First Week

It's been an exciting week with both the carpenters and the excavator at the house. Things are moving forward and that it sooo satisfying! Ah, progress.

Last weekend the guys removed the front of the house. 

This week the carpenters replaced all the rotten studs and both the bottom and top sill. And apparently, the dormer was more or less floating up there but now it's all put right. 

It's all ready and waiting for the siding and the windows. The rumour is that the windows are touring the country before heading to Lindesnes. And the pre-painted wood siding was painted while the wood was still wet so the contractor had to send it back. So windows and siding are supposed to be here next week. We'll see. I won't be holding my breath.

 But it seems the more we get done, the  more we realize there is still left to do. Originally, we had thought we really didn't need to do much to the existing upstairs of the house. Just the new windows and some paint. But that's been pretty much gutted too. And the carpenters recommended that we tear down the ceilings as well. So now we're wondering if we should leave it open up to the rafters in the attic. It would be veeeery pretty with the high ceilings. And the girls could have a little loft with a ladder and bunk beds up there where they could have sleep overs. Or their own personal hideaway. But I'm not sure what the extra cost will be, if any, or how much extra work. And then there's the all important question of insulation. We need to have enough insulation in the roof to keep us all toasty warm. And we're not sure keeping it open like that will allow us to be able to put in enough insulation. So more things to think about. I do like the idea though.

The excavator has finished ripping off the old porch and has dug us a lovely hole where the guys will be putting in a basement foundation for our new addition. Last night they spread gravel over the old basement plus the new basement section and leveled it. 

Doesn't look nearly as impressive in the picture as it does in real life. It's been nasty, pouring down rain all week. There's been an excavator driving up down our driveway and to the back of our property and the place is one GIANT muck-hole. 

Today, the guys removed the west wall as that's the next thing the carpenters are going to work on while they wait on the windows and siding. This is before and after:

And from the inside we've gone from this:

to this:

and now to this:

So thing are moving ahead, slowly but surely. It's been a struggle to find the time to do what needs to be done. Sindre has been on call at work this week and was, of course, called out on 2 evenings while trying to work at the house. I substituted for a colleague and had an extra evening at work. Emilie had a birthday party to go to and an awards ceremony. We can't do it all. Some things are just going to have to slip through the cracks. It's not renovating a house that's stressful, it's all the other obligations.