The Kay's Home Renovation

Back in the House

2008-11-23T03:10:00.000-08:00

One of our "dog rugs" purchased on eBay - cheap to the point that Max and Charlie can do whatever they want to or on with no major consequence.

The dedicated office space was quickly utilized.

It didn't take long to accumulate clutter.

The foyer is a nice space. The large front window brings the exterior space inside. Lots of light during the day really makes a pleasant atmosphere. The stairwell has become a favorite place for the kids to hang out. Grace reads on the top step, Jack uses the upper landing as a launch pad for paper airplanes.

We haven't quite filled all of the new space created by the remodel. No hurry on this though. As we get to know the house and how we use it, we can arrange furniture to fit our needs.

Its now 5 weeks since we moved back in, about 3 since the items in storage were brought back. Lynn's been working hard to unpack, store, put up or delete the various items that were packed away this past year. It's a slightly stressful time. We're starting to feel comfortable in the house now. We've figured most of the light switches and have determined the source the for various noises and rattles most houses seem to have. There are still numerous finishing jobs to do - paint in the basement, some yard work, a little bit of trim here and there - but it's mostly done and a big relief.

Certificate of Occupancy

2008-10-02T17:31:00.000-07:00

Starting to set up the cellar

Something I never thought I'd see - a construction debris-free back yard.

View of the deck off the guest room - come stay and check it out.

The new book case/stair rail. The other shelf will fill the corner of the room shown.

Stairs with railing.

Front of the house today - notice the cardboard street address sign.

Today we received the Certificate of Occupancy. That means the house is safe for habitation and we can move back in. Some final projects are taking place. The builder had to do a couple of temporary patches to bring the house up to standard. The cabling in the main stairwell rail is temporary, as is the masonite board that closes off the stair opening into the living room. One of the bookshelves is installed. There is one more to go and then granite tops on these. We don't have the fireproof surrounds for the fireplaces on, so cement board was placed to get them past the inspection. No plans on using them until they are finished. Today also saw the installation of blinds in the master bedroom and guest room. We'll add in others as the budget allows.

Overall we are excited to see the main construction wind down. The movers will come Monday to get the big things in. We'll spend time this weekend moving what we can, unpacking and starting the process of settling in.

Closer Still

2008-09-14T15:29:00.000-07:00

A view of the house at night, lights on.

The kitchen at night, pretty much completed

Here's a view into the foyer

The mirrored cabinet was installed last week.
Here's the tub, and it's view, in the master bathroom

We're getting closer. I'm think one more month of finishing touches by the builder. We've ordered the concrete counters that will form the surrounds of the fireplaces. The stair treads are in and look pretty good. Downspouts are in on the gutters. The railing guys were back last week to measure the stairwell. Hopefully these will be in.

One problem - we need to be out of the rental house by the 20th, but I'm pretty sure the house won't have it's Certificate of Occupancy by then. Probably need one more week. We're exploring a coupe of options.

We've been moving more of the none essential, less than valuable items into the house. More clothes went over along with some yard stuff. I'm going to make on more run tonight. I took a couple of pictures today and last night, posted above. Remember, you can double click on an image to bring up a larger version.

Moving out

2008-09-07T17:13:00.000-07:00

The south side of the house. The lower rounded vent cover is from the stove hood. The one above that is from the dryer on the second floor

Latest view of the kitchen. Love the hood. A cowling will cover the duct above the hood and a tile backsplash is planned for the white area between the cook top and hood. Pot filling faucet will be installed there as well. Pendant lights are installed over the island, but not so low that they get in your way while working. I'm thinking a long table slightly lower than the height if the island would be a good addition for extra open storage space.

The recycle bins in north Asheville have come through again. I pulled a dozen or so dish pack boxes out of the cardboard bin. Someone must have just moved to Asheville. We'll return them when we're done.

We started moving in earnest this weekend. We can't take anything valuable, but that doesn't preclude much. Books, files, most of our hanging clothes, the basement stuff that we had kept with us. All of it went back this weekend. Our formal move is set for the week after next, but we're going to continue to move the things we can up to that time.

We got a quote for finishing the outdoor fire place surround (picture below). I thought we could use concrete -big mistake, it cost more than granite. We're going to consider other options and should have it settled by the end of the week.

Other big events: the outdoor compressors for the air conditioners were installed. Most of the interior door hardware is on, the interior painting is done (including beams) and the lighting is installed. The basement will get these treatments in the next week or two.

The treads for the stairs have been delivered and should get installed next week. Once these are on, the rails can be installed. The cabinet guy is working away on the bookshelves for the main room. We got a quote back on granite tops for these (like the kitchen counter tops). It seemed a little high, so were going to get another quote before finalizing that decision.

Update

2008-08-31T17:41:00.000-07:00

Spent more time at the house this weekend as we start moving a few things back - books, wardrobe boxes and the like. Big shout out to Michael for helping with the Saturday morning shift. A couple of events of note. The lights for the kitchen and foyer were installed Friday. Also, the siding guys have been working on the outdoor fireplace. Everything seems to be installed except for the surround. It will be made from a slate colored cement.

We're getting close. We have to be out of the rental unit by the 19th. The movers are coming a few days before that.

Stairs-

2008-08-28T02:54:00.001-07:00

First pictures of the stairs. This is the spine, there are rails and treads that need to be installed.

Also, the garage doors are in.

Moving Day?

2008-08-23T14:32:00.000-07:00

Much progress this week. The final coat of varnish is being put down today. No work inside for three days after that while it drys. The last major instillation will be the staircase and rail. There are still some more features to complete - the garage doors, painting in the cellar space and finishing the guest room deck. We also need to finalize plans for steps leading up into the front of the house. Even with all of this, we are starting to plan for a move back into the house around the 16th of September. That will be a big day. The end of a significant period for the family and hopefully the start of an interesting 20 or 30 years.

Watch this space for new interior pictures after the varnish has dried.

Getting Close

2008-08-17T11:38:00.000-07:00

The siding is just about done. The area around the outdoor fireplace will have some applied. The rails for the deck were also placed this past week. Kitchen appliances arrived and should be installed this coming week. One major event - water came out of a faucet when I turned it on.
(double click the images to get a bigger view)

More Siding

2008-08-03T16:01:00.000-07:00

Work continues-

Siding

2008-07-29T19:22:00.000-07:00

Finally! After several delays while installation issues were resolved, we have some siding going up. The siding guys started at the roof and have three of the four areas covered. Today they had some of the exterior wall covered.

You can double click on the pictures to make them a little bigger

July 2008

2008-07-21T03:14:00.000-07:00

View out of the guest room.

Stack of siding - plumbing fixtures next to that.

Master bath, first shower in the new stall

Master closet shelving waiting to be installed

Two views of the office. This is built into some of the space that was wasted in the two story high foyer

Kitchen. Cabinets guys are on hold for the painters

The temporary staircase. The landing it attaches to is also temporary. The final case will center over the stair well to the basement. Book shelves will form a rail along the back, standard railing on the front.

The end is approaching. The lease on our current rental expires August 19th indicating a year has passed since we started. We visited this past weekend (July 20th) to look around. Painting is on-going with the final coats for the downstairs going up. Upstairs final coats next. The interior doors are hung and the downstairs ones finished. The tile work is in. The closet guy is getting started. There is a pile of siding in the basement, next to a pile of plumbing fixtures. Hopefully that means they will be going up and in soon. The counter top people have called about the final dimension on their pieces.
That leaves the electrical fixtures, stair case and deck railing to make it habitable.
The garage finishes and guest room deck finish is yet to be done, but that can happen after we've moved in if need be.

Floors & Cabinets

2008-06-29T12:39:00.000-07:00

Entertainment room. We'll call it the "Dance Studio" until we have some furniture to put into it.

Looking back to front

Again from the dining area

Looking from the dining area

Floors are in and finished. The stair case is down, so I couldn't get upstairs to photograph there. The kitchen cabinets are almost done. I've heard that the upstairs bath cabinets are in.

The painters should be back this week to finish up. Our new stair case is on order. Maybe next week? (You can see the old one on the back porch) Still waiting for the architect to resolve the installation issues with the siding.

Progress

2008-06-16T01:25:00.000-07:00

We had some visitors on Father's Day

The exterior fireplace is in. We had originally planned for a masonry chimney, but the ground under the deck is just fill dirt. No support for the weight. Not a hard decision to go with a bare flue more in keeping with the house design.

And then 2 days later

Looking from the dining room into kitchen

Where is the stair well?
Looking from the glass room toward the kitchen

Windows - in!

Flooring - in!

Painting - underway

Cabinets - coming

We were surprised at how fast the floors were installed. I guess the open layout lends itself to rapid installation. They got ahead of teh painers who have stopped until the floors are finished. Finishing the floors should come next. Then the painters can finish up and the cabinets can be installed. That leaves lighting, applicances, bathroom finishes and plumbing fixtures.

Memorial Day

2008-05-26T03:48:00.001-07:00

Looking from the front dining area into the kitchen. The drywall defines the space.

This is a view from the kitchen into the living room. The unfinished pipes at the bottom will go to the sink on the island.

Continued progress. The Drywall is larger done. Joints and screws are taped and patched wailting for a final sanding. Painters should be in this coming week. Flooring in after the walls are painted.

All of the windows are in and the front door is the only thing left to install. Still waiting for the siding to show up.

Much Progress

2008-05-04T19:37:00.000-07:00

The garage, stucco completed. The concrete wall to the right of Jack will get a stone veneer.

The kichen looking from the front dining room.

Cellar entrance and main area. R-38 in the ceiling. I left a thermometer in for the night to see what the temperature will be too warm and a cooling unit will be needed.

The glass room is almost formed.

The back deck. The raised area Jack is examining is wood framed, wrapped in house wrap, covered with cement board then water-proofed with the blue stuff. Stucco goes on top of the blue stuff. The little red boxes are cut outs for lights, masked with red tape for now.

The front.

A lot has taken place over the course of the week. The architect is directing window and door installation. The up stairs is done. The downstairs mostly so. The glass wall for the front of the house is the remaining challanging portion.

The insulation guys worked through the week and weekend to finish up the walls and vapor barriers. Fiberglass bats make up the bulk of it. Some polystyrene was used to seal the cellar ceiling and the dining room and media room walls.

The Cellar form has taken shape.

The exterior stucco is mostly in place.

Dry wall application to begin in 2 or 3 days!! Major step forward.

Tight space

2008-04-27T06:41:00.000-07:00

We have tried to brighten it up a bit

Space at the table can be tight at meal times so we take turns

The kids miss the toys we packed away, but are making do

One aspect of the renovation that I haven't commented on - our alternative living arrangements. We're in a 2 bedroom rental less than a mile from the house. Space is little tight, but we all getting along pretty well. We've had to make a few concessions to living so closely together, but overall I think everyone is holding up well.

Old house

2008-04-27T06:18:00.001-07:00

By popular demand - something I forgot to do earlier in the life of this blog. Here are some pictures of the old house.

Siding

2008-04-27T06:15:00.000-07:00

This is picture of the siding we'll be using. It is constructed like a piece of corrugated cardboard, with a corrugated plastic layer sandwiched between two metal sheets. It comes in various lengths and widths depending on the application. The small piece above was cut out from some being installed in the soffits.

Windows!

2008-04-27T05:57:00.000-07:00

A couple of views of the deck and media (?) room.

The wiring is almost finished...

The frame for one of the downstairs windows.

The master bedroom

Windows have arrived and are being installed. This is a major step - once the windows and doors are installed, the interior finishes can be installed. Our builder says we can move back in eight weeks after the windows are installed. (I'm not holding him to it).

Catching Up

2008-04-05T08:23:00.000-07:00

View of the back deck. The black surface is a plastic pan that is covered with cement, followed by a sealant. Tile is then set on that for the finish.

Here's a view from the glassed in room onto the deck space

The garage floor and cellar floor are ready to be poured.

Busy month the last few weeks. Much progress on the house. The deck is completed and tile is being placed. The wiring and plumbing are roughed in, as is the interior framing. The siding is due any time and the builder has met with the local reps to discuss how it will be installed. The windows are due in about 3 more weeks. Once they are in, all the interior finish work can begin.

Granite

2008-02-10T12:24:00.000-08:00

We are using granite for the kitchen countertop and I think have settled on one (Absolute Black - not pictured). A different style will go into the bathrooms. We'll need a larger piece for the master bath because it has two counter areas and so will go with a first quality piece. The other bathrooms will most likely be fashinoned from remnants, color and style dependent on what's available the day we pick one out.

We getting a quote on a top for the office desk - a built in piece. For this, we may use Uba Tuba, reportedly not expensive. I recognized it from my favorite coffee stop in town - their condiment station uses it for the countertop.

Taking Shape

2008-02-10T12:10:00.000-08:00

This is the guest room, looking in from the deck. A Bathroom entrance is off to the right. The small room with the new electrical panel will be the laundry room. You can see the new wiring in the ceiling.

Here's the front of the house where a large (real large) window will be. Main entry door will be at the bottom left hand corner.

The future craft room running along the length of the back of the garage. Grace is indicating the space it will occupy.

The garage. There will be two rooms that fill up some of the space in the back.

Here's the latest frontal view. Window openings are framed.

The house's exterior as formed and now the interior framing is progressing. The electrician has run the basic wiring to the non-basement areas and the plumber has brought up lines to all of the bathrooms as drawn. We finally have a sense of the spaces that will be present when it is all done.

End of January

2008-01-27T13:01:00.000-08:00

The "walls" of the dining room - window to the front, French doors to the right.

The living room looking north gives a good view of the steel supports threaded through the house.

The other neighbor's view.

A view from the guest room deck

The neighbor's view

Obligatory frontal view

Much progress since the last postings. The house now has it's final form. The steel installation is essentially complete. Unfortunately, some additional cross bracing is needed to stiffen the structure a little more. I tried to get it to shake today, but no luck. I'll trust the builder and architect on this one.

The roof extension is done - one small piece of the old roof has been retained inside the new section - something for the next renovators to discover.

Finishing the roof brings up one more problem - how to gather rainwater from the roof and deck, and where to send it. Architect working on that one.

The chimney will have to be scraped or lighten, the dirt behind the house is fill and not soild enough to carry the weight of a masonry tower. We're not overly upset.

The landscape has also lead to some discussion about changing the back north corner. There is no room left for a stairwell up the side of the garage. It could be done, but a retaining wall would be needed...passsss on that, at least for now.

Most of the door and window openings are framed and house wrap is starting to make it's way around the house.

Steel

2008-01-05T17:28:00.001-08:00

A detail of how the steel beams are joined, and then dressed to accept nailed items (windows, doors, and the like)

Here's a view from the roof of the dining room extension, this will be a deck for the guest room.

(Also a place we can put up the electric Santa display at Christmas)

Going from the living room to the foyer

Steel running from back of the first floor into the living room

Looking out from the future dining room

Latest view, the form is fairly obvious now

I don't think I quite grasped how much steel was going into the building.

One week's work

2007-12-24T03:51:00.000-08:00

The garage is taking shape. The height was dictated by the existing structure. We just have to figure out what to do with all the head room.

Deck and house extension. The extension of the forst floor and master bedroom of the second floor will extend to the point of the most rightward steel posts.

View from the future Dining room

Most of the structure for the northern addition is up. The garage is roughly framed and the deck is starting to shape up. All of this allows the final form of the house to emerge.

Kitchen

2007-12-16T17:06:00.000-08:00

This one's from the architect (color by Jim). The cook top is under the hood. Notice, lower windows and more cabinets.
Sink, dishwasher, and maybe an ice maker will be in the island.

This one's from a cabinet maker.

Seeing the kitchen framed made me think it was time to put up some pics of the final plan. Here's the latest perspective of the cabinets that will be against the wall. There will also be an island where the sink will reside. We're bidding this out before finalizing plans on exact cabinet layout and appliance selection.

December 16

2007-12-16T07:26:00.000-08:00

This view is from Grace's old room which will become a guest room, looking into the master bedroom. The new stud wall on the second floor, to the left that extends out into the old open (i.e. wasted) space of the foyer will become a small office. The opened wall will go out onto a small deck. This corner has the best views from the house.

More steel for installation.

Jack standing in the kitchen/dining extension.

The new garage is taking shape.

Front view. The concrete wall is new. It will form the foundation for a small deck space around the front of the house and the back wall of the new stairs leading up to the house.

Another week's worth of progress. The deck and extension of the northern end of the house are taking shape. The kitchen/dining room addition is framed, giving a feel for what the final space will be like. We've been playing around with layouts of the cabinets and appliances. Now that there is a room to stand in, we can finalize plans for where everything will go.

Last of November

2007-12-08T10:09:00.000-08:00

Two views into the cellar

The master bath

Main floor / Living room

Another weekend, another chance to catch up. Lots of progress this past week. The joists for the northern extension are in and the subfloor has been placed.

The floor for the dining room extension is also in place - this forms the ceiling for the cellar.

New Concrete forms are being set for the stairwell/retaining wall at the front of the house.

The inside walls are being framed.

Latest

2007-12-03T03:20:00.000-08:00

Latest view into the cellar

Jack came away with several treasures, including a handful of bent nails and dull saw blade.
View from the Master Bed Room

We stopped by the house this past weeked. The concrete forms are gone and the intial steel beams have been set. These define the extenet of the northern addition. Also, the windows are starting to take shape. The view through these is wonderful, something the old house never gave.

Final Product

2007-11-25T10:33:00.000-08:00

A view of the rear

We're about 4 weeks into the project. This blog was started in a hurry a couple of weeks into the project. In our rush, we forget to put up any images of the final product (there is a plan!). This rendition is next to the latest. I believe that left-hand side glass room will have a three foot-or-so wall along the bottom, similar to the room directly above it.

The Cellar

2007-11-25T10:23:00.000-08:00

Jim's favorite part of the renovation is the new room off the basement. Call it a safe room, a bomb shelter, a root cellar or the man-cave, it's the part I've had the most fun helping to plan (this includes time spent rearranging the kitchen and master bathroom). Some pictures from inside can give a glimpse of what the final space will be like. The ceiling will be 14 feet, mostly buried underground to help maintain constant temperature.

Thanksgiving

2007-11-25T10:14:00.000-08:00

Stopped by the house early Thanksgiving morning to check on progress before we left town. The concrete was poured yesterday. This is the first major step in re-building the house after stripping it down to the structure that will remain - a nice point to reach. The concrete will cure over the long weekend and forms striped early next week. The steel beams tht will form supports for the garage roof and overlying deck can be set now that the walls are formed. Once the steel is set the windows can be ordered. The goal is to get the house enclosed before it is too cold outside (January?) so that work can proceed inside.

And More

2007-11-19T15:01:00.000-08:00

Love it! Rebar tied and waiting for concrete to form the back wall of the garage addition.

Footings for the steel to form the roof of the garage addition, and deck

November 18th
New door way in the garage to the cellar. Footings ar poured and vertical rebar set.
Another view of the foyer
More window and door removal

More Progress

2007-11-19T14:59:00.000-08:00

Digging down for the cellar

Progress

2007-11-19T14:56:00.000-08:00

The foyer.
Masterbath?

Back of the house with the vinyl siding and master bathroom off.

Footings for the back wall of the garage.

Changes

2007-11-19T14:54:00.001-08:00

The kitchen/dining room extension goes here. The wall was broken down by hand, now it's time to dig out the space for the new foundation and cellar space.

Backhoe at work. Footings are being dug for the garage extension.

The jacuzzi we never used and a couple of shower stalls. All destined for the Habitat for Humanity thift shop.

Bye bye to the deck. Pressure treated pine. Nothing to get excited about.

The Before

2007-11-19T14:42:00.000-08:00

We bought this house about 8 years ago. It's been a good home, a little cold in the winter, but the longer we were in it, the more we found at falut with it. The layout was poor. Some parts seemed to have been after thoughts. There was no sense that someone actually had thought through the design before it was built.

We looked around town for another home, but couldn't find the right combination of location and structure. Our current lot backs up to a ravine (not too steep) owned by a cemetary. The land is wooded, not accessable to a road and unbuildable due to its slope. Across the street are four acres of wooded land that potentially could be built out, but the owners don't want to sell just yet. It's quiet at night, except for the occasional owl, and possum calls. All this lead us to decide to keep our current location, but modify the structure.

The above pictures are the "before" shots. They are a reference point to orient back to as the old house disappears and the new one takes shape.