Mutant rats

I lost a little momentum posting updates but luckily the project has not lost momentum as a result.

Over the past two weeks, the big and dramatic demo work was completed and what followed seemed to be a continuation of deconstruction and clearing up of the undesired remnants of the past to pave the way for a better future (wow, that was rather poetic for the subject matter at hand).

When you watch HGTV/home renovation shows, 9.9/10 times during the demolition process something horribly shocking is uncovered – like a wonky foundation that will imminently eat up the house, mold infested attic that will cause life threatening disease, a nest of mutant rats, termite destruction – you get the gist. (And yes I titled this entire post based on this paragraph for maximum dramatic effect to entice the reader even though it’s a wee bit misleading).

Well we had some surprises as well but luckily not remotely as terrifying. Ours included:

• the previously mentioned monolith concrete slab under the stairs which needed to be jack hammered apart – our GC believes was actually a safe of some kind;
• another large piece of concrete under the front door that needed to be jack hammered apart;
• electrical wires that were tucked into the insulation (unsafe) and would require unanticipated cost relating to the removal of attic insulation;
• and last but not least…
• discovered in the attic was a life sized puzzle of a nude woman posing with intellectual reading materials (thanks to our GC for the photo and modesty).

On a separate note, U has been very fascinated with a structural beam that has been placed into the ceiling that will bridge the office and the kitchen. The ceiling was beginning to sag and instead of posts and columns, our GC has put in a beam that will not be visible. The simple and effective engineering that immediately straightened out the ceiling, was really cool, according to my husband. Just look at the joy on his face!

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In the background (i.e. in our nonexistent spare time), we have been working hard to make selections and decisions on other key components. Right now we are struggling with what type of garage and front door we want and what materials and colors would produce the exterior facade we want. While we know that we want our interior to be a warm comfortable modern, the exterior we are not sure about since we’re not really modifying the shape and structure of the house. We could go a little more traditional and save some money or splurge a little on some more modern products. Decisions are hard! Yea yea I know.. first world luxury problems..