I was reading it as another living space. (we talk about craft zones and kitchen zones and such around here... I'd forgotten that it's us that's odd in this case.)

I hope it goes well, and that you find a harmonious place to put things. I currently have an entire room full of boxes -- awaiting a new kitchen and bedroom, and various other renovations. Here's to labelling, I say. The things that I either didn't label or marked "misc" I'm kind of afraid to look in.

[Chicken lady]

Mary B, I used to have hundreds of those boxes. We called them "random boxes". Now I still have a lot of boxes, but I know what is in them. Also, not hundreds, tens.

The quote came back. I think it is too expensive. Dh says he's going to do it anyway. This will probably delay the flooring. I'm putting this one on the "balance sheet" (there is a corian counter top in my future - I intend to win that argument)

[Chicken lady]

So, after sitting with the idea for a day, dh decided he agrees with me and the quote is too high compared to what they charged us to put the system in. He asked them for a breakdown on materials and labor and we will see what happens.

[mschrisgo2]

Happy to hear DH is reconsidering :)

And you probably won't have to move those shelves :)

[Chicken lady]

I hope i won't have to move anything. I am feeling less stressed without the idea hanging over my head imminently. If he sits on it long enough, it will be fall, and then I can argue for waiting until spring, when we will hopefully have finished the addition and moved the piano and some other furniture, and some of the stuff in the basement will be gone - as it consists not only of things I want to keep in storage, but also of consumables, boxes I am reducing slightly day by day, and things that will be unpacked when the new space is ready.

also, my dd won't be living with us, so I can easily stack the moved items in her room during the work without causing any inconvenience.

[Chicken lady]

The drywall guys are done. Extended family commitments over the next week and then I start painting.

[Chicken lady]

I am mid-painting. Dh says to finish painting the kitchen area first because the cabinets were delivered this morning, and he has a bet with a friend at work who is also redoing his kitchen - whoever gets their cabinets hung first gets a $50 bottle of bourbon.

[Geila]

Hi Chicken Lady - I'm impressed with your diligence. I'm on week 3 of projects and I'm already starting to fizz out. You're on year 3! Kudos!

[Chicken lady]

Well, it is a very big project with lots of changes and variation. Also, if I quit now, I spend the rest of my life in an unfinished house paying $50 every six months for an inspection to keep the permit open (or I have to move out because the house is no longer "under construction" and does not qualify fully for "occupancy") so, there is some motivation.

[Chicken lady]

Dh is unpacking the cabinets! Dh is unpacking the cabinets!

I'm not done painting by a long shot, but I'm done painting the kitchen bump out.

[iris lilies]

Well, it is a very big project with lots of changes and variation. Also, if I quit now, I spend the rest of my life in an unfinished house paying $50 every six months for an inspection to keep the permit open (or I have to move out because the house is no longer "under construction" and does not qualify fully for "occupancy") so, there is some motivation.
That occupancy permit thing is a pain in the ass.

My own neighborhood was develped by urban pioneers, young people with big vision but not much money, and they fixed up a room at a time in these old houses. Our neighborhood was exempt from the occupancy permit crap from Nanny Gubmnt. Out of about 60 neighborhoods here, only a handfull were exempt, and that was due to constant pressure on our alderman.

We went without electricity in half of our house for a couple of years. We had no staircase bannister for 20 years. Etc etc.

But a few years ago the city fathers decided all exemptions were over, and now we need occupancy permits here, too. It us unfortunate because it dies not allow people to live in unfinished spaces. Kills the pioneering spirit.

Too bad, because guess which neighborhood here is the strongest and most beautiful now due to those early pioneers--mine.

[Chicken lady]

We can live here as long as we have functioning septic. But legally it is a construction site requiring a construction permit and it has to be inspected at least every 6 months. Some of the inspections are included in the original permit fee, so we have been spacing them out to avoid paying for extra ones. The hvac (which is done) has not been checked, nor has the incoming plumbing (which is not done). We had one thing that had to be "corrected" from the first electrical inspection (dh had to put wire nuts on the ends of all the wires - which he will have to remove when he hooks up the outlets) but they let us piggyback it on the drain line inspection so we did not have to pay $50 for a second electrical inspection.

i now understand the wire nuts - we just realized the drywall guys dry walled over an open outlet. (We found it with a strong magnet and cut a hole in the wall - then the drywall unbowed and one of the screws popped out. Sigh. It was a wall I had finished painting.

[Chicken lady]

Ds was here for the weekend. He came back for his bachelor party, but he helped dh with the kitchen before it.

they have all the cabinets screwed together and to the walls! There are still a lot of trim, custom cuts for fixtures and appliances, and a drawer kit to do, but the basic structure is up!

We need to choose a sink and order it.

[nswef]

Cl, That's wonderful. You can see a finish line!

[mschrisgo2]

Did DH win the bet?

[Chicken lady]

Not yet, he hadn't finished "installing"

[Chicken lady]

The new wall oven is installed and dh ordered a sink.

I have been been taking a break from painting, but I need to get back to it today.

[beckyliz]

Keep up the good work, Chicken Lady! We're all cheering for you.

[Chicken lady]

Everything has at least one coat of primer. So the painting is more than 1/3 done.

[mschrisgo2]

Way to Go! Too bad I don't live near you, I would come and help for the sheer fun of it. i love to paint, I am very fast, and good at it.

[debbie]

I love to read your updates CL . Did your husband decide against the extra zone? I hope you don't have to move the stuff! I am using this thread to motivate myself. I have emptied out the garage and whittled down my clothes, books, kitchen stuff, and record albums over the past few months. We sold one of our two cars. I got rid of some furniture. I'm getting ready to move in a year or so. I like the way you go about de-hoarding. Take your time to do it right. It has gotten easier for me to let go of some of the harder stuff lately. I'm reading Peter Walsh's book "LET IT GO" and it helps. I have read 2 other books by him also. And the tidy lady's books. I have to say I'm not a fan of taking all of one kind of thing and dealing with it all at once. Too big a mess! I like the flylady approach, a timer always makes it easier to face! Hope the elephant gets easier to eat!

[Chicken lady]

Hi Debbie, I think he put it on the back burner - not ruled out, but not now. That's enough.

today he put the sink in place and is working on the end panel that makes a cave for my fridge.

i don't post very much about the clearing out anymore except incidentally, but it continues to be slow and absurd. And yet it happens. I joined an online support group elsewhere where I am encouraged to discuss the frustrations of such things as non-recyclable packaging and favorite books that once fell in the bath tub, and that is helping.

my dd2 is moving out in ten days.

[Chicken lady]

We bought ceiling lights for the kitchen today. Dh has one installed. We also chose a countertop, but I have to go back on Wednesday to actually order it.

[Chicken lady]

So, I ordered the countertop,which came in under what we estimated, so that's good. (It's on my cc right now, but we will pay it with the line of credit on the house and then pay that off by March.) I also ordered cabinet knobs and drawer pulls :0!

And yesterday I got the second coat of primer on the vaulted ceiling. It took 5.5 hours up and down a ladder and I am very sore.

Dh finished the kitchen lights.

[nswef]

Wonderful progress, CL! Ceilings will kill your energy! Rest if you can.

[Chicken lady]

All the kitchen outlets are in and the second coat of primer is completely done. The cabinet pulls arrived ups today, and the counter people called and scheduled the measuring for the 24th.

[nswef]

Yay!

[Chicken lady]

Dh got a bug in his bonnet this morning and decided to finish wiring all the speakers and move the piano into the addition. I'm not done painting, and we have no floor or trim, the lights and fans are not all in, but apoarently he can wait no longer. He says he will move everything back into the entryway during the week until I finish painting and then we can put it where it goes and I can do the entryway, and it can be moved for floors, etc.

so now we are reorganizing the "den" which is no longer overcrowded by having a piano stuffed in the corner.

[mschrisgo2]

The piano must have wheels- ?
Some how I didn't picture the piano going in the addition.... I was picturing large kitchen and eating area. I must have missed some crucial information along the way. Can you help fill in my picture, please?

Speakers and music sounds delightful!

[Chicken lady]

It's a great room.

big rectangle. Long side toward the house, connected by an entryway. Half the long side away from the house is a bump out for the kitchen. The end toward the front of the house has a bump out for a breakfast nook. On the wall across from the kitchen is a piece of wall that includes the corner of the original rectangle and is deep enough for the piano. We put it there FOR the piano, because we gather around it with friends/family and sing.

attempt at line drawing:
........._________
........l...............|
........|...............|__________
_____l.................................|
|.........................................|
l_____.................................|
.........|piano__door-________|

ignore the dots. The proportions are probably wrong, but that's the idea.
it's a studio piano. On wheels.

[Teacher Terry]

I love that you created a space for the piano since you use it so much. Sounds wonderful!

[Chicken lady]

I have baseboards and trim around the cabinets.

the guy dh made the bet with cheated and hired someone, so they called the bet off.

dh played the piano until his hands hurt this evening. :). He hasn't played much for a while except at Christmas time.

i have been helping dd2 gather up her things to move back to school and to her apartment. I gave her a set of stacking drawers and a few things from my kitchen - besides her stuff that she moved in in May and will be moving out.

[Chicken lady]

The ceiling has two coats of paint all the way around the bottom where it meets the walls and around the ends of all (7) box beams. I did not do the ridge line or the angles of the two tall walls above the first story height.

[mschrisgo2]

Great work on the painting! Sounds like the ceiling is at least half done, wonderful!
And thanks for the diagram, now I've got the picture, lol.
Sounds like it's all coming together quickly.
Too bad the other guy decided to hire his work done, I think your DH would have won!

[Chicken lady]

The ceiling is not half done (unless you count the primer and then it is more than 2/3 done. The strips are only about 6" wide. but I am trying to do the hardest part of the remaining job each day that I work on it. I thought I would do the last of the ridge line and angles today, but I don't know. I am very sore. The brushwork over my head left is - the ridge line and angles, a square around the entryway ceiling, and, after I finish ceilings, the top edges of all of the walls.

The big roller is faster.

[Chicken lady]

The ridge lines and angles are done - 2 coats. The ceiling over the breakfast nook (not as high) is done - 2 coats.

i have started the first roller coat on the vaulted ceiling, but I don't know how much energy I have left for it. The top 2/3 requires ladders.

[Chicken lady]

Yesterday dh put up the fan/light over the breakfast nook where I have finished the ceiling.

today I am going to try to finish the rest of the great room ceiling (but not the entryway)

[Chicken lady]

I finished painting the vaulted ceiling. I started the first coat on the entryway ceiling, but I ran out of paint.

dh can put the other two fan/lights up now.

[Chicken lady]

I bought more paint. Dh finished putting up the ceiling fans.

[nswef]

It sounds as if some things are getting FINISHED!!! Congratulations. I love how you keep at it.

[Chicken lady]

Yes, some are getting finished.

today the outside lights went up.

we kind of have to keep at it.

related to the fitting into the house but not the construction, today dh hung the chime we bought when we were first married on the new back porch - it has been packed away - and he decided we should use the antique sad iron from my grandmother's house, which has been sitting on my desk for lack of a home, as a door stop for the side door.

all good.

[mschrisgo2]

I love hearing that you are unpacking things and incorporating them into your new space!

[Chicken lady]

Me too! It really feels like progress. I am very tired of "pack, move, unpack, repack, move, unpack, repack....."

i'm pretty sure we are going to be using the space with just the subfloor for a while at some point (the kitchen counters will be paid off in March), so I guess there will be one more big "pack it up and move it out" disruption, but not for a while.

[Chicken lady]

We ran out of paint.

dh took the week off because our son is getting married this weekend (and some equipment at work is broken, so he can't do much) He asked if I was going to paint today and I said yes, but I was really tired of it and feeling daunted by all the brush work. He said "the brushwork is the easy part. The hard part is the roller." And less than an hour later he was painting edges and I was rolling.

we FINISHED painting everything except one wall of the entryway - we are "scrape the cans, squeeze the roller" out of paint.

so tomorrow somebody has to go to the paint store. We are also out of food. We are eating the very last of the leftovers, so somebody or the other somebody also has to go to the grocery store. We do have eggs and toast for breakfast. And grapefruit. So if he wasn't home I could make it to thursday. But he won't eat eggs, bread, and grapefruit for three meals in a row.

[Chicken lady]

The painting is done. The floor is swept. The switch plates are on, and my great grandmother's dining room table and chairs are set up in the breakfast nook - after being measured, described to the architect, reclaimed from my aunt, shipped over 600 miles in a storage pod, loaded into a pick up truck, carried up to the barn loft and wrapped in old blankets, and finally carried into the house and dusted.

it may have been ten years since I last sat at this table with my cousin. She will be here for brunch in 4 days.

[mschrisgo2]

Wonderful! Congratulations!

Is everything done except the counters and floor covering? Oh, and maybe the sink? Wow!

[Chicken lady]

Porch lights - we can't agree, so currently bare bulbs.
Screened back porch isn't screened.
some interior "fixtures" also bare bulbs.
no water to kitchen
no countertops
no microwave
one drawer is missing
no floors
no baseboards
no door or window trim
beams are not clad
cooktop is not installed
fridge is not moved
knobs not on cabinets
woodstove not purchased or installed
Interior chimney not installed or trimmed
no whatever those grate things are called in the holes where air comes in or goes back
ductwork for air return not enclosed
transition from original house to new space is still an exterior door with a metal and plastic sill
no exterior steps except to basement (using a long board with 2x4s nailed to it like a chicken ladder, a wooden box, and the too short old deck steps)
still fine tuning yard grading so no grass or landscaping
no rail or gate on basement stairs

otherwise, yeah, it's finished.

i mean you can play the piano and eat breakfast - what more do you want?:)

[beckyliz]

The painting is done. The floor is swept. The switch plates are on, and my great grandmother's dining room table and chairs are set up in the breakfast nook - after being measured, described to the architect, reclaimed from my aunt, shipped over 600 miles in a storage pod, loaded into a pick up truck, carried up to the barn loft and wrapped in old blankets, and finally carried into the house and dusted.

it may have been ten years since I last sat at this table with my cousin. She will be here for brunch in 4 days.

This makes me so happy for you.

[Chicken lady]

It makes me happy too. :)

i took another ther load of stuff to goodwill today. It was mostly stuff that belonged to dd2, but it is still stuff leaving my house.

[Chicken lady]

So, we found some porch lights we could agree on and all the lights are done except the center of the entryway ceiling - because, again, we can't agree. So, that is a bare bulb.

[Chicken lady]

My cousin liked the table in the space. She's going to try to come back again soon and stay for a few days when there is less going on. :)

dh ran the hot and cold water to the sink this weekend. The pipes are just sticking up because we are waiting for the counters. He also moved a rug and a chair down from his study.

my fountain is set up on it's switch. That happened before the wedding, but I think I forgot to update.

[Chicken lady]

Last night dh hooked the drain to the bottom of the sink and the trap is full of water. He wants to call and ask if we can get our plumbing inspection with the faucet hanging over the edge of the sink because they still have his $500 bond for doing his own work and he doesn't want to wait for the counter install. It takes them 6 weeks to send it back after you pass!

after the plumbing inspection we have 6 months to install the woodstove and put up steps and then we can get an occupancy permit and no more inspections!

dh is hoping they will pass the woodstove installed on tile backer board because he wants to put off flooring until spring - when I will have the counter paid off and there will be some money set aside so we don't have to finance the whole floor.

The pay-as-you-go plan is only covering lighting and paint and pipe and such these days. After we paid for drywall and bought the cabinets the set aside was drained and we haven't been able to build it back up. So we are using the home equity line for the big things - like the counters - and the share that comes out of my paycheck goes toward that. We have paid off 10% of the principal on the initial construction loan (my payment will be an extra one toward principal only once the h.e. line is paid off) two unexpected (when we planned the addition or "new children" were dating our original children less than a year) weddings have not helped with the budgeting, but we have been able to feel comfortable with what we did for each couple. The extra interest is worth it (the same amount of celebration would have cost more in 5 years anyway, right?) the money promised for dd2's last year of college this year is already banked.

anyway, we would like to do some fun things this fall (go to some festivals, eat out a few times - our concert series is already paid for) and have our usual level of Christmas spending more than we would like to hurry up on the floor. Our debt is only the construction loan, h.e. line, and dh car payment. (The interest on the car loan was less than the interest paid on our savings, so the car money sits there) We pay the cc's off every month and get back 1-2% of what we spend.

[Chicken lady]

I haven't updated this in a while. Dh passed the plumbing inspection. The drawer front finally arrived, but no drawer box. The counters go in tomorrow, and he has ordered materials to build a movable hearth for the wood stove. He hopes to pass final inspection by thanksgiving. (The remaining work will all be "cosmetic")

[Chicken lady]

The counters went in today and we moved the fridge, dropped the cooktop in (still needs to be screwed in place but is hooked up, and put the faucet on the sink. Kitchen is now usable.

remaining to do:
Screened back porch isn't screened.
Entry light is a bare bulb.
no microwave
one drawer is missing
no floors
no baseboards
no door or window trim
beams are not clad
knobs not on cabinets
woodstove not purchased or installed
Interior chimney not installed
no whatever those grate things are called in the holes where air comes in or goes back
ductwork for air return not enclosed
transition from original house to new space is still an exterior door with a metal and plastic sill
no exterior steps except to basement (using a long board with 2x4s nailed to it like a chicken ladder, a wooden box, and the too short old deck steps)
still fine tuning yard grading so no grass or landscaping
no rail or gate on basement stairs

[mschrisgo2]

Usable kitchen, YAY!!!!

... a couple, two or three days of outside work, then the rest is all interior finish work.

Does this mean you can unpack anything for the new kitchen?

[Chicken lady]

I made dinner in it last night. And it is where the coffee is this morning.

I am not going to have some big "move" into the new kitchen. I am moving things into it as I need them. So dinner took extra long last night as I went back to the "scullery" - as we are calling the old kitchen because it is where you take the dirty dishes - for every pan, knife, spice, etc.

new groceries get unpacked into the new kitchen, and when things come out of the dishwasher, they come to the new kitchen (I did move all the flatware) and at some point, I will decide "enough." Everything left behind goes. (Or gets moved to the basement for storage - for example, I have an angel food cake pan. It is ds's favorite cake. He lives in Wisconsin now, so I will probably use it twice a year.)

our next focus is the woodstove because it is the last thing we need to do for an occupancy permit, and because it will be cold soon. We aren't going to buy a new one yet. We are going to move the one we have and plan to get a smaller one for that location later. It always overheated the room it was in in order to warm the rest of the house. The air circulation in and from the new space is much better, but we think we will still want the secondary one because it is at the foot of the stairs and close to the bedroom farthest from the addition. The new Hvac system can be run on "fan only" the old one could not, so we'll see.

[Chicken lady]

Part of the hearth materials have arrived. Dh and I both get paid today, he is going to pick up a microwave after work and then I will be cooking everything in the new kitchen.

i need to get some drawer liners so I can put the cast iron pans away in the drawers under the cooktop without beating up the drawer bottoms.

I took the old silverware divider to school for tools.

[Lainey]

Part of the hearth materials have arrived. Dh and I both get paid today, he is going to pick up a microwave after work and then I will be cooking everything in the new kitchen.

.....

That's a big milestone, congratulations!

[Chicken lady]

I started lining the drawers last night. I found some old vinyl wall paper in my crafts stash, so not only free, but reducing the hoard in the basement a little too. Bit by bit....

[Chicken lady]

Never finished those drawers, putting it on the shor5 list for today.

the big project for the weekend was disconnecting the woodstove we have, putting it on a custom built dolly, jacking it up over the step, and rolling it into the new space. Next weekend dh will clean and cap the old chimney and maybe start the hearth. Hopefully by the end of October the woodstove will be installed in the new space.

Dd and Dsil came over for dinner last night. Dh cooked in the new kitchen and then we had a fight about my dish system.

in other news, we rearranged the furniture some more. The bar is now in the “new den/old living room” and my “dragon cupboard” (a small glass cupboard that holds a collection of dragons) is in the corner where the piano used to be. It has been replaced at the bottom of the stairs by a bench. One small bookshelf is on it’s way to the basement. The whole room looks more open and inviting. The dragons are all over the place and I need to put them back in the cupboard today.

[Chicken lady]

Dragons are put back, drawers are lined, pans are also put away.

[Chicken lady]

The woodstove is installed in it’s new location. The old chimney is not closed off yet, but that is not required for the inspection. We are now “final inspection ready” dh will call on Monday.

Non required work remaining to do:
Screened back porch isn't screened.
Entry light is a bare bulb.
one drawer is missing
no floors
no baseboards
no door or window trim
beams are not clad
no whatever those grate things are called in the holes where air comes in or goes back
ductwork for air return not enclosed
transition from original house to new space is still an exterior door with a metal and plastic sill
no exterior steps except to basement (using a long board with 2x4s nailed to it like a chicken ladder, a wooden box, and the too short old deck steps)
still fine tuning yard grading so no grass or landscaping
no rail or gate on basement stairs

[nswef]

Huge progress! final inspection ready sounds impressive!

[Chicken lady]

It would look more “final” with trim and flooring, but that will have to wait.

we are going to start shopping today for the furniture we planned to have in the new space but do not own yet. Dh wants to have comfortable seating in place before all the holiday gatherings so people don’t have to sit in wooden dining room chairs. Which means we will use the line of credit, which means it won’t be paid off in March which means longer until the floor.

oh well, as we say in pottery “form follows function”....

[Chicken lady]

We ended up buying a couch at ikea. Also a large kitchen cart/island (little island on wheels?) that dh is going to hack from parts from ikea and Lowe’s. We will add a loveseat and ottoman (same style, from ikea) in the near future. I have mixed feelings about this furniture, but dh likes it and it is functional and comfortable and reasonably attractive, and there have been many other areas of this project that I have felt strongly about, so I am just pushing the easy button on this one.

dh is going to call about the inspection this morning.

[nswef]

Yay! Enjoy the new sofa and your kitchen. Here's hoping the inspection goes well.

[Chicken lady]

WE PASSED!

After 2 years and 8 months we are now done consulting with the county. The bank and the insurance company still feel the right to be involved.

dh is assembling my cart/island

[nswef]

congratulations!!!!!!!!

[mschrisgo2]

Congratulations!!! What a huge accomplishment!

And I notice final inspection was passed more than 5 weeks prior to the goal of Thanksgiving completion. And, in fact, you have exceeded most of your recent goals. So- I predict you will be seeing the floors in sooner than you expect, too.Well done, very well done.

[Chicken lady]

The floors are a budget issue. The other stuff has been time. Dh employer imposed a 3 year wage freeze, and my pay changes only in Septembers. Since my “extra earning potential” from subbing is up to $120/week and usually $0, I don’t see a floor in the near future. Spring. Maybe summer.

but now, if you remember the original elephant thread - my elephant wasn’t “building an addition” it was “ fitting into my house” right sizing the house was only half of that.

i have been working on right sizing the stuff, but this is the part where the focus swings more in that direction. Today I plan to take a load to goodwill.

[Teacher Terry]

Wage freezes are so bad. When I worked for the state we took pay cuts for a number of years and by the time I retired I was making less $ then 7 years before. Luckily it did not effect my retirement because they were furloughs so my pension was based on what i should have been earning. Great job on getting rid of stuff.

[mschrisgo2]

Congratulations on the load to Goodwill. I suspect with the house now right-sized, the right-sizing of the stuff will progress smoothly. In fact, here is to Ease of finishing off the elephant!

[Chicken lady]

Well, i’m not sure how easy it will be. I am still struggling with the hoarding. But I have found a really good on-line support group. I check in with them every day, often several times. It helps me stay honest with myself and keeps me accountable. It is frighteningly easy to acquire huge quantities of stuff in our society while spending little or no money or effort.

being a teacher probably doesn’t help. Yesterday I acquired a cute little drawstring bag - made by a student and filled with apples.

meanwhile, this week we are mostly playing around with rearranging furniture.

[mschrisgo2]

"It is frighteningly easy to acquire huge quantities of stuff in our society while spending little or no money or effort."

So very true! It does help to see that, doesn't it? You don't even have to seek it, it just happens.

I have noticed it even more since I retired in June- people are always trying to give me things! I have a donation bag in my car, I try not to let stuff even come into the house. But if I hadn't spent so much energy right-sizing and were kind of oblivious, I would be drowning in stuff again.

[sweetana3]

I also had to learn the word "no" when people kept trying to give me stuff. I quilt and make donation quilts and had several people offer me fabric. I have no more room for storage and don't want to stuff my house full. So I suggest a guild for the sewing stuff and have a favorite thrift shop to suggest to others.

[Chicken lady]

Last night, dinner, two adult kids and a puppy.
Three people cooking in the kitchen at the same time!
Sitting on a couch that doesn’t face a television, watching with my son in law as my husband ran through the woods with the puppy.
getting up to a clean kitchen in which to fix breakfast this morning because the dishes that didn’t fit in the dishwasher last night are piled in the other sink.

[Chicken lady]

And then the hot water heater rusted through....

[mschrisgo2]

Uh OH!

[Chicken lady]

So, I have a new water heater.

as a sign of my de-hoarding progress, this was managed with only one small argument relating to my stuff and no freaking out on my part.

i had to move two items for dh to have space to work, and then rearrange 8 stacks that were sitting on the floor in order to mop, but the stacks were either entirely or at bottom rubbermade bins, so no big deal. Most of it was plastic toys I brought in from the barn while doing my studio project. Then tire moving/mopping/putting back plus carrying out the old water heater took 35 minutes.

[Chicken lady]

Dh put an additional return in the bedroom wall this weekend. He is working on balancing the air flow in the house for temperature control. All but $20 of the materials came from the collection in the shop or garage. I lost wall space for a small bookshelf.

sometimes I get frustrated - the house is much bigger and the kids have moved out, but the space I have available for my stuff is less than before.

[mschrisgo2]

"...the space I have available fr my stuff is less than before."

THere is definitely something wrong with that picture. I'm guessing you and DH are having some conversations around that?

[Chicken lady]

Kinda. Only they go “I think you are doing this on purpose” “I am not doing this on purpose” “well, I have gotten rid of a lot of stuff and the situation is no better because you keep taking all the storage” “you have plenty of storage” repeat

[mschrisgo2]

LOL, I call that the "I'm really not ready to talk about it yet" conversation, as in, "I know I disappointed you/hurt your feelings/ etc but I'm not ready to say I just wasn't paying attention to your needs." I hope he comes around soon.

[Chicken lady]

I call it the “you are wrong.” conversation. As in “this is reality and eventually you will have to face that.”

[Teacher Terry]

Maybe his passive/aggressive way to help you downsize:))

[Chicken lady]

Which leads us back to “I think you are doing this on purpose”

[mschrisgo2]

How is the elephant?

[Chicken lady]

Well, the final kitchen drawer has been assembled and installed. Other than that construction and finishing are still halted.

my kids helped me clean out about 20% of the Halloween decorations (one bin of 5) and the girls took or passed on some kitchen and thanksgiving items. There are still a bunch of those waiting for ds to take or refuse and then the remains will go to goodwill.

we all sorted through Christmas decorations together last year, so I don’t expect much if any change there. I think the elephant is pretty much on ice until January.