The Remodeling Journal

Sunday, October 26

We are having the “Last Supper” before the remodeling job starts tomorrow.  We have moved everything out of the kitchen, all 2 ½ bathrooms, and our closet in the master bedroom.  We have a wicker basket with all our “daily necessities” (razor, deodorant) and a bag with our morning things (hairdryer, roller, make up).

Monday, October 27

7:30 am they start arriving, 7 guys with sledge hammers, knee pads, eye goggles, ready to go.  It felt like a horror movie.  The kitchen didn’t have a chance! The refrigerator we are keeping is moved downstairs the old one out on the back deck.  We leave at 7:45.  Frank returns at 3:30- the wall between the kitchen and dining room is gone-all appliances, floor and cabinets in the kitchen gone.  Master bathroom- tub, shower, commode and cabinets gone.  Guest bath commode and cabinet gone- sink held up by a 2x4!  Powder room on first floor sink and cabinet gone.  Master bedroom closet all rods gone along with all the window shades on the first floor.  All carpet covered with plastic.  Everything vacuumed-some dust

Tuesday, October 28

Interesting morning cooking English muffins in toaster in the hallway, getting ready in upstairs guest bath okay.  Came home at 3:30---AMAZING- hard wood floor in kitchen complete- all tile out of all the bathrooms.  Closet in old “dining room” framed in.
Things were not crazy enough so  Public Works crews came today to relocate gas service into the house.

Wednesday, October 29

Oops, little problem with the inspector, Eddy worked it all out. Major electrical work completed-new lights over dining room cabinets.  Closed off all fixtures in kitchen from former washer and dryer.  Plumber redid all plumbing for all bathrooms, new lower sink and area for refrigerator ice-maker.

Thursday, October 30

Doesn’t look like much happened today.  Can see that the electrician was here - I guess they do a lot that we don’t see.  Can tell that they raised the outlet for the light fixture in the guest bath and the powder room.  Electrical fixture was removed from the master bath.  Major electrical work was done in kitchen to the right of sink.  Living in our front room without shades is like being in an aquarium.

Friday, October 31 – Happy Halloween!

Got home today and the drywall folks had been busy.  The kitchen and new closets are done and the section for the downstairs bath looks to be cut out and ready.  Plus - they cleaned up really well!

Monday, November 3

Very little visible progress today.  The sheetrock folks were here about 7:30 and worked about half a day.  Frank came home around noon and everybody gone.  Final decisions today on refrigerator and bathroom lighting.

Tuesday, November 4

Sheetrock again today---we knew this would be slow so we concentrated on the small changes.  No more holes in the walls.  Closet looks ready to go.

Wednesday, November 5

Wall in the downstairs bath finished.  Floor in the guest bath has this “waffle looking” stuff and wall in master bath looking good.  Everything looks ready to go and they tell us the cabinets are coming tomorrow----we’ll see.

Thursday, November 6

At 7:30 this morning Ed was here and he said this would be a big day.  Little did we know.   At 8:45 Judy came back to meet with Jeanne and Michelle on final paint colors.  WOW - Bruce was here and his guys were installing the kitchen cabinets.  We decided on the paint colors with Jeanne for the living room, first floor and up the stairs.  Decided to repaint all the trim in the master bedroom beige.

Talked about the tile in the kitchen, going with a 4” backsplash of granite then tile.  Jeanne picked out a fabulous tile, solid color but not smooth surface...  Michelle intervened and reminded us that our basic pricing was backsplash or tile.  I agreed to a change order.
Jeanne and I talked about redoing the window treatment in the living room.  She has lots of ideas and Frank will meet with her next week to look at options.  Frank came home at 3:30 and he was blown away - all the kitchen and dining room cabinets were in-fabulous- the glass doors over the new bar are wonderful.  Bathrooms—the downstairs powder room is going to be dynamite.  Upstairs the colors are great and the bathrooms are starting to take shape.

This is the most dramatic day since demo.  It is so great to see it all start to take shape-it is everything we envisioned-plus!   When I got home Frank made me close my eyes and he walked me in.  It was beyond any expectation---I was overcome how it all came together. Wow, Wow, Wow!

Friday, November 7

Need to find a new adjective, wow has been overused.  But it was another huge day.  The bathroom tile is going in and it is incredible.  What a dramatic change.  These guys worked until 6:30 pm and will be back again tomorrow.   Ed and I missed cocktail time.  Mike and Michelle came by and Frank pulled out the “box” chardonnay.

I had a frustrating afternoon trying to understand Jeanne’s plans for the kitchen tile.  It took phone calls with Ed and Jeanne to understand that the tile she originally showed me and Michelle was $2800 over our budget.   Also got the change order numbers for the additional painting of all the downstairs and the trim in the master bedroom.  Much higher than I had imagined but Ed assured me that he thought it was a fair price for all the detail that needs to be done.

Saturday, November 8

Went to Rowan’s birthday party today and the tile guys came back.  When we got home both the upstairs baths had all the tile in place.  They are nothing short of beautiful.

Monday, November 10

Ed was here at 7:30.  Gary Berry is gone so they have all four parking spaces.  He looked over what the tile guys had done over the weekend and was pleased.  We looked at the tile backsplash that Jeanne picked out and decided the design is not me. But I had talked myself into it over the weekend.  Confirmed that we accepted the two change orders for the painting.   He also suggested that we call Gary to get another option on the living room window treatments. At 10 I met Michelle at Cogswell to put the templates on the granite slabs.  We had previously spent a couple of hours wandering around Cogswell walking through a huge warehouse and outdoor racks of granite and marble.  But we kept coming back to Astral Dream.  We were meant for each other! The marble is so beautiful I could hardly decide where the templates should go.  Fortunately Michelle does and I loved everything that she did.  “Darrell” helped too.  I was a little anxious that we would have a seam but Michelle assured me it would be okay.  She also talked about the kitchen tile and described the tile that we had seen at the “Keswick House.”  I loved its “brick look” rather than the fancy one from Jeanne.

At 3:45 Ed called to talk about quarter round (I know not what it is).  I told him Frank would be home and to talk to him.  Frank got home, he and Ed met on the bathrooms, Michelle showed up and agreed with her on the new kitchen tile.

I got home at 5:45, checked out everything, Mike called.  I’m a little disappointed in the look of the closet doors, but I’ll wait until I see them painted.  The granite is going to make the kitchen.  Can’t wait until Friday.  Little problem---the wine rack is too low.  My mistake but I want to get it fixed.

Schedule change painting starts tomorrow.  Frank packed everything from the dining room shelves where we have been living and eating from.  We are living on basics and down to almost nothing on the first floor.  Ukrops dinner was great—the $50 microwave from Lowe’s is our best friend.

Tuesday, November 11 Veteran’s Day

Slow day today—we got hardware on all the cabinets.  Looks really good.  The new wood knobs on the living room lower doors look silly because they are not painted.  Both upstairs baths have brown paper on the floor.  Mike left an e-mail that painting would start tomorrow.  Upper cabinets on either side of range in—the kitchen is getting there.

Wednesday, November 12

Met with Ed this morning and talked some minor details.  Painting started.  Looks like all the ceilings on the first floor have been cleaned.  I got home about 6 and it was okay.  Frank met with Jeanne about window treatments in the living room.  All the furniture on the first floor is covered with plastic.  Frank uncovered a chair to sit in and the computer.  Dinner was interesting.  We ate on paper plates on our laps.  Had to dig under the plastic to find paper plates and forks on the dining room table.  Found out today that our back door “cover” goes to BAR next week.  Ed will be on vacation so I offered to go to the meeting.  Mary Joy has it on the consent agenda and she sees no problem.  505 on too.  Even if it gets pulled it will be discussed before the regular items.

Wine rack fixed---yeah Bruce---and at no cost.  I love these guys!

Thursday, November 13

We started early this morning.  Ed was here at 7:12 and Frank yelled at him to come in that we were dressed.  Which would have been okay except that I was in a bra and slip curling my hair with the curling iron which is on the master bed with the cord pulled into the wall where it would trip anyone trying to get into the master bath.  The only mirror in the house is on this wall and I’ve burned myself twice in the past few weeks trying to use the curling iron without a mirror.  Jumped into my dress and downstairs for our regular morning meeting.  Talked about cable for my all important TV.  Frank to meet with Gary today on window covers.  I threw my make up in a bag and got out by 7:45---driving my staff crazy coming to work early.

Frank got home at 3:30---parking lot full-Ed is directing traffic.  In house lots of folks working and cleaning.

WOW again---painting the ceiling was such an amazing difference-it actually makes the ceilings seem taller. I loved getting rid of the blue and peach on the first floor and the orange trim in the master bedroom. Everything looks so much bigger and cleaner.
Dinner was our last prepackaged meal from Ukrops.

The master bath finally got all the grout—it is fantastic—the color from door thru floor to bath is incredible.  More than I imagined.  I credit Michelle and Jeanne for their great choices.  Looks like more cabinets and pull out came today.  Tomorrow is granite.

Friday November 14

We knew this would be the big day.  I called Frank a bout 4:30 and he said it was awful---of course Mike was there and they both laughed.  When I got home Frank had all the lights turned off and made me come in with my eyes closed. 

The granite was unbelievable---I had seen the slab and the template but until I saw it installed in my kitchen I couldn’t believe how great it was.

Plus---we have running water in the kitchen and one of the sinks in the master bath.  The powder room has the dramatic black counter and the white bowl---pretty cool.  The countertops in the other two bathrooms were in and great---it was just so much for one day it was tough to take it all in---the granite was so dramatic it made the other things pale in comparison and the painting made everything look beautiful and shining and clean.

Monday, November 17

More color, more paint and the contrast of the wall and trim is starting to show.
BUT---Subway tile rocks!  It is so beautiful—thanks Michelle.  I just stood in the kitchen and stared.  I love everything.  Frank keeps telling me not to get so excited because we have so much more to go---but I love it.

Tuesday, November 18

I went to the BAR (not my favorite bar) and our over the back door “shed” got approved for us and 505.  Came home to more incredible painting.  It is looking so clean and bright.  I was worried about Ed being on vacation but Mike has been here every day and these incredible painters show up at 7:30 sharp and work until 4.  Things are moving so much faster than I could have imagined.

Shower could be interesting tomorrow because we have no shower curtain.  We have been happy to always have one toilet, one sink and a shower during all of this but tomorrow could be tough---stay tuned.

Wednesday, November 19

Showering was a challenge—getting clean without flooding the house! More painting-we love the colors in the living room and the pale blue in the powder room.  The contrast of the walls and the trim gets better every day.

Thursday, November 20

Bruce was back to put all the doors on the kitchen cabinets.  We are continuing to line all the shelves with a great ribbed heavy clear plastic.  More paint—the stairwell looks great.  Started the trim in our bedroom and it totally changes the look, which is what we wanted.  It blends so well with the bathroom.

Friday, November21

Another Wow-the master closet is done-it doubles our hanging space.  All the shelves are back in the cabinets in the living room but mike suggested we not put anything on the painted shelves for 3 days.  Discovered the new shelving in the closet in the “new room”—it will be great but the closet is still full of the painters stuff.

Can’t find the kitchen trash can—guess the painters liked it.  Cleaners did their regular awesome job!

Saturday, November 22

Kitchen floor guys stopped by, said they were in town and would be here Monday morning.  Spent the day slowly putting a few thing sin the kitchen cabinets and trying to think thru where everything would go.  Frank has all his clothes back in the closet, bought a shoe rack and filled it with our basic stuff.;

Sunday, November 23

More stuff in the kitchen---threw a bunch of old stuff out.

Monday, November 24

Closets---we have closets.  They look so great and have so much room—doubling our space!

Tuesday, November 25

Hardwood floors were refinished.  Frank had to open the windows---a little chilly—because he was getting high from the fumes.  We learned later that neighbors walking by had seen that our furniture was gone and thought we had moved.

Wednesday, November 26

More floors---wow they look great---we are off to Turkey Day. 

Monday, December 1

Appliances—they look so great.  It is all coming together—running water in the kitchen, gas to the stove.

Tuesday,-Friday  December 2-5

The finishing touches---more paint.  Every day more “little things” that just make it more perfect.  The “shed roof” over the back door---the height is perfect to show off the stained glass window—it’s the first time we could really appreciate it in 22 years of living here.

Monday , December 8

Final coat on the whole first floor and final clean.  It will never again look this good and this clean.  Final inspection.  I couldn’t find a thing to put on the punch list!  But fussy Ed found a couple of little things---he is such a perfectionist—thank God I don’t work for him!

Everything is so amazing---it’s like a whole new house.  This was way more than either of us expected.  Thanks to the whole Gaffney team, we could not have done this alone.  The help with picking things out and coordinating colors and finishes was invaluable.  It all works together.  Ed is the glue---I never had to talk to any of the subs, he did it all.  We both went to work every day and never had to worry about a thing—Ed did all that I guess.     Finished within budget and ahead of schedule---unheard of for a remodeling job!  It’s perfect we can’t find anything wrong.  Love it!