While a short week, this was an eventful one in which we saw the raising of the top floor so we could see how the master bedroom, our offices and the bathroom will take shape.
Monday, the rest of the main floor exterior walls were finished, and the beginning of work on the upstairs. John returned home to a lot of changes and was amazed at the work that had been done in the week he’d been gone. It was fun to see the excitement he had for the house.
Our framers, Ivan and Leo, worked in the blazing sun on Tuesday, our hottest day yet here in Seattle, and built two walls that were raised first thing Wednesday morning. It’s interesting to see how they are melding the very old frame with the new, and making the house very strong to withstand a new roof that is being built.
Working with the contractor proved stressful this week, particularly for John. As project management goes, there has been very little of it to be seen given we are on the property almost all the time. Luckily, Ivan, the lead framer, is very detailed, asks questions of us, and works diligently to make sure that things are done right.
We spent a lot of time looking at cabinets and picking out countertops only to read incredibly negative reviews of the cabinet companies we’ve visited so far. It’s kind of a bummer. So we’re back at square one on that front.
We also found some tile we like and are excited that our neighbor, Steve Branca, has agreed to do it. He’s a master craftsman and was my direct neighbor for 10 years.
For me, I’m totally clueless about some things and was happy for John’s return to figure out the leak we had in the Airstream within five minutes. We also rolled out the awning so the Airstream would stay cooler for Buster when we were out scouting cabinets and such. It’s worked beautifully and has added a lot of shade to our camp/home site.
Today, the Fourth, we woke to have coffee on the Sky Deck with Buster. We’ve set up some makeshift barriers so that we felt better about Buster’s curiosity. We also spent a few hours cleaning the house’s floors with the shop vac to mitigate the dust and debris. We were disheartened to hear from our neighbor just down the hill that the company she hired for their remodel cleaned up every single day after work. That’s not the case here.
I’m constantly amazed at how many people tell us that doing a remodel greatly tests a relationship. John and I have been at this for nearly a year now and are stronger for it, even much closer. We work through our choices and disagreements easily and with care, oftentimes coming to quick agreements on almost everything. So we wonder every time we hear this statement if maybe other people’s relationships need a little nourishment from a remodel.
We are both very excited to be seeing our home take shape. Happy 4th of July everyone!
Travelin' Light 