Remodel: Day Nineteen

The weekend was made a little more pleasant by the lack of plastic wrapping the interior of our house. We could breathe a little better for not being enclosed. On Saturday night, John and I celebrated by going out for dinner with some friends we hadn't seen since before Christmas. We had dinner at The Salt Cellar, one of St. Paul's newest restaurants. The CEO of John's company was also eating at Salt Cellar and treated our table to a round of cocktails and a bottle of wine, which was unexpected and generous, to say the least. The boys spent the night at Theo and Will's house (we had dinner with their parents). On Sunday morning, John and I picked up the boys and took them out for dim sum at Mandarin Kitchen, which, according to Dara Moskowitz, has "our state's most epic dim sum selection." I concur. We ate loads of dumplings--pork, shrimp, pork and shrimp in rice wrappers, wheat wrappers, and tofu wrappers; salt and pepper shrimp; sticky rice with all manner of protein; bbq pork steamed buns and bbq pork egg buns; squid; and more.

Mandarin Kitchen seats 300

Dumpling cart

clockwise from top: squid, sticky rice, jasmine tea

"This is the best thing I've ever put in my mouth!"

I can't wait to eat dim sum again.

And, now for remodeling news. Painting and tiling were on the schedule for today. 

Rico arrived this morning with the ceiling painter in tow. The painter was overwhelmed by the size of the vault and the amount of work that had to be done. He thought it would take him the better part of the day just to hang the plastic in preparation for painting, and he hoped he would be able to get someone in to help him. He wasn't quite in freak-out mode, but close. I thought it would be best to clear out of house so he could have the necessary conversations, and I wouldn't have to hear them. I also thought it might be fun to be surprised by the work that had been finished at the end of the day.
 

Monday morning, pre tile installation

I spent much of the day at Dunn Brothers, making phone calls, sending email, reading a juicy novel (The Girl on the Train). John and I had a healing, nourishing pho lunch at Pho 79. I picked up Simon from school and took him to Dunn's so he could do his homework. We headed home in time to intercept Winston from the bus at 3:30, and much to my surprise, there was no plastic. The painter was gone, and the ceiling looked painted, but since the paint is Ceiling White, it was really hard to tell if the ceiling had simply been primed or if it had been painted. We would have to ask Larry in the morning.

The tiler laid some tile, which was pretty exciting to see. Have a look:

End of day : tile progress

Remodel: Day Eighteen

TGIF

All the plastic that hung from the ceiling is down for the weekend. Amazing what a difference that makes. I mean, the house is as dusty as all get-out, the off-gassing is giving me a headache, and equipment and supplies clutter most areas of the job site, but to be able to see throughout the house makes a difference.

The ceilings look beautiful and are ready for priming and painting on Monday. Getting closer.

I started cleaning surfaces in the kitchen. Just a cursory pass for now. Larry has someone coming in on Tuesday to clean. Not sure what that means but I'll do a more thorough cleaning after that, and an even deeper clean once the project is completely finished.

Happy weekend!

Remodel: Day Seventeen

More sanding today.
What a mess.
Fine dust everywhere.

Nick, the tile guy, came to prep the shower and make it watertight but said he won't be tiling until Monday. Then Ashley, the designer, paid a visit with Larry. I tried to stay out of the way so they could have their conversation, but I wanted to eavesdrop. I had a suspicion that something is amiss.

Here is a sneak preview of the Modwalls Brio 3/4" glass mosaic tiles.

Surfside

Linen

My suspicions were confirmed when Nick talked to me about a peculiarity with the tile. The glass tiles have some natural pitting that "catches" the grout and causes the tiles to look like they have white flecks. He showed me a picture of a multicolor (red, black, yellow, white) backsplash he had installed recently. The owner was unhappy about the white flecks that showed up on the darker tiles. I agreed that the effect was less than desirable. And, it's too early to say whether her efforts to clean the tile helped. John and I had such a hard time deciding on tiles that I'm willing to live with some random white flecks. Also, I think that in combination with the white blend, which is the primary tile in the bathroom, the white flecks won't stand out that much.

The drywall guy finished the sanding in the main area of the house and then did some vacuuming.When he looked up from his work, his face was white with dust. Frightening. I regret not taking greater steps to create a healthier work site. Still, it will all have been worth it, even if I develop asthma or an environmental illness, because that ceiling is beautiful. Tomorrow he'll work on the front porch and the boys' hallway.

The internet is fixed. The repair dude didn't even need to come into the house. The damage was all on the "street level" at the junction box. Yay for technology.

Remodel: Day Sixteen

A week has passed since I checked in here. For the most part, I have been busy adjusting to life without the internet. This isn't a voluntary status, either, rather one imposed upon us. On Saturday, our laptops and sundry wi-fi-dependent devices stopped connecting. Century Link was unable to provide a diagnosis and offered to send a technician to our house, but the first available appointment was for the following Saturday, February 7th. Seriously? Six days out? Okay, then. Since then I have been making regular semi-daily trips to Dunn Brothers to check and send email. And, just today, I spent half an hour on hold with Century Link in an attempt to bump up our service call, and I was successful! So, tomorrow, from 8:15-12:15, I will wait patiently for the repair.

While posting entries has been thwarted, there hasn't actually been much to report. It feels like the progress has been slow, but the truth is in the pictures. Follow along!

Concrete floor added to shower

The remainder of last week and all of this week, so far, has been about the drywall. After the drywall was installed on the ceiling, on the fireplace, and in the bathroom, all the seams were taped and the screwheads covered in mud.
 

Fireplace chimney edged by metal

Metal edging on the shed dorrmer

On Monday of this week, Larry left a message that the bathroom was on schedule but that the ceiling was  taking longer. You can see why in the photos. The vault is quite an expanse. The next step here is to skim coat the drywall, then sand it in preparation for priming and painting.

Skim coat

Monolithic

Boys' hall

The bathroom is coming along nicely. The painter primed and painted all walls, including the vivid blue-green accent wall. I'll post a photo, but since there is no light, the color is far from accurate.

The color is vivid even if not accurate

John is frustrated by the plastic. It has evoked a claustrophobic feeling in all of us. So I wrote my first note on Larry's legal pad and asked when it might be coming down. His response was that the old plastic could come down as soon as the sanding was done on Friday, but that new plastic would go up for painting on Monday. A reprieve would be just fine.

Nancy on the plastic-shrouded peninsula

In other news, our vintage light fixture should be rewired by Friday. According to the schedule, tiling should happen this week so maybe tomorrow?

Remodel: Day Eleven

The boys' hall

All the drywall is up. I hesitate to say the drywall is done because taping still need to happen. I don't know if taping is considered part of this phase or if it happens later. The project areas are looking different:

Bathroom looks more finished with drywall

Bathroom closet (looking more like a niche)

The north wall used to have a vent. 

Ceiling over the studio with the shed window and part of fireplace

Larry left a note that the drain finally arrived. Remember, the project was delayed nearly two weeks because the drain was delayed. The plumber will return to install it this week yet, which means the tile and concrete work should stay on schedule.

Remodel: Day Ten

One unhappy cat

More drywall went up on the ceiling today. Now the studio up to the kitchen is done as is the side entry down the boys' hallway. Yay! The porch ceiling, chimney, and bathroom are all that remain.

In which I am a little complainy. The plastic is starting to annoy me, mostly because I haven't planned very well. For two days in a row now, I have come home from the grocery store with perishables--eggs, milk, ice cream, raw shrimp--and not been able to get into the kitchen. And, it has been difficult to get to the working bathrooms. I now feel total empathy with Nancy, our poor cat who refuses to walk through the construction zone to get to her food or the litterbox.

There are so many screws in the drywall, which seems like overkill and reminds me of the thousands of staples that held down the carpet pad in our old house (John and I pried each out of the floor before we had the hardwood refinished). I am skeptical about how well the screwheads will be camouflaged before painting. Also, I'm noticing the drywall doesn't have the neatest edges and looks raggedy where it meets the walls. When the drywall sub did the walk-through he assured me that care would be taken to make neat edges. The goal of which is to avoid needing crown molding to cover the edges. Honestly, I don't have anything against crown molding but they don't fit our aesthetic, and the absence of them keeps the knotty pine walls from looking hokey. Hopefully Larry will be able to shed some light

More photos, hopefully, tomorrow.

Remodel: Week Three, All Drywall All the Time

Over the weekend, John and I went to Architectural Antiques to see the light fixture and assess the damage. The crack was pretty severe but only upon pretty close--18"--range. Andy, the owner, offered us the fixture at half price, but was washing his hands of the light. So, if it breaks, the fixture goes in the trash. John and I decided that from the distances of both the dining loft and floor level, no one would be able to see the cracks, especially if we turn the shade toward the fireplace or toward the center of the pendant arrangement, we may be able to camouflage the damage. We bought it. I find it only slightly bothersome that we bought a broken light, but it's far more interesting than a steel plate.

Today, the drywall specialists arrived. Larry's note read, "Drywall all week!" I don't think the exclamation point was necessary. Two dudes are doing all the work--the ceiling, fireplace, and the bathroom.

The drywall dudes hung still more plastic so that our house looked like a funhouse, or, as John put it, the alien quarantine scene from E.T. Despite all the plastic, this part of the work is an enormous mess. And, I'm okay with that. It's annoying, sure, but mostly I want the best results and leaving the popcorn texture will not allow a good fit between the old plaster and the new drywall.

Drywall progress

Layers

Pink board with lots of plaster on top

Fireplace

At the end of the day, much of the ceiling over the studio was finished. Woot!

Holes for lighting + lots and lots of screws to cover

It's going to be a long week.

Remodel: Day Eight

The house hopped with activity today. Construction Worker John was here to start Phase 2 framing. He prepped the dining loft and the built-in closet adjacent to the boys rooms for the drywall installers who will be here on Monday. It's All Sheetrock All the Time next week. I know this work includes the ceiling and the fireplace, but may also include the bathroom walls and ceiling.

The drywall was delivered by several burly fellows and now fills the studio.

Disaster was narrowly averted as Construction Worker John and I were reviewing the bathroom elevation and noticed that the electrical outlet was too close to the sink and wouldn't meet code. Quite frankly, I'm surprised that the electrical inspector didn't notice when he was here yesterday. 

The lads were home today so we cleared out rather than risk sitting in the den with the animals all day. But before we left the house, I took a phone call from Emily at Architectural Antiques, who called to give me bad news. In rewiring the ceiling fixture, a significant and obvious crack was detected in one of the shades. Too busy to process this information, I asked for a refund.

Then, I went to my Pinterest lighting board, where this light immediately caught my eye:

I clicked through to the website and put in a request for a quote. Chances are that if you have to ask for a quote, you don't want to know. But, I really like this fixture, and it's close to the antique light.

Husband John was kind of attached to the antique fixture so we're going to drive over to Architectural Antiques tomorrow to see the extent of the crack and whether we might be able to camouflage it. Among other things, it could be a better placeholder than a plate.

Remodel: Day Seven and Lighting

Both Larry and an electrician were here this morning, but only briefly. The city's electrical inspector stopped by at 11 and poked around briefly before signing off on the building permit. Since there isn't much to report today, I thought I'd focus on lighting, which was the purpose of my field trip to Architectural Antiques yesterday.

To get oriented, below is a "before" photo of the ceiling.

What you may not be able to see is the ceiling pitch, which is one huge slope that levels out at the very bottom where it culminates in the porch ceiling. Another thing you may not be able to see is the ceiling height. I have always rounded way up to 20' but the highest point over the studio* is 14'. This isn't crazy high, but it's high enough where serious ladders are required for changing light bulbs, and our tendency is to hire someone to change them. We've only had to do this once because, fortunately the recessed fixtures required CFLs (compact fluorescent lights) that have a 5-8 year life.

On my first meeting with Aaron, I decided that I didn't only want to repair the ceiling, but I wanted more light and proposed installing LED fixtures. Aaron and the electrician he brought in were all over LEDs. The new configuration would feature two rows of three LED glimpse lights with one row at the "bottom" (near the front porch) and one row at the "top" (closest to the dining loft).

We would also install a more decorative ceiling fixture in the center, directly over the sitting area of the studio. I imagined this fixture would be sculptural and would provide visual interest from both the lower level and from the dining loft above.

The following were deemed suitable candidates on the basis of aesthetics:

Each of these fit the requirement of being sculptural and interesting from above and below. And, each had the added benefit of being the right scale. We have a huge space to fill, and I'd like to take advantage of that. But, each fixture runs between $5000 and $10,000. Sigh.

Do you see where I'm going with these particular fixtures? All of them are balanced like mobiles. So why not a mobile? These caught my eye:

We're not quite "sold." Can't commit. So I told Ashley I didn't think we'd find anything before the project ended, and I didn't, quite frankly, want to be pressured into something to fill space. She said the electrician could run the wiring and put a plate over the hole, which would leave us prepared for whenever we found something at our leisure.

Then, John found this midcentury fixture by doing a keyword Google search:

It was perfect--the aesthetic, the period (1960s), the length, the price. It required rewiring, which was included in the price. Sold!

*studio is the term we use for our living room. Because we thought we'd make things there. Which we don't. But we still prefer the way it sounds.

Remodel: Day Six and a Field Trip

Almost every morning since construction began, Larry has started our conversations with "I sent you an email this morning," but of course I hadn't seen it.This morning, though, I managed to check email even before Facebook, and there was an email from Larry informing us that the linear drain for the shower still hasn't arrived. He apologized and promised to stay on top of it. Apparently the plumber was supposed to install it today. Larry's hope is that the drain will be here in time for the concrete and tile to stay on schedule. I hope so, too.

Consequently, only the electricians are working today, and they weren't expected until the afternoon. Fortunately, I had exciting plans for the day: a morning field trip to Architectural Antiques in Northeast Minneapolis and an afternoon outing with my friend Caryl. We attended a delightful presentation about Laura. Ingalls. Wilder. at the Hamline Midway library where we were the youngest audience members by 15 years.

First, the field trip: Architectural Antiques in Nordeast. My mission was to inspect a light fixture for the studio. John found the perfect period-appropriate hanging fixture online, but I needed to see it hanging in the store and make sure it was installation-ready. Although I located the light almost immediately and could have completed the transaction quickly, I took some time to imprint this amazing repository of lighting, furniture, ecclesiastical pieces (altars, lecterns, statuary, and more), columns, arches, and more, spanning decades and historical periods. Check out some of these goodies:

cherub

Eastlake window locks

Raytheon radar

Stairway with wainscoting and attached doorframe

Bowling alley seating

Perfect for someone else's house

I bought the light fixture, which I will reveal tomorrow. It needs to be rewired from vapor wiring, which enabled a gas charged light bulb, to conventional electrical wiring. At the same time, I may have the cords lengthened depending on ceiling placement.

The electricians were here this afternoon. Earlier this week, they had discovered that the outlets on the front porch that have never worked are (actually) on a switch. You have to flip a switch to turn on the outlets. I don't even know why someone would want that, but there you have it. Among other wiring work, the electricians "hotwired" the front porch, and now the outlets are not connected to a switch. They also attended to an outlet that doesn't seem to work only to confirm that it does in fact work but that it wasn't grounded. To ground it, a hole would be cut in the wall to find the grounding wire and attach it. Seems simple but the cutting up the wall part isn't so easy as the wall is covered in wood paneling that would need to be removed and replaced so we're taking a pass for now. The lead electrician was in a much better mood today and gave me some ideas for getting more light into various areas of the house, especially in the shed dormer area over the dining loft. Filing away for phase 2.

Remodel: Day Five

Today was a quiet day. The roofer was the only worker today, and I barely heard him. He prepped the area around the new venting, which was the HVAC specialist's contribution yesterday. I just noticed it for the first time from Winston's bedroom (pictured above). Shiny.

The electrician was scheduled to be here today but is coming on Wednesday instead. The plumber will be here on Wednesday as well. So Wednesday will not be a quiet day with disruptions to power and water likely. I tried to make the most of being at home and the ability to use water and power with impunity. I washed dishes and laundry with abandon, especially the unexpected loads of laundry (keep reading).

I think the animals appreciated the quiet, too. They're a little stressed out by having strangers in the house. August just barks. But, Nancy has been protesting by peeing in various places around the house. This morning, the unmistakable tang of cat urine hit me before I even entered the boys bathroom. Nancy had peed on the bath mat and on the shower curtain. Not to be outdone, August then marked the spot on the floor where the bath mat had been, even though I'd applied the enzymatic cleaner. Argh. I have set up a litterbox in the boys' bathroom. Finding one that was small enough to fit behind the door wasn't easy but I did find a biodegradable box, which works with the temporary nature of this setup. My hope is that by creating an accessible spot for them to do their business, they won't need to walk through the construction zone to get to their litterbox. Poor stressed-out animals, indeed.