Roominations

Monday, July 28, 2008

Structural repairs begin

Steve Wasko and his two-man crew arrived this morning and set right to work.

They were 90 minutes earlier than we expected, and caught us making last-minute adjustments in the utility room. After removing a stunning amount of stuff, we tore down shoddy shelving that had served as a barrier between that level and the walk-out basement. Our goal was providing the team with maximum access to the suspect structure.

To reduce the noise, dust and disruption we’d experience in our living quarters, the team sealed off the stairs with a sheet of plywood. As a result, they cut themselves off from the only switch to the track lights in the utility room; our dirty clothes will now need to travel outdoors before arriving in the laundry area. We’ll all adjust.

The barrier proved invaluable as they cut through the concrete, yet fumes from the equipment still set off the fire alarm.

As I requested, the team saved the pine tree that had helped hold up the house—it had been set directly in the dirt and surrounded by concrete. Matt calls the reclaimed lumber “@#$#%&* firewood.” He is not the only one swearing: I pledge to somehow use this pole in the renovation! (Hmmm… I wonder how…)

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Sunday, July 27, 2008

We have a schedule

Yesterday we met with our builder, Steve Wasko, to discuss the project once more. He did a walk-through of the house and took photos; Matt gave him another check (a big one this time).

Work begins tomorrow in the walk-out basement, unusable space we “staged” as a room. I had endeavored to work on my MBA in this gateway to the back yard in the days of cute purple iMacs. It was cold, damp and left me feeling like a cave dweller.

Necessity also drove us to use it briefly as a second guest bedroom. I believe one brave nephew (Nick) and one brave brother (STo) slept down there. I think I owe them both another apology!

While we learned the room wasn’t fit for man, demolition efforts demonstrated it has certainly been fit for beast. The renovation will claim this space for humans!

The preliminary schedule:

  1. Tentative Start Date — 7/28/2008
  2. Structural Repairs per Harry's report — 7/29/08 – 8/29/08
  3. Deck Construction / Porch — 8/25/08 – 9/19/08
  4. Standing Seam Metal Roof — 9/22/08 – 9/26/08
  5. Door and Window Replacement — 9/29/08 – 10/24/08
  6. HardiePlank Siding, Trim and Soffits — 9/29/08 – 10/24/08
  7. First Floor Living Room Extension — 9/15/08 – 9/19/08
  8. Basement Bathroom Shell Space — 9/22/08 – 10/10/08
  9. Basement Stairs — 9/22/08 – 9/26/08
  10. Site Stairs — 9/22/08 – 9/26/08
  11. Electrical Rough-in and Trim — 9/22/08 – 10/10/08
  12. Plumbing Rough-in — 9/22/08 – 10/10/09
  13. Drywall Cutting and Patching — 10/6/08 – 10/10/08
  14. Tentative Completion Date — 11/7/2008

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Saturday, July 19, 2008

Permit approval

At 8 a.m., we marched hand-in-hand up the steps of the municipal building. This was our moment to write a check for $1,856. In return, we got to take home a yellow piece of card stock, which Matt has triumphantly posted in our window.

The building department approved our permit application on July 17. We picked it up on Friday. This is an exciting moment for the Casa de Roo renovation project. So exciting, in fact, that I couldn’t sleep. Hence the photo taken today at 5:55 a.m. off our dangerous deck.

The turn-around time for the permit was to be 20 business days. When we first tried to submit the packet, the administrator rejected us for filling out a key piece of paperwork incorrectly. So I had to give the electrical form to Wasko, our builder. About a week later, on Friday, June 6, Matt gave the bulging folder to the township. The countdown began. We hoped to get approval before the Fourth of July holiday.

Nope.

The town wanted one change: add permeability to our lot. Both architects warned this may be the case. We are chagrined. Not only does it add considerable cost to the project because we have to dig up the parking area and replace the asphalt with permeable pavers, I fear that allowing water to percolate through the wall holding back the hill is going to reduce its stability and cover the front in slime.

The Todd screwed this up from the start. The architect originally put 500 square feet of pavers in front of the house—about double the amount required. And he marked the area as “impermeable” on the drawing. The town engineer called him and explained the project needed 200 square feet of permeable pavers. The Todd called Matt and informed him that he’d submit a revised drawing to the town within a couple days. And Matt believed him.

Two weeks later, Matt called the town to determine the status of the approval process. He learned The Todd had still done nothing. On July 7, Matt rushed to The Todd’s office and then raced to the municipal building and dropped off the revised drawings. On July 10, our builder started hinting he had other projects that could bump our start date—we had expected to begin in July.

So Matt called the township—repeatedly—to plead our case. It worked.

On closer inspection of the approved packet, Matt realized The Todd had miss-drawn the permeable, putting us on the hook for more than double the square feet needed. What is it with architects and following directions?

Nonetheless, we have the permit approval in-hand!

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