Week 1: Slow Start

This was the first weekend of the new year and we didn’t get a lot done on the project. We still have tons of time, right?

Sarah reviewed our scope document at long last which is a relief. Turns out we are pretty much agreed on what we want and what is important. She also contacted a bunch more builders because we only have two so far. We need to get at least 3 rough quotes so we can make a better decision.

I did a small bit of prep starting in the spare room downstairs. I took apart the closet, got the bed out, took a mirror off and removed the baseboard. I also setup a curtain to keep the dust out of the other part of the basement. Not big jobs but all necessary and moving us forward. I also took the sink and vanity out of the basement bathroom. There had been a drip under the sink and our tenant didn’t mention it to us so the particle board had swollen and come apart. Lucky it is garbage day because the bin is now full. We are trying to salvage and “un-build” as much as possible so I need to clean up the sink and either post it on Bunz or take it to Habitat for Humanity. Construction is responsible for a ton of waste. Most is unavoidable but we will do what we can to reduce how much goes out.

What did i do with the rest of the weekend? Well, i ended up helping our friend Lee prep for some new appliances. Turns out his cabinets were built around a non-standard stove so his new stove doesn’t fit. Lee is a children’s book author, illustrator, and educator and does not find joy in working on his house. While i have been acquiring tools and working on our old house, Lee has been working on his craft, writing books, and acquiring art supplies. I rent him my experience, tools, and time in exchange for beer. It works out for both of us. This was a good team effort.

We managed to trim an inch off his countertop, remove a 2″ lip along the back wall, made a lot of noise, created a ton of dust we hadn’t prepared for (really sorry Marcie) and his new stove just fits.