More on the Renovations...

Before demolition started...

Like I said, this is a SMALL room...

Thursday, March 26, 2009 and Friday, March 27, 2009
Oh my, what a day. I was a nervous wreck because I had NO idea what to expect. Greg and Ron arrived about 10 a.m. and the demolition began. We did not know what they would find in this 50-year old structure. I was very afraid of wet rotten wood and having to replace the entire structure or even worse having to tear down the house. I am sure that is the result of watching too much of “Extreme Make Over Home Edition.”

The dumpster which was delivered at 2 on Thursday afternoon and was placed on a concrete slab in our back yard (have I mentioned that we have an unbelievable amount of concrete in that back yard?). The demolition trash was moved to the dumpster.

While gutting the bathroom Ron found some wiring that really NEEDED to be replaced. So electrician estimator, Waldo, arrived at 11:30 a.m. on Friday and his company will do the required work on Monday. Since there are all sorts of new codes in place, we now have to add a light sensor (motion detector) to turn the lights on when someone walks in the room. OMG… this is a 12’x5’ room with a 3’x1.5’ window in it – a night light works just fine. We also must put in an exhaust fan.

Greg and Ron were back on Friday morning with the new bathtub in tow. They finished stripping and cleaning the shell of a room and then went to put the tub in… oops – that’s not going to happen. The guy gave Greg a 5’2” tub and we only have a 5’ space. Thank you, Lord, that can easily be fixed. The correct tub was delivered and in place by 3 p.m. Now nothing more can be done until the electrical work is complete.

Isn't all this fun??

Monday, March 30, 2009
Today is my dear Jonathan’s 13th birthday. His family is going through such a difficult time. I wish I could be there with him.

Today we met Mario the Electrician. He was so nice. Put in all new wiring for the bathroom very quickly. We now have a fan over la toilette and a sensor switch (motion detector) to turn the lights on and off.

Tuesday, March 31, 2009
The boys (Greg and Ron) were back today. The new tub is set in place; there is insulation in the walls; and the grab bars are temporarily in place. Wednesday we have the electrical inspection and then all the BIG stuff starts and I head out to a motel for a few nights. I will have the laptop (free wifi with me but won’t have access to some of my files. Tonight we are washing enough clothes to get us through the next week. Tomorrow they will take my laundry apart and pull out the old pipes and put in the new. Then Greg will put in a new some-kind-of box and hook everything back up. Then they move on to replacing all the hot and cold water pipes in the house. They plan on turning the water off on Thursday morning and hope to have it back on by Friday afternoon. Chris will stay at the house with Ramona (who has been pretty darn good through all this confusion). He will run a hose from our neighbor’s house so he can flush la old toilette (in the old bathroom)… and for other water needs.

And this is what it looks like tonight...

Thanks for stopping by. Like I said, I will be spending a few days away from this mess. At least we have rewards points to use for the nights at the motel. R likes it that there is a free breakfast. I'll have the laptop with me for company and I may even get in some reading. There is a pool, but I don't think it has warm enough to try that yet.