2007 12 31

The base boards are now done and I got the kitchen floor grout done last night around 3:00 AM. That was real fun. Once again I had too much to drink and I will need to do some touch up grout but it looks awesome. We just had our new bed delivered and installed. We also got matching nightstands. We got a 50" Vizio plasma screen for our bedroom and it looks awesome too. This now leaves just some grout in the bathroom, caulk and painting. Tonight we are having 5-10 people over for New Years and that will be fun as it will be our first party in our new house.

Next Tuesday Mike and Jackson will be here to close out the project and get thier last check. That will be ccol for them to see all the work I have done in the past 5 months as the last thing they really did was get the drywall on and I did 99% of the finish.

2007 12 28

The hardwood floor is now complete and I have started on the baseboards. I got some more of the kitchen floor grout done last night and stopped around 12:30. Yet another late night. We are off to Lowes to get some quarter round to install around the baseboards and then that just leaves lots of touch up paint and details. Finally we are coming to an end of this project!!!

2007 12 25

I got sick again and it took me out for another day and a half but it will not stop me from finishing the remodel. Tomorrow I will finish off the flooring in the new living room and then that leaves just the finish stuff. I can't wait until this thing is done as the delays and spending all my time off to work on the house is killing me :-)

2007 12 22

We passed final inspection yesterday morning. The inspector was here for 10 minutes, checking the jacuzzi tub power, shower enclosure and light switch cover plates and canned lights. Mike said we shall meet with Jackson and him, first of the year to close everything out.

I have completed the bedroom flooring and last night I laid down the moisture barrier in the living room. Right now I am setting up the first strip against the north wall of the living room to run all the other boards off. Hopefully the living room will go quickly and it will get done today or tomorrow. Yesterday we ordered a new bed, mattress and nightstands from Mor and it should be here Monday the 31st. That was $3400... ouch!

I bought a router and a router table so I can use the scrap from the flooring as we are going to run out of flooring. I am using it to create a tongue on some board ends and groves on others. I picked up 4 boxes of comparable flooring from Lumber Liquidators and it matches up pretty good. We had to go with different stuff as Turion is no longer in business, which is the first kind of flooring we bought. So much for having a 30 year warranty on the flooring...

All next week I will be finishing off stuff like baseboards and grouting the kitchen floor tiles, touch up paint and things like that.

The shower enclosure got installed on Wednesday and it looks awesome. It was a huge amount of money but it really makes the whole room look great.

2007 12 16

Last weekend I got nothing done as I was horribly sick. I did not get out of bed almost all weekend. This weekend I got part of the kitchen grout done and worked on the bathroom. I fixed the one tile which stuck out too much on the bottom left of the shower entry and ground down some others that stuck out. Tomorrow the glass enclosure is going to be installed and Lars is picking up the tab ($168) for the french doors transom to be replaced as it broke about two months ago mysteriously.

I started on the bamboo flooring and now I can see why installers can charge so much. First I had to find all the low spots and fill them in with Henrys 547 UniPro Universal Patch & Skimcoat. Then I layed down a layer of Bostiks MVP4 Moisture Barrier and let it sit overnight. I woke up to find it still tacky but that is what Lumber Liquidators said it would end up like. As long as you can walk on it and it does not transfer to your shoes, you are good to go. So then I layed down the Bostick Best flooring adhesive, enough so I could reach at at time and started to lay the bamboo boards. It took most of the day to do all of this and it looks great. Sometime this week I would imagine we will be going to Mor Furniture to get the bed we saw and liked. It is a little over the top but will go well with the addition and will be a much nicer bed than what we have. Hopefully we can get rid of that one and make a few dollars as it was $1200 and the mattress was about a grand too.

2007 12 04

The glass for the enclosure shower is on order through Pacifica Glass Co (http://www.pacificaglasssd.com/) via Jack. The price (~$1700) was on par with another two glass companies but we decided to go with this company as they do all the custom glass for Lars. I will need to remove one tile at the bottom left of the threshold and redo it as it sticks out too far for the glass to go in properly. I will have that done in the next few days to be ready for a possible early delivery/install.

I got another light replace on the outside of the house. It has not worked for the past several weeks and lw and behold when I wen to remove it, the top was exposed 1/4" or more so water has been getting in there during the rains with high winds. To boot the ground wire was not connected from the light to the bar, which is grounded. I assume both lights on the East side of the house have burned up for the same reasons. Horray for the Lars subs installing them properly. They were only $20 each... fagetaboutit. It would be far more hassle to try and retrieve the money.

I spent a hour or two cleaning up the bathroom tiles as I have made a mess of them in the pastr month or two with mortar, grout, paint and silicone. They look great now and things like the toe kick are ready to go in. I plan on getting the kitchen floor halfway grouted tonight. That is if I have time after I pick up our safe from the trucking company and get it home. Eric is gonna follow me home and we are going to try to get it out of my truck and into the house. We shall see... it should not be too bad as it is only 450 lbs.

2007 11 30

In the pouring rain tonight I setup a popup cover to cut tiles and got the lower shower tiles cut and installed. I started on the threshold and finshed most of the desk bullnose. This leaves the remainder of the shower threshold, the stairs and the strips underneath the pantrys by the refridgerator. I will get these done tomorrow morning and then move onto finishing off all the small stuff that I can like the nail holes in the crown and the polyurethane on the doors and grouting everything that I have yet to grout. I can't wait until I can relax, its 1:29 AM and I have been up since 3:30 AM...

2007 11 29

I got started too late last night, so I just installed all of the living room ceiling speakers by cutting an 8" circle in the ceiling. They sound okay but I believe I need an amp to power them properly. Tonight I will be completing the shower granite at the bottom of the walls and starting on the threshold part in granite which will take two steps to do the vertical and horizontal pieces. The safe is being delivered on Monday, hopefully I can pay the trucker some extra money to get it inside the house as the delivery is curbside only.

2007 11 27

The final inspection failed as we thought, but at least we only failed on known items; the jacuzzi access cover, the canned light trim in the bedroom, the anti siphon set screw on the hose bibs, and the shower enclosure. I took last week off and got the bedroom painting completed so now all the vents, lights and covers are up. Mike stopped by last Wednesday with the jacuzzi access cover and I just mounted it with adhesive silicone. I also go the shower tiles pretty much completed except for the bottom row. It has to be done in multiple stages the way I am doing it, so as to make it as waterproof as possible. Half of the shower floor got grouted last night and I will finish it off tonight. That leaves the bottom row of granite tiles and the threshold. and then finally we can have the shower doors accurately measured. That is gonna cost over $1500. Ouch...

In the past two week since I have last entered more information into this blog, I have also done a lot of cleanup outside and so has Megan, doing a little bit of yard work. I built up the dirt area at the bottom of the back steps, pretty much finished the stair tiles leading into the living room, bought and installed most of the closet cabinetry after painting the closet a bright white, mounted the vanity lights, the medicine cabinets, finished the jacuzzi granite tiling, tiled most of the desk bullnose, the bedroom pony wall moulding, spackeled and sanded half or so of the crown moulding, and of course took the day off to eat my share of the decapitated and disemboweled bird.

I hope to get crackin on the hardwood floor in about two weeks, we shall see. The only thing holding me up is the shower, so I can get the glass on order, and of course getting the bedroom doors completed as they need additional coats of polyurethane.

2007 11 12

This weekend I got the bathroom floor grouted in addition to the shower. We did some more painting in the bathroom and it should get completed in the next day or two. I made a mount for the bathroom fan vent, trimmed and routed the address for the front door area and mounted it... and raised the level of the dirt at the base of the back steps.

I have a fair amount of stuff to be done but it was a big thing to finally get the shower grouted. The floor looks great grouted and I can't wait till I can get the kitchen floor grouted too as it looks way better. The closet needs to be caulked at the bottom of the sheetrock as we are thinking of skipping the baseboards in the closet to get the cabinetry we buy, butted up against the wall. We just need to paint in there and then we can get the cabinetry. We are thinking of getting the dark cherry looking stuff from Lowes but will look at Ikea first.

2007 11 09

Its 11:24 PM and I have yet to mix a batch of mortar yet to finish off todays tile cutting. This really blows ass. I just want to relax and go to bed and watch the stupid box... no such luck with my crazy driven late ass nights ass.

2007 11 09

I have conceded that tiling sucks ass. I am so sick of tiling it hurts. Cutting tile is great and the laying of tiles is fine too but the odd niches and fucked up out of square areas I have to deal with... will be the end of me. I hope to never touch a tile saw again.

I got lazy this last week or two, in moving back into the house... kind of taking a break but finishing off the last few things is really a royal pain. I should have most of the tiling finished off tonight in my drunken stupor and hope it does not look like shit too much.

Tomorrow I should spend the majority of the day trying to get things ready for final inspection next week so here goes nothing...

Hopefully the laying of bamboo flooring will be nothing like the nightmare that the tile has become. To boot there is only 800 square feet of bamboo flooring I need to lay!

2007 11 08

Not much has been done this week. I got one speaker installed in the ceiling and we got the handles for the kitchen cabinetry and I started to install them last night. We met with Mike on Tuesday and we agreed that Larry's plumbing company will finish off the bathroom next week. I will need to grout under the toilet, in the shower and behind the jacuzzi. That means I will be spending most of my time in our new bathroom, finishing it off this weekend.

Mike is also going to have the electricians come check out the dishwasher electrical line as it is not hot. Mike is going to call for the final inspection next week and that will most likly get them off the hook for anything remaining and they can get their last check. That will leave me with a list of to dos, mostly consisting of the bathroom as stuff like the hardwood flooring will not need to be in to pass inspection.

I discovered the transom window above the french doors is broken. Only the outside pane is broken and I could not see anyhting around that cold have broken it as it is way too high off the ground. I know it got broken yesterday and the day before I was on a ladder a few feet from it on the inside of the house installing a ceiling speaker so I would have seen it then. It must have been defective, installed improperly or someone slammed the french doors and is not fessing up.

2007 11 05

Last Saturday I go the desk built and tiled half of it. It took forever as I needed to fabiricate some steel L stock due to the middle expanse sagging. I also got more of the jacuzzi tiles done. Megan and I painted more in our bedroom and she spent some time picking up the old living room and rearanging the hallway closet. Sunday I pretty much finished the desk and the jacuzzi tiles. We picked up the house some more as Jackson and Mike are supposed to meet us there later today to go over what needs to be done for the final inspection.

2007 11 02

Tonight I finished the closet tiles and started the jacuzzi surround tiles. Since it is already 8:53 PM I don't think I will get too much more done tonight other than maybe get the two bedrrom doors stained and then its off to bed so I can get up early and get crackin'. Tomorrow I should get the jacuzzi surround done and backsplash... other than that I dunno as my to do list is a monster right now and that leads to not much getting done with one small thing leading to a long wandering mess of not much getting done due to trying to tackle too much at once. Hopefully prioritizing stuff will lead to getting more acomplished and especially since we are living here full time now and my sickness going away I should be able to bust ass tomorrow and that will lead into a good week of progress. We shall see...

2007 11 01

The fires are pretty much out and the smoke has pretty much gone away. Halloween took care of last night and I am still feeing sick so no work the last couple days. Hopefully this weekend I can get a bunch done. Mike and I are to meet next week to prioritize what I have left to pass the final inspection as I keep wandering off doing finish stuff that does not need to be done for final such as paining the bead board on the island... but it does look better :-)

2007 10 29

Today I stayed home sick but still cut the remaining tiles for the closet but feel like hell so they will go down later in the week... maybe.

2007 10 28

Nothing is gonna get done in the next couple days as I am really sick now. The only thing I did today was lay the full size closet tiles. Staying home sick tomorrow, joy...

2007 10 27

Larry completed the kitchen sink completed and I cut the hole in the stainless steel sink for the soap dispenser. I also trimmed and mounted the laundry center cover so it would fit. I bought all the hoses and ducting for the laudry center and got it hooked up. The dishwasher electrical line was not live so I put a plug on the dishwasher instead of hardwiring it. Larry also put down the ring for the toilet but did not have the bolts that stick up so I told him I would do the toilet. I will also be doing the shower head an d handle as I have yet to grout the shower or vanity area. I will also be doing the jacuzzi tub fauctes/handles as I have yet to do that areas backsplash.

2007 10 26

Larry the plumber showed up today and got the sink set pretty much but it is not done. He got the two bathroom sinks done except for a part that has the wrong thread pitch which I will do later. I had to spend a half hour or so cutting the sink rim so the sink braketry would fit.

2007 10 25

Not too much more was done today as I am feeling worse and not much can be done if we can't venture outside very much.

2007 10 24

Gary and Sterling came up to help and part of the day was spent parking Gary's monster trailer in our driveway. We got the shower completed but I am feeling the effects of the smoke from being outside too much cutting tiles. We also got a chunk of the floor tiles done in our bathroom and the crown moulding in the living room. I can't believe I never owned a nail gun. I bought a three pack from CostCo and am love with them. Just gotta set the depth right so they do not stick out causing much grief when you go back to putty/paint.

2007 10 23

The winds have shifted and it is unbearable to breath outside. A quick couple minutes in the garage to check the computer or grab atool makes my eyes and throat burn. I got some more tilework done in the shower today and Trinity watered the fruit trees. I cut down some branches that were close to the house and we are running the HVAC system on fan mode to clear out the house as you can see the smoke is really bad today.

2007 10 22

The crazy San Diego fires started and are going nuts due to the super low humidity, high temperatures and Santa Ana winds blowing off th edesert. Megan got turned around (78 & 15) on the way into work as her computer at work could not be accessed. Not much got accomplished today as we watched a bunch of TV following the fires and talking to realatives. The Coronado Hills fire got within three miles of us and then got put out. The smoke today is not bad but will get horrible when the winds shift. One of the only things we got done today was to paint the crown moulding for the living room. I got a few more tiles done in the shower.

2007 10 21

I leveled, squared and attached the bathroom double sink vanity, layed its double layer of 3/4" plywood (to make up for using floor tiles for bullnose), got granite tiles cut for vanity top and layed first few rows of granite shower tiles

2007 10 20

I removed all the shower green board, moved the shower handle back 1/2", put up all new HardiBacker, completed bedroom paint with primer, unpacked most of our kitchen boxes and put up more kitchen shelves. We cleaned them out for the 10th time due to construction dust and that is a load of fun to do so many times. I am sure there will be more...

2007 10 14

We got the floor tiles completed this weekend in the kitchen. The countertops and backsplash got sealed and the bead board got put on the island. That is about it as we went to the Miramar Air Show and that took up most of Saturday.

2007 10 12

I completed the kitchen tile today and it looks sweet. I have since decided I hate doing tile. It really sucks cutting them, making a batch and doing the cleanup after each half bucket so I can use the same bucket again.

2007 10 11

Last night I got the grout finished in the kitchen as far as the countertops, island and backsplash go. We need to wait 72 hours so Sunday night I will be sealing the countertops and then that means Lars can come in after Wednesday to finish off the kitchen gas and sink hook ups.

This weekend I wll be getting the floor tiles completed and grout the floor tiles and finish off the small stuff like the crown molding.

2007 10 08

We got most of the floor tiles in the kitchen done this weekend and the groute on the countertops and half the island. Megan cleaned up the garage so that will make things much easier as it was a nighmare again. This week we should get the sealer done on the countertops and then Mike can have the electricians and plumbers come in to finish off the kitchen stuff.

2007 10 05

Mike is stopping by the house today to review what can be finished off in the kitchen regarding Lars having the gas hooked up, the sink set and stuff like that in the kitchen. This weekend we should have the floor tiles down in the kitchen, the goute done on the countertops and backsplash, and some little stuff like finisheg the crown and touch up painting.

2007 09 30

We got the kithcen backsplash done and half of the the Hardibacker on the floor. The pantry area got painted and should get the Hardiback done this week so we can get the tiling done this coming weekend. Last weekend we painted our bedroom and got the blinds up

2007 09 17

We got the crown moulding pretty much done this past weekend. I also hung the refridgerator cabinets and got half of the countertop bullnose tiles on. We finished painting the living room and worked a bit more on Trins room, getting her curtians up and a lamp on a new table. More toys are there now so she has somethign to play with. We would have got more done but John, Marcy, Adam, Bridget and their 3 kids came over.

2007 09 11

The weekend before last we got Trinity's room pretty much completed and this past weekend we got the granite tiles on the kitchen countertops. I also got the range hood up and the microwave. This next weekend we will work more on finishing the kitchen. I suspect two more weekends will be required to finish off the kitchen and then the weeekend there after I will get the floor tiles done in the kitchen.

2007 08 22

We got most of the cabinets in last weekend and will finish them up this weekend. The AC unit had a blockage somewhere and has been fixed. Bark was laid down last Friday and the porta pottie/dumpster removed. We passed fire inspection last Thursday. We should have the living room and kitchen paint done this weekend and then we will clean up and paitn Trintys room and the old living room.

2007 08 14

Last Friday the grading was completed which included them removing the gravel from out front and leveling the pile removed from the north side of the house. We painted this weekend, getting the kitchen and living room primmed, the kitchen painted and some of the living room. Last Saturday the windows were cleaned and they look brand new. Yesterday, Monday the 13th, the fire inspector came out and failed us twice as the fire system was not going off consistantly or under the specified time frame. Under 60 sec is a req. apparently, but the inspector wanted 30 seconds. We finally were getting that after he left and the second guy from Symons Fire Protection showed up. The next inspection is set for this coming Friday. Mike said bark will be laid down and now that the grading has been completed, the AC unit can be installed and the HVAC completed.

2007 08 09

Sometime in the last couple days, the bedroom doors were installed as we have been away for a week in Washington State. I sent an email to Mike yesterday regarding the grading, laundry center hole, french door trim, bark/gravel, HVAC, and general indoor/outdoor cleanup. Also I did not get a response from either float guys to do our shower and asked Mike for one of his guys to call me. We will be starting the interior painting this weekend.

2007 08 01

Yesterday the electrical finish was completed. It took two days. Mike is still in the process of determining who is going to do the north side excavation due to costs but he said it should only be $200 for our end to pull out a couple feet extra. They are also gonna remove the gravel and lay down fresh bark. The HVAC guys are gonna button stuff up after the pad is laid which comes after the grading. Also the laundry exhaust line is gonna get done. Last a house cleanup will be performed. Mike said it includes basically just the areas that they touched. All surrounding dust areas are our deal. The masonite is gonna be pulled up and the floors cleaned. At that point Jackson and I can determine if they will need to be touched up or not.

2007 07 25

Mud and tape was started yesterday, being worked on today and should be doing texturing Monday/Tuesday. Wednesday of next week (2007-08-01) the electricians should be buttoning up the electrical. Megan gave Mike a check yesterday for the last big payment, ($13k left) and a chenc for the additional electrical. Mike will also be having the HVAC buttoned up and the grading done on the North side of the house in addition to the gravel being picked up and the new bark laid down.

2007 07 20

The drywall was finished on Wednesday the 18th. Yesterday the 19 the drywall inspection was supposed to occur which means mud and tape should start today. I am moving the race car Mustang this weekend so Mike can get a bobcat back to the north side of the house to slope the area. he said he will also have the old vegtable garden area dug out.

2007 07 17

Insulation was started and completed last Friday. Drywall is starting today!!!

2007 07 11

The truss inspection was finally approved today which means final framing inspection is tomorrow and insulation on Friday!!!

2007 07 03

Last week the stucco was completed and the jacuzzi tub was framed out to extend it a bit. We are still waiting on the truss calculations issue and as soo as that is resolved we can continue with the final framing inspection, insulation and then finally drywall. Mike is gonna have the gas turned on this week. Last weekend we got the garage painted and the front dark green color. The widows still next to be fixed but at least the kitchen window has been replaced. The hose bib on the north bedroom wall was done about two weeks ago if I did not mention it already. I has been so long since anything substancial has happened I forget where we are at. Hopefully the truss issue is sorted out today so we can move on.

2007 06 20

The jacuzzi tub was installed today along with the drain for it and the pumbing. The gas line was run for the heat pump in the attic and four dormers were installed.

2007 06 20

Mike just called about the dormers. He said he was having two put in the addition and I said that was not enough and that the existing dwelling has nothing. He said he would have his guy evaluate the situation who was there to do the two and based upon what he sees, he will most likly install more. Mike said the specs do not call for any to be done so the ones being done today are freebees. Hopefully they put the 6 in like we had talked about, 4 on the addition and two on the existing. Then if more are needed I will do them and possibly install the thermostatically controlled fan.

Mike also asked about the tub rough-in stuff which I told him was in the bathroom.

2007 06 18

Apparently last Thursday or Friday the folks from Jacor (Subsiderary or owned by La Mesa Lumber) redid our window trim with the weather stripping which is why there was a small mess of weather stripping backing under the drywall. The kitchen window remains cracked, the south living room window does not stay up now, the window next to it has a tab that pops out and the window next to it has the bar that gets stuck, the window 2 from our bedrrom door is cracked and the last one is tempered so it needs to be moved.

The final framing inspection is supposed to occur today. That is where the plans must be as they are missing from the house.

We go the fascia/flashing painted white, two coats West and South, one coat East and none on the North. We go the old shit windows painted flat and will come back with semi-gloss this weekend in addition to doing the dark green.

2007 06 14

Mike just called and asked to not meet today as there is not much to talk about, I agreed. He is waiting on Jackson to get some truss paperwork signed as James Pinkey's truss calculations do not match the Counties. Apparently he uses some other calculation program which the County and Dixiline do not use. It will pass, it is just a matter of the County signing off what his calculations are and that the house was built to them. Then of course Mike is having someone fix the doors again, put the bolts in the bottom plate and the plates attaching the headers to the king studs in our new bedroom window area. Mike forgot to ask Jackson about the jacuzzi surround area and will do so today and get back to me.

2007 06 12

The final framing inspection occured yesterday (2007-06-11) and did not pass as some header plates are missing in addition to some bottom plate bolts. That is all we could tell from the spraypaint on the ground and walls. The paint was completed this past weekend and the stucco is waiting on the kitchen window to be replaced. After the framing issues are corrected the insulation goes in, is inspected and then drywall. The fire bell wire was run last Saturday and an additional outlet was run under the new living room windows. I'll get the speaker lines completed today in addition to framing out the shower niches.

2007 06 04

The fire sprinkler system was finished off on Friday the 1st. Inspections are to follow and then the insulations and drywall.

2007 05 31

Mike asked to not meet today as he has a septic tank issue at his house I told him that was fine and that I plan on doing the extra shower handle and valve, he said that was fine. He said the fire system will continue to be worked on in addition to Milguard will be out in the next couple days.

2007 05 30

The trash can cement pad and the kitchen landing were poured today. The fire sprinkler system was also started today.

2007 05 29

Mike, Megan and I met last week after some time off to resolve the fire system issue. Todd from Symons met with us last Thursday with Mike. This past weekend I branched off my 1 1/4" line at the house and ran it (PVC per Todd it is okay, just need copper coming out of the ground) around the north side of the house to the addition to where fire system box is going to exist. I also installed a pressure regulator at the house as there was none. This Wednesday Symons is supposed to start the system and I believe it should only take them a few days. They will be using PVC. They will be placing a sprinkler head in the water closet outside and in the laundry center area. They will be placing a hose spigot 5' off the ground behind the Southern kitchen door per code for testing purposes. Mike is going to have Milgard out to evaluate the windows before the stucco is done. Mike is going to have the hole above the Southern kitchen door patched at the same time as the rest of the stucco. Mike is also going to have the cement pad out front and the landing going to the garage done as they were supposed to do it last week or the one before.

2007 05 16

Mike just called in response to the two emails I just forwarded to him asking for a response. He said he will call Symons to see where they are at but he suspects they are still waiting on the fire department. He will let me know either way. I asked about the water spigot for the east wall of the house which he will have placed on the north wall of the addition, near the east wall by the 220 line that goes out to the jacuzzi. I know for convenience it might be best to go on the east wall itself somewhere in the middle but to keep it out of the way of the deck and out of sight with the unsightly hose reel and hose.. I opted to put it out of view on the north side of the house but still closest to the back yard... keeping it a couple feet away from the 220 box that will serve as the connection to the jacuzzi.

Mike will also get on the missing cement landing and the trash can pad out front. He balked and said it would be best to wait until the end but I said they look like shit so he said he will get on it. Mike also said he will have Symons place the fire sprinkler shutoff valve box on the north side of the house near the water heater area. He said once the plans are approved, he will ask them to place their tie in to the 1 1/4" line so I will still have room for me to install a pressure regulator. In fact I will email him right now and ask if I can buy the pressure regulator, leave it at the house and have Symons install it for me as it will only be a couple of extra joints to sweat.

We agreed there is no reason to have him drive up tomorrow so I'll also send him an email to approve that.

2007 05 15

Yesterday the siding was nailed off to make the boards tight. The kitchen porch light was also mounted. This past weekend Megan and I got the trench dug for the water service line and replaced it with a 1 1/4" pipe per the suggestion of Symons fire protection. I asked Mike to have the back water spigot plummed and to also have the gas turned on. We are waiting on the Fire Department to approve the schematics Symons drew up and so maybe next week work will resume.

2007 05 10

Mike just called with outrageously good news. The fire department or city just confirmed with Symon that if they can prove their system to work (provide enough GPM) then we will not have to upgrade the water meter. Hopefully that will be that will be case and we are at an advantage as we have really high water pressure. Mike says we will still have to upgrade the service line to the house which they previously quoted ~$1k to do, but I know I can do it for ~$100 in parts. He will get me the specs and I will get it done. The plans are being dropped off at the FD today and they will have them for ~1 week. So Symons can start as early as late next week :-)

2007 05 10

Just got off the phone with Mike and we confirmed we are not going to meet today. Mike spoke with Symons and they stated the 5/8" line will not suffice for the water meter and the 3/4" service line to the house will not suffice. This could get really expensive. One of the fire sprinkler system companies told me that the city charges a flat rate of $10k to upgrade water meters. If that is the case, we are fucked...

2007 05 07

Nothing for the next couple days until the fire system plans are completed, submitted, and approved. In the interim the external lights can be done which were missed, the dormers and the stucco. I'll ask Mike about having the step and the trash can pad done soon as one it a pain and the other looks terrible. This weekend I did no more wiring but we did get most of the scrap wood and siding moved to the north side of the garage, the bottom stud on the handrails, and I installed the bathroom exhaust fan. I still need to put a grill on it in addition to a flapper.

2007 05 04

Mike came back with the numbers from Symons Fire and they are going to do the entire house for $3641 pending the initial visual inspection which could raise the price. Looking at the water meter, it looks like a 3/4" OD pipe which means it may now flow enough. This weekend I should run a hose into a bi for 60 seconds and calculate the output as we do have really high pressure. Hopefully it will be enough to pass the inspection.

Mike is going to have the electricians re-mount the security light above Trins windows, and someone will be mounting the kitchen porch light. Extreme Roofing will be installing the four addition dormers and possibly two more instead of my thermostatically controlled fan based upon price. They will also be installing flashing where the kitchen vent pipe is, and where I am mounting a shower exhaust fan this weekend. For $50, Viking Electric will be wiring it to the jacuzzi tub area switches... and will be installing a double switch. I'll take care of the french door opening as the doors no longer hit the siding. Someone from Lars or Milgard will also be moving the tempered window to the bedroom door area as it is in the wrong spot.

To Do's for this weekend
Finish wiring once and for all
Mount a 2x4 at the ends of the "deck" railing so Trin does not bump her head on the pointed edge
move blue tarp to dumpster
move wood and siding into garage
re-cover race car, it looks like shit
purchase and install bathroom exhaust fan
anything else?

2007 05 02

Nothing was done today or yesterday as we are waiting on the fire sprinkler system to be quoted.

2007 04 30

The siding was finished today.

2007 04 30

We (Gary & I) got the kitchen floor and the french door deck done this weekend. Derek and Brandon are finishing off the siding today it looks like.

2007 04 26

Nothing was done today as we are in limbo about the fire sprinkler system. Mike says it could cost $6000 which is 2x what I have found. The siding will be completed soon as they ran out of material. The french doors will be fixed as they do not close easily anymore, The old south porch light will be installed in the siding as it was missed. Mike says the block/footing will suffice as it is not hanging off the edge.

2007 04 25

The cement pad (footing) was poured again today, but instead of pouring to the West, it was poured to the South. Mike has been notified. The siding was worked on but not completed as they ran out of material. The interior walls were firred out or in where needed. I also notified mike that the french doors are real tight at the top now.

I looked up online and fire sprinkler systems are roughly $1 per square foor in new construction, so I assume it will be $2-3k for the installation of them. ...fuck!

2007 04 25

Yesterday (Tuesday) the drywall was delivered. It is 1/2" so that means Mike/Jackson ignored my request to look into going up a size in drywall thickness. They quoted me $800 and was going to say no but instead they just had the 1/2" delivered. So long as they make the walls flat and the insulation does its job, I don't care.

Mike called me yesterday afternoon and said his sprinkler guy is out for a week so he will see if he can find someone else to bid the job.

2007 04 24

Mike just called and the inspector yesterday said sprinklers are needed. Mike said he missed some checkoff on the plans and that means we may end up having to not only have them put into the addition but also the existing house. There is a 75% rule and we are within 30 feet or so. Mike suggested they could fir in the back wall a foot and that would take care of it... I said no way. Mike is having their sub that does sprinklers do a bid on the job and dropped off a set of plans with them last night. He said he spent time with Jason last night going over the plans to see how they could make it so sprinklers would not have to go in the old part of the house and are thinking of appealing the rule as they are just right over the 75% threshold.

2007 04 23

Friday the siding was worked on but they cut out early as it started to rain. The cement pad under the hous for the footing was done on Friday but as I let Mike know, it is offset off the bean by about a foot. The crawlspace entrance was also done on Friday.

This past weekend (2007-04-20 through 22, Megan, Jim, Pat, & I framed out the bathroom pony wall for hanging stuff, the walking closet walls were also shored up with 2x6s as the doorway is there. I got the attic sheets loose and ran more wires for cameras and speaker wire. I also got the kitchen almost sheeted.

Today (2007-04-23) the framers are back and are working on the siding.

2007 04 19

Jackson met us at the house today with Mike. Mike suggested that I get with Jackson to obtain a credit for not pouring the pad on the back of the house for steps. He said we had defined within the build document, a 15 square foot pad off the french doors. I suggested it be done with wood so we do not have to remove a pad when we do the deck.

The shower pan was hot mopped today. The new bathroom toilet service line was move today but again it needs to be moved as it will be too high. The from service line to the house was replaced, the 5 or so feet of it that was damaged when the sewage line was replaced. The gas line was run to the laundry center and the kitchen vent pipe was run. A house block was under the house but it was crooked and it sunk into the ground from the pressure of the block above it with the joist resting on it. Now Mike is having a 20x20x12 cement block placed and that will have wood bottle jacked into place.

I reminded Mike we are getting rounded corners instead of square ones, for some reason he had told the drywallers square. Mike said the pony wall will stiffen up with the drywall, I will see about doing some red heads this weekend. Mike asked that I raise the sheets in the attic to allow the insulation to be installed. The shower valve did not show up today when we had Pat bring all the plumbing fixtures over from the house.

Mike asked me to get the exterior lights, the ceiling fan for the living room, the vanity cabinet overhead lights.

The siding is going on today with Derek, Brandon and Riley. They got the trim done and the bottom three rows on the back and south side of the house. Derek suggested that I caulk every possible crack on the siding to make it a moisture barrier... bugs too.

The framing inspection will be done on Monday which will allow the drywall to start. The electricians will button up after the drywall is done.

2007 04 19

Forgot to add that on Tuesday the 17th, they poured the south living room steps and the shower pan drain fitting area.

2007 04 18

Just got off the phone with Mike and he said they will do a concrete pier underneath the existing 2x6. I am cool with that. As long as something gets put there, I can always make it better. The new window in Trins room is going to get stucco underneath it as waterproofing that corner would be difficult to do and something about codes. I am fine with that as long as long as it looks good. Mike said around the french doors will get foam or insulation. He also said Derek should be siding today and that drywall will not go on until next week as insulation still needs to got in.

2007 04 17

The papering on the exterior walls was almost completed today, all except for the north side of the addition. Mike did not tell Derek to run the siding up to the south door so I asked him to do so. I also asked Derek to see if he could fix the door shutting issue. I tried it today and it did not seem any different, maybe tomorrow when they do the siding. I left a vm with Mike this morning and this afternoon, an eamil yesterday and on friday, all of which have gone unanswered. I'll call again and if no response I will call Jackson.

2007 04 17

Nothing happened yesterday, Today (2007-04-17) Derek, Brandon and the short "boss" have showed up to paper to prep for siding. Since three are there I would imagine siding will be delivered or they brought it along. I will call Mike in a bit regarding my last two unanswered email... specifically the 3/16 drop that has occurred where the new beam is in place. It needs a footing. This past weekend I got the flooring in the kitchen removed, a door lock on the french doors and the shower niches and more caulk around the windows. Josh and Chris stopped by and both noticed small issues like the door ways needing more fire blocks. I also got the kitchen lower and upper cabinetry blocks in place.

2007 04 12

Meeting today went well, text below is what was covered which I will copy and send to Mike in its own email.

Kitchen
2x6s in stud bays to hang cabinets - Mike said this is fine for me to do
Kitchen window crack - Mike said he would have the window replaced
Stucco around kitchen window - Mike said he will have it covered with stucco
Kitchen door does not close easily - Mike will have the edge surfaced so the door closes properly
Kitchen plumbing finish - Mike said in the next couple days, before the drywall of course
Laundry gas line and lint vent exit to outside - Mike said it will get done
Extra canned light - We bought one at Lowes this afternoon and took it back to the house, it will be installed tomorrow per Luis

Living Room
Show Mike the poorly manufactured windows - Veronica said she will get me the warranty info tomorrow. Mike said he will get the windows fixed/replaced
Window sash - Mike will get it fixed
Finishing of the french doors - We will get a cheap lock set on this weekend and Mike will have the finish set installed when the job is done, I will try to get a piece of pipe set for the pegs instead of just drilling a hole into the wood frame

Bedroom
Shore up pony wall in bedroom before drywall - Mike is having two bolts put through bottom plate into the cement
Toilet pipe re-routing - Mike will have it re-routed so it comes out the North wall instead of out of our granite
Bathroom medicine cabinet lights - We will buy them and leave them at the house for them to be installed by a sub
Shower niches - Mike will have one fire break removed so we can freely place the shower niche

Outside / Other
North roof transition line is bad looking - It does not look as bad today, it may have been flattened out by the guys walking on it
Cement slab out front - Mike is going to have it fixed
Cleanout under kitchen window - I will fix it myself
Attic fan to be reinstalled - I will mark the location with upside down paint and Mike will have it installed on the North side of the house
Plates over wires - Will only be installed where the wires are not in the center of the studs, I will put some more on this weekend
Water service line to the house - Mike said it will be completed (the exposed/damaged area by the fence)
Crawlspace access - Mike said the hole will be accessable via a wood frame covered with screen. The outer area will be cement like a dam.
The AC unit placement - Dirt still needs to be sloped away from the house so the pad for the AC unit can be placed, I will move it later so it will be out of the way
Sub-Panel location - Unit will be wired via the walls and attic. unit will be flush mounted on the outside of the house so it will not interfere with our shower niches
Cement for missing step on south side of the house - Mike said it will be done at the end of the job, along with the cement in the living room where the steps were not poured close enough to meet with the wall

2007 04 12

Luis from Viking Electric (619 247-0796) just called. He will put the 220 jacuzzi into a junction box on the north side of the house to keep it out of view. He also said we are short one canned light for the larundry room. We will get it tonight and drop it off tomorrow AM before work.

2007 04 11

The HVAC guys only showed up today to pick up their extension cords. The roofers apparently showed up but stopped, it looked like as they did not have the valley flashing... so essentially nothing was done today.

2007 04 11

Mike just called and and we talked about the AC unit placement. We apparently had agreed it would go outside our shower area so it would not be right under Trins window. If it drives me nuts, I can move it later myself as it is just a few electrical lines and a water line. As far as the shower niches go, we never brought them up so that is our fault. I will just do two on the left for Megan and one large one on the right with a small mirror (not permanantly mounted) in it for shaving.

Mike said the cement pad will be fixed and that it was idiotic that the driver drove over it. He said it will be fixed at the end of the job when other cement work is done. He said the asphalt was already in poor condition and that Jackson and I can deal with it at the end.

The roof looked finished on the south side this morning so that will be done today it looks like and the HVAC guys are supposed to button up today too. I would imagine Derek will start papering and siding Thursday then.

Mike and I said we are still on for our scheduled Thursday meeting.

2007 04 11

Were were told we would get to choose what heat/AC unit would go in as it may be only a couple hundred dollars to go from the 4 ton to a 5 ton unit, and there are options available which we would want to choose from. Yesterday the HVAC people were installing a heater unit which has the lowest efficiency available for heaters (80%). To boot, they ran the electrical and water line where I wanted to put a shower nook. Also it looks like they plan on putting the AC unit very close to wher eour head board is going to be in our new bedroom. And... it is going to cut the walkway in half between the north fence and the house. An email has been sent expressing my discontent.

The HVAC guys should be done today. Maybe the roofers, plumbers, or framers will show up today.

2007 04 10

The HVAC guys were there yesterday (Monday the 9th) and the roofers wwere there too. Mike called and asked if we could move the car so we left work early to do it. Th roofers helped push as we could not get it started. The HVAC guys ( MauzyAir.com) were setting the lines into the ceiling and looked like they stayed lated to get it done. Th roofers got the roof loaded by parking where the car was and started on the north side of the house. The supervisor of the roofers wearing the cast said the roof looked like it was professionally done, except for the one valley. The roofing company (Discount Plywood & Roofing Supply) truck drove over the cement pad and took a huge chunk out of it, so they will definitly be fixing it now.

2007 04 08

We got the wiring done this weekend, the coax, ethernet and speakers. The kitchen window is craked and the one on the east wall closest to the south wall has a broken sash cable. Mike will be notified today via email. The soffit was finished last Friday. The plumbing was worked on and the eave was primered.

2007 04 05

The windows were installed today and the french doors minus the kitchen window. The bedroom window does not look like it is tempered. Mike is going to have bolts put into the bedroom pony wall. Derek and Brandon were there doing the windows and the soffit. The plumbing need sot be completed. Mike says in two weeks the drywall will be up. Some sort of inspection will be done next week and then the siding can go up. The siding will be going up to the door and the old window in Trins room to have a less noticable transition to the old siding/stucco. The roof will be done next week maybe too. I brought up the hard wood floor to Mike and Jackson as it is very scratched up in Trins room and around the old furnace. I suggested it will need to be resurfaced. HVAC will be next week too. We decided to opt out on the base boards as it was not included and they will be a pain anyway with us doing the painting and the flooring. It would have been $420 to have Lars do them. Mike says the pad cut out from the back steps will be done at the end of the job.

In case I did not note it before, we had 34 yards of concrete poured for the slab... wow.

2007 04 05

Jackson just stopped by my work to have the electrical Change Order signed. It includes all the additional electrical items which were no included on the orginal build documents. He asked if we would still like the additional panel and of course I said yes. That way I will still have breakers left in my panel. Once they are done I will go back and clean up the wiring mess and make sure it is all labeled and routed correctly. I just got lazy knowing the remodel was coming and stopped knowing it would get partially redone.

During todays meeting I will show Mike the pony wall in the bedroom, the scratches on the hardwood floor and the buckle in Trinitys room. Jackson said he will try to make it out today. He said they will also be paying the $500+ for the additional panel. Nothing was said about the additional $2125 so I assume it will be added to the next scheduled payment. Jackson said they should be out of there in about two weeks so very soon we will be working our ass off at the house, installing all kinds of stuff :-)

2007 04 04

The saga continues. After a couple conversations with Jackson and Mike, we settled on paying $2100 which will include everything extra we wanted on top of the original build regarding the electrical. Jackson (Lars) presumeably will be covering the additional $2200 along with Viking Electric possibly eating or reducing some costs. Jackson said he meet me tomorrow morning in the parking lot to sign the Change Order. I assume the $2100 will be collected at the time of the next scheduled payment.

Jacksons stand in the last conversation is that he does not want us to have to spend the next possibly couple or more weekends rewiring the house. He said we should not have to pay for the additional box needed for circuitry or the run to it. He also added that he had an arguement with Mike so I assume there was some disaggreement about who should pay for what.

Whatever the case, we are getting a lot more electrical stuff than we had originally paid for and we are paying half for what it would normally cost.

I ordered four in ceiling speakers today from eBay and will order more if they turn out to be good. They pop into holes made after the drywall is up and are held in place by brackets that pivot out and pinch the back of the drywall.

2007 04 04

Jackson sent me an amount of $4300 to complete our electrical the way the electrician laid it out. I responded with we will sign today if it includes the rewiring of the entire house. That is way steep for what is proposed I believe.

Derek just called and asked about the exposure of the siding we picked which was the James Hardie Hardie Plank Colonial Roughsawn which is 8" wide (tall) 12' long and 5/16" thick. It has an exposure of 6.75". He asked about trim sizing and I could not find it on the web but he said it should be around 3/4" x 3.5" which sounds about right based upon what we saw at Dixieline.

2007 04 03

We dropped off the bamboo at the house today and the four 5 gallon buckets of glue and four 5 gallon buckets of moisture barrier. The plumbers were there today working on the master bedroom plumbing. We noticed the flooring around the old furnace hole is heavily scratched so I will let Mike know about it.

2007 04 02

No work was done today but we did make it out to Dixieline and picked out our siding (James Hardi HardiPlank Colonial Roughsawn). Mike called me today and said regarding the last email I sent, that everything was fine. He also said it was okay to run the speaker lines where ever I wanted. The FAX was not recieved by Don so I sent it again today. I will call him tomorrow to confirm everything is okay.

2007 04 01

I sheeted the bedroom pony wall today and frinished the living room pony wall. I got the race car and put it on the side of the garage too. Megan and I decided on fiber cement for our siding and will pick it out tomorrow at Dixiline. We picked up the french doors Saturday and got the 5" canned lights

2007 03 31

Today I removed the living room pony wall and sheeted underneath it so the electricians can wire up. When he is done in the next week or so I will come back and finish up the rest of the kitchen re-flooring.

Derek, Brandon and another gut started on the soffit today. The did the medicine cabinet area, extended the laundry center, built the tub area, the bedroom pony wall and the shower area. the moved living room wall area was also sheeted/sheered. Also the new window in Trins room was framed and the east wall in her room was furred out. Next week the windows should be in and the next inspection should be done. That means in the next two weeks or so the drywall should be done. We got the canned lights and the french doors. The bamboo flooring is in and we will pick it up Monday.

The old furnace was removed and the hole was sheeted yesterday. The pony wall in the living room is much better now that I have it sheered. Just gotta figure out what to do with the bedroom pony wall to strengthen it. I got a new 4 port video card and will have additional cameras set up soon too. We will pick out siding tomorrow and it looks like based upon Derek told me, composite is the way to go.

2007 03 30

I faxed the cabinetry stuff to Don and sent a couple emails to Mike about various things. Lumber Liquidators called and stated the wood is in. We will pick it up Monday. Megan is off today, stopped by the house and several trucks were there so we shall see what they did later.

This weekend we have these for "to do's":

for sure
move the laundry center soffit line out 3/4"
make a decision on siding
make a decision on canned lighting (have Don confirm next week and then purchase?)pick up french doorssheet area around pony wall and sheet pony wallget second camera going

if we have time... as the above will take most of Saturday plus possibly some of Sunday
mow lawn and weed whackclean truck

2007 03 29

The plumbing in the house was almost completed today. It looks like they should have it completed by tomorrow. The roof nail inspection was done on Monday as that is who Megan saw on the roof with Mike.

Today Mike sprayed for the J bolts that need to be added to the bottom plates. He also maked various things like the back of the house around where the window moved; to be sheeted and the laundry center to be moved out. I just snt him an email about the soffit going to need that same bump too. The attic access is going to go in between the two canned lights in the walk in closet. Mike said I can use whatever wood I want to shore up the pony wall. Maybe I should ask him if I can use some more of the wood to sheet the bedroom pony wall as I am worried about it wobbleing after time.

We met with Don the electrican today. He instructed us to get the pony wall completed so he can run the electrical through it. We are also to pick up 14 low volt ICT canned lights (HALO - 50 watt MR16). He told me to get "silve ones and not the white ones" as I need to get ones that can have insulation go right over them.

I forgot to ask Don about doing a phone line in the master bedroom. I will include that with the FAX I send him tomorrow as he wants the cabinetry plans and the bedroom bed placement.

Bedroom Electrical
two lights over our bed on both sides with switches on both sides that operate one or both
two lights over the vanity sinks
one light over the shower
one light over the tub
two GFCI outlets in between the two sinks
two lights in the walk in closet
two or lights in line with the four bedroom windows
switches will go east of the tub on the southern tub wall
fan in the middle of the room operated by its own switch
there is going to be cable run to the south bedroom wall up about eye level with an outlet, below it will be a run it is connected to sop a flat panel will have no cables going to it - it will also have a feed that runs to the walk in closet so we can later add a flat panel near the jacuzzi tub
outlets on all walls off the floor per code with one or two on the bedroom pony wall

Living Room Electrical
Three way outlets at the bedroom door, north stairs and southern wall door which will operate the rooms canned lights
three lights in line with the east wall windows
two lights where the DVD rack or fish tank will be going
no lights above the entertainment center
two lights above the desk
a fan in the middle of the room
outlets all around the room with a dedicated 20 amp two 4 gang outlets for the computer area
one four gang outlet for the entertainment center

Kitchen
three way switches at the sourthern wall doorway, the north stairs and the west entrance
one light in the laundry center enslosure
two hanging lights above the island
two or three by the oven wall
two by the sink wall
two or three by refridgerator wall
outlets for the fridge, microwave, hood, stove, island fridge, garbage disposal, and dishwasher
GFCI outlets all around per code
outlets on the pony wall
two outlets in the island
I'll also add to the FAX to Don that we want a cable run to the southern wall of kitchen, in the corner

Old Living Room
The double switch outlet that now resides in the new laundry room center is going to be moved to the old living room

Trinity's Room
Two outlets on her east wall as they touched it, or the addition of the double outlet that also used to service the office area

2007 03 28

No work was done today for the tird day in a row, however the dumpster people came by to pick it up but it was blocked by the car we are borrowing from Kasey. The windows were delivered today too.

2007 03 27

It rained a bit today so no one showed up to the house. It does not look like rain tomorrow so they should be there.

2007 03 26

No work was done today although Mike was at the house with the HVAC guy up on the roof and I would imagine up in the attic. It is supposed to rain tonight and tomorrow morning so nothing may get done tomorrow also.

Mike responded that it should be okay about my email about the pony walls and the sheetin of the kitchen floor. He said its cool to do this weekend but I'd like to talk to him about it first in person this Thursday and I'd like to first have the plumbing and electrical moved out of the way.

2007 02 24

We want the pony wall stopped ~1.5' short allowing a wider entrance to the bathroom. We want the living room pony wall strengthened by adding a sheet of plywood to the east side and l brackets on the west side. I just sent an email to Mike about the two pony walls.

Today the old dinning room ceiling was removed and the kitchen window was removed.

2007 03 23

The roof sheeting has been completed. Mike and I completed the soffit layout yesterday and the west wall of the living room will be used as the soffit start. We will have a 3.5" soffit all the way around the kitchen cabinets and wall areas. The kitchen opening is going to be closed up per the plans as the west entrance to the kitchen is going to be 4', not the 8' or so that it currently is. Derek will be extending the laundry center by 3" to make it deeper and also have it be 40" outside to outside dimensions. The inspector will need to know the 4x4 holding the west end of the beam is supported well, so Mike will need to get images to him. I'll also check it out myself.

The cavity under the kitchen where the office used to be is going to be filled with insulation. The new bathroom medicine cabinets are going to be set centered on our sinks and at a normal height... centered more or less on my face. The kitchen window was measured and ordered incorrectly and Mike stated we would not be paying for it. We will layout electrical next week is sparky is there.

The plaster in the kitchen is going to be removed to make the matching go easier. The east wall in Trins room is going to be furred out ~1" as the ceiling drop in our new bathroom protrudes into her ceiling. This way we do not have to do crown in there or double the drywall. The pony wall in between the living room and kitchen is going to now be 36" instead 42.

Derek had a good idea... to bolt the desks to the pony wall, which will help to stabilize it; otherwise it will get loose over the years. Trinity's second window is going to be set at the same header height, protruding down ~5" lower than the old one in her room, which I will be doing later. It is going to be set with the same reveal as the old window which is ~14" from the wall.

2007 03 22

The beam was put in yesterday and that is about it. I need to confirm if the 4x4 post supporting the west end of the beam has a footing underneath if, if not it will need one. Derek and I talked about the medicine cabinets. He asked that I give the specs to Mike which I did, again. I'll also hand them to Derek today. Derek and I also discussed the laundry center walls. Instead of a 36" opening, it will be 38" on the exterior measurement.

Today we are supposed to lay out (snap the lines) the soffit/coffered ceiling with Mike and if time permits, walk the electrical.

2007 03 20

The three framers were working on the flashing, overhang, trusses, and sheeting today. Th e beam is in the driveway and they will be tieing it into the tripple truss that seperates the new living room from the new kitchen... good, no post.

They said they should be done sheeting in the next day or two, do the flooring where the office was and then onto the new bathroom area.

Its gonna rain tonight so last night and today they tarped off the roof.

2007 03 19

They are back working on the house today, looks like more work on the roof and maybe onto the old office floor. Then I guess they will need to rip into the old roof. Hopefully soon Jackson/James will come back with a solution to get rid of the lame assed answer of a post to remidy the span issue.

2007 03 17

James the architect is a real idiot. He comes over to layout where the beam is to go to hold the old kitchen/dinning room ceiling and comes up with the brillant idea of putting a post going from the pony wall to the ceiling. What a moron.

I called Mike and he was aware and said he will go back to Jackson and possibly the architect, as I told him a post was unacceptable.

Jackosn had previously confirmed last week that we had $1100 allocated in our remodel budget for a beam. the whole point of a beam is to hold weight over a span, not half ass it with a post. Come on now, this is not a tree fort...

2007 03 16

Another day, more shit to deal with...

The shit for brains architect did not investigate the top plate height and due to the roof pitch and the fact that he decided to go with trusses instead of a conventional roof. When we got to the house for our Thursday meeting yesterday (2007 03 15), we saw that they were removing all the existing top plate and having to cut down 3 inches (thickness of two 2x4s) to drop the ceiling. This is being done so the trusses will fit.

Instead of making them waste the trusses I decided to settle on either raising the roof the couple inches or dropping the ceiling a couple inches. The end decision is to drop the addition ceiling a couple inches and going into the kitchen a little bit, then it will bump back up a couple inches to the existing ceiling height. The soffit will follow the cabintry lines so next week or the one there after, Mike and I will snap lines to get the soffit area built.

2007 03 14

The trusses are going up today, the old doorway to the hall has been framed, the office area has been framed, more walls are coming down tomorrow and the beam should be going up tomorrow to I guess.

2007 03 12

They finished the walls on Friday (2007 03 09) and started on the outside sheeting. Saturday they finished the sheeting except for where we want the window moved to butt up against the other living room window. I ahev asked Jackson for a price on a second window for Trins room. The french doors we have picked at Lowes as it comes with locks and the three lock mechanism. Will make decision today after second trip to Dixiline.

They are ripping the roof off today to prepare for the trusses, and they are removeing interior walls.

2007 03 09

James the architect finally calls me back after I send an email to his work. He was all upset that I was trying to get him in trouble. I just want the damn CAD files. He stated he will put them on a CD and get them to Jackson. What a dumbass. All he had to do is do what he said he was gonna do.

Mike called me and said part of the celing in Trins room is gonna have to come down as they need to tie into a beam that is a couple feet into the ceiling from the East wall. Looks like Megan is gonna get her wish about re-doing Trins room.

2007 03 09

They are starting framing today as they poured the slab yesterday, 6 guys are there and Mike is there also. He called and asked for measurements for the vanity and I provided them, I also sent them again to his email address. Once again, once they are in go mode... they are really going.

2007 03 08

Mike stated today that the driveway gravel mess will be cleaned up at the end of the job and new mulch will be laid down. I just sent him an e-mail about the driveway as there is now a larger section that is tore up.

2007 03 08

The slab was poured today and the studs were put in, two more will be added as the spread is supposed to be 36" and there were two large gaps, on on bathroom west wall area and one in the bedroom north east wall area. The west bathrron stem wall is out of plumb and will be ground so the wall does not need to be bumped out. We met with mike and gave him a check for $37,797 something...

He says they should have wood delivered tomorrow and should start framing. We went over the closet extension, the pony walls for the shower to be 42", the other pony walls to be 36". The north wall of the closet may move a couple inches south to accomodate the shower being made square. The pony wall seperating the bedroom may move a couple inches east for toilet codes. The heater unit will be placed out of the way of bringing stuff into the attic.

2007 03 06

Tuesday the gravel was put down and the rebar was laid. Suppports were placed on the east perimeter wall at the north, middle and southern sides. The inspector signed the foundation paperwork. I called Mike and told him about the signature and he stated the pad may be poured tomorrow or Thursday (March 8th).

The guys that laid the gravel made a mess in the front yard on top of the area I park my truck. There is now what looks like, several hundred pounds of gravel on top of the bark I paid for just a couple months before the remodel began.

2007 03 05

Took pictures on Sunday as Friday more work was done. Unfortunatly the North set of steps was not set correctly. Mike is going to look at them today as they need to be lenghthened almost two feet to butt up against the proposed North living room wall.

Rebar has been laid in the stem walls and drilled/epoxied into the existing footings. Looks like gravel can be done and then the rebar. If they every get two consecutive things done correctly we will finally pour sometime soon.

2007 03 01

The "dirt guys" arrived after noon or so and from 1:00 to 4:00 or so they removed the forms, went down deeper on the footings and it looks like they took the slab area down some, but we will confirm that tommorow with photos.

2007 03 01

Mike said Tuesday the 28th they should start today the 1st of March and as of 12:04 PM, no one has shown up. I guess we shall see if anyone shows up tomorrow. No response from James the architect regarding getting the CAD files on CD, will call him again in a bit.

2007 02 27

No work was done on the house yesterday and today (2007-02-27) it is supposed to rain and maybe tomorrow too.

2007 02 26

Jackson came back with $3700 and I balked at that asking what they could do. He came back the next afternoon (Wednesday the 21st of Feb) and told us $3100. We agreed. Mike called me up and stated it may rain Thursday/Friday (is sprinkled) and so they would be starting back up on Monday the 26th of Feb.

So if they do actually start today, they will need to go down further on the slab area and the footings, then compact the area, lay the gravel and then the rebar... then the inspection can be done so the slab can be poured.

2007 02 20

I Recieved the "Single_Story_Clay_Soil_Foundation_Design_Co._of_SD.pdf" from Veronica (I think) the secretary at Lars. No word yet from Mike on the pricing

2007 02 19

Met with Mike on Thursday and stated he will get the specs from the county and he was waiting 3 days on the to fax them over. We told him about the one by CSUSM and he went there and called 15 min later as he had them in hand. Told me Monday he should have an approved price, no call today, will email him tomorrow re-asking about the specs for my own information. He estimated it would/could cost roughly $3k

2007 02 15

Nothing all week so far. Mike has apparently been waiting on a price for doing the foundation per a expansive clay detail. We meet at 1:30 today at the house for the weekly meeting. Praying for good news...

2007 02 11

Friday the dirt was filled in, in the front yard and on the north side of the house, covering the new line out to the street. A slit was cut about 7 feet long in the visqueen where the old office door way is, we just taped it up. We are waiting on Mike to get back to us with price on doing the foundation for clay.

2007 02 08

No work done on the house today

Mark Noyce saw the form, told John who told me, I talked to Mark and had him explain what he thought. He has built many houses in the neighborhood and all have cracked slabs to some degree. In order not have a badly cracked slab the county code calls for 6" of crushed gravel on top of soil compacted to 90%. The a sheet of visqueen/plastic as a moisture barrier to keep the xpansive soil (clay) from cracking the slab. On top of that 2-3 inches of sand. Also wetting it for several days is also supposed to be good.

Mark showed me how easily a spike goes into the ground in some areas which means it is not compacted. Mike is getting a quote from jackson on how much it will be to add the gravel and build per a "clay soil detail". Somehow these fucktards did not see that it was clay when it was fairly obvious to my untrained non-construction eye that there is clay. Somehow they did not bill for it so we are looking at potentially a fat chunk of money to get it done right versus getting the way they had planned which is not for expansive soil.

A way to fix the area without going down further Mark suggested is to add a 2x6 on top of the existing form perimeter which would allow for the 6" of crushed gravel. To boot, the steps into the living room could be reduced to 5" steps instead of 8" which would still give us 3 steps. This measn the plumbing drain boxes (x2) need to be raised in the proposed bathroom area. This would be by far the cheapest way to go, but then reduces our ceilingsfrom 9' 9" to 9' 3" or so... fuck.

2007 02 07

Mike ran the conduit from the entertainment center wall to the pony wall area. The plumbers came out and inspected the damaged water service line, they quoted $1600 to run from the shutoff valve to the house... I said no way and so they are just going to replace the damaged section of the line. I assume the next step is rebar which could be tomorrow.

2007 02 07

Nothing was done on Tuesday the 6th. Mike did not get back to regarding the water line.

2007 02 05

on 2007 02 01 the initial plumbing was done, running the line out to the street

Friday the 2nd the remaining plumbing was completed, including the bathroom plumbing

Saturday the inspector showed up a day late to inspect the plumbing which was approved

Monday the 5th, Mike tells me the plumbers did not damaged the water service line to the house which is damaged and looks like the damage is fresh, he said he will look at it tomorrow and get back to me

supposedly the slab should be poured this week, for some reason however the dirt in the back yard has not been compacted, I guess it is compact enough as it is or it is being skipped due to Lars being cheap... we shall see how badly the slab cracks

2007 01 30

rain day, tomorrow looks like rain too, per Mike I need to provide appliance dimensions which I will do tonight

2007 01 29

Forms were redone today and new sewer line was dug, spoke to Mike on the phone, he needs rough in for the tub and vanity and would like us to decide about the closet and if it should go over 2 or 3 feet. So far the shower is looking to be at least 38" x 40" inside when done. The wall inbetween the tub and the vanity is going to be removed. The shower is looking to be roughly 21" to 22" so it will need to be widened. The pony wall next to the toilet may need to be moved 6" or so east and the wall on the south side of the tub may need to be moved a couple inches south.

2007 01 27

Mike got back to us today:

Just to let you know everything including the sewer will work out as per plan. We will be correcting the problem on Mon. 29th. We will also be digging up the sewer on Mon. I told the concrete contractor to make 3 7-1/2" steps. This will drop the room 22-1/2" giving you 9'9" plus. We will probably be removing the water heater so we can ge to the sewer claen out that is right there. If we do remove the water heater the house will be without hot water for some time.

2007 01 26

Jackson wrote me an email in which he CC'ed Mike. He explained the foundation forming was in error and that it will immediatly be corrected, and that it should not cause any delays

2007 01 25

I will go back in my e-mails and find all the initially listed dates, then I will continue to date what is done every day until we have the final inspection.

list date from when we started talking
list date from when plans were drawn
list date from when plans done
list the dates of the back and forth nonsense of the plans finally making it to final permit
list the date of the permits complete

2006 01 22 - Day 1, demo of kitchen walls, kitchen flooring, and all the cabinets except for the kitchen sink
2006 01 23 - Day 2, demo of exterior walls and office
2006 01 24 - Day 3, removal of the slab and the office slab
2006 01 25 - Day 4, digging of the footing, setting of the forms - I arrived and discovered the height to be incorrect. I spoke to Jackson on my cell phone at 7:30 PM. Jackson will look at it himself on Saturday the 27th in person. I left a vm with Mike at 3:34 PM today but he has not called back yet, its 8:01 PM right now. The foreman at the site today, told us he did not see an elevation on the drawing and "just set the form at a step or two". The drawing specifically calls out on sheet A4 for Section F to have two elevations (one being the existing kitchen height and the other being the proposed living room floor height) with two steps in between. Jackson said he will stop the job until this is resolved and that there is nothing planned for tomorrow anyway.