Improvements—and costs—continue downstairs

On Wednesday, August 27, Matt and I got to say “hello” to foreman Miguel and worker Jorge, as well as meet Jan. We were discussing with Steve Wasko the additional work needed to shore up the bathroom area under our bedroom. Steve explained in Tuesday’s e-mail, “The sheetrock was removed today and there are some things that need to be addressed, which were not in the Engineer’s report.”

Once again, the structure was less sound than expected, adding another two grand to the project cost. In addition, Steve wants to see whether it is possible to lower the floor so we won’t need three steps to go up from the walk-out basement to the bathroom. This will require removing soil from the crawl space.

As Matt looked around that room yesterday, he re-envisioned the design, removing the side window and putting the sink in that spot, making the lake-facing window larger and swapping the placement of the shower and toilet. Much better.

The biggest improvement of the week is the exit. Before, we had to walk down a step to open the back door and then walk down another step once the door was open. It felt like falling out of the house. With the wonders of concrete and craftsmanship, this odd hole is filled, making a smooth transition from the floor to the door. We now step down to a couple sets of cinderblocks and onto the patio. The new deck, once installed, will make exiting better still.

The crew also put the old stairs back in place inside, making it easier to get to the utility room to do laundry.

A sign of support

“It is like getting a new house from the inside out,” Matt said on Monday after we inspected the crew’s progress.

We never expected to be the kind of people who would allow a firm to advertise in front of our home, but the Wasko crew has proven themselves worthy. We’re proud to let our neighbors know what an awesome team we’ve hired.

Steve Wasko noted on Thursday that he, foreman Miguel and the rest of the crew are getting close to completing the major repairs identified by Harry’s structural engineering report, needing another week or so in the walkout basement before moving on to the bathroom area under our bedroom.

The team made more holes, this time in the utility room, and put in more lally columns—saving for me the tree trunk beams they had removed. They also pulled out the cheap PVC windows, shored up the structure and then put them back in. In addition, the team continued “sistering” the joists holding up the floor above, adding new framing to the existing crazy quilt.

New windows are on the way. On August 14 we met with Alex, Steve’s partner, to go over the project and write a big check so he could order supplies. We learned that his firm, Adriatic (which works with his father’s firm, Schiavone & Sons), also does commercial work, including Southern Hospitality, a restaurant for Justin Timberlake (American pop singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer, actor and participant in a notorious “wardrobe malfunction”) that opened last summer.

I know it is too early to say (and I call feel all of you who have been through a renovation are thinking: Just wait for the inevitable horrors ahead), but it feels to me like we’ve hired a construction Dream Team. They listen, care, show up, make progress and maintain an orderly work site.

Garden rocks and other treasures

Steve Wasko, our builder, knew that I wanted the crew to save any interesting rocks they found on our site. Granted, we didn’t anticipate a pile of boulders to be located inside the house…

I was pleased and touched that they separated the nice rocks from the concrete chunks and rubble, interpreting their efforts as a clear example of caring about our needs and wishes. Matt imagined them all rejoicing because my request meant they didn’t have to move the heavy objects too far from the exit; the concrete and other waste needs to be carried up the steps and disposed of off site.

The crew also put aside two brown bottles they found while making way for the structural cinder block walls in the walk-out basement.

The stamp on both reads: “Federal law forbids sale or reuse of this bottle,” which according to a bottle dating site indicates they are machine-made liquor bottles sold in the U.S. between 1935 and 1964. We guess that the first addition was put on this house during the late 50s, and the time period for these bottles provides further confirmation.

The bottom of the rectangular bottle says:

3

Bloch Brothers (Distillers) LTD
Glasgow Scotland
A.G.W.

The Scotland Whisky and Distilleries site explained: “The Bloch brothers sold both distilleries to Hiram Walker in 1954.”

The round 4/5 quart bottle had something in common aside from contents. The bottom of the bottle reads:

Bottled by Hiram Walker & Sons
Made in Canada
Walkerville

(In 1856, the American whiskey mogul himself developed
this company town in Ontario; think “Canadian Club.”)

Canada

11 l ◊ • 4

Limited Bottle

Matt and I immediately added these treasures to our Casa de Roo museum and wondered whether the previous owner of this home-made house had a secret drinking problem that necessitated hiding his empties.

Nine days of progress

There are times a picture is not worth a thousand words. This is one of those times. The improvements to the walk-out basement have been dramatic to see first-hand, yet none of my snapshots properly convey the progress of the first two weeks of work. (The crew is on hiatus from yesterday through next Friday.)

Removing the steps on August 4 uncovered a set of masonry stairs that seemed to once have been outdoors (and added another wrinkle to accessing the laundry area).

The interior wall on the south side of the house now benefits from cinderblock support that was done in such a workmanlike manner it is almost a shame to cover it up. Lumber framing is going in above, replacing the odd assortment of scrap wood. Our walk-out basement is being transformed into a real room—one with the structural integrity to hold up the rest of the house.

When Matt and I did the downstairs demolition, the air quality immediately improved—yet the problems our efforts revealed took our breath away. These issues are also taking more of our money away. The builder just discussed with Matt the need to do more fixes than we originally thought. There goes another two grand…

We’re convinced it will be worth it in the end. Heck, it already feels worth it!

Lally columns

The Wasko construction crew has already made tangible progress on the structural work in the walk-out basement. We passed our first inspection on July 29, enabling the crew to pour QUIKRETE® 5000 Concrete Mix into the two large holes they made the day before.

In went the lally columns and the floor of the great room above already feels stiffer.