And the Remodel Continues

This is the view from my bedroom door.  Most of the
house is pretty well gutted!

This is my kitchen, most of which is on wheels
so it can move around as construction demands.

Well, some days it doesn't seem as if much progress is actually taking place, but in fact, I know it is.  Since the last post when the disheartening news of the bad roof was revealed, I've managed to look at roofing options, decide on a lovely blue metal roof (for both the house and the garage, complete with matching gutters with leaf guards and trim), and that install will actually begin within the next day or two, so that is excellent progress.  

This is the laundry/utility area with the new gas furnace
installed.  The gas water heater is to be installed in the next
day or so and eventually the closet will be finished off as
the orange portion of my rainbow home.

I don't want anything done on the interior until that nasty plywood is gone, so I'm very glad the roofing can start immediately or I'd be living in my new "studio" apartment for forever!  And I really, really want the demolishing/destruction phase over so that new wonderful construction can happen.  The roof is now the end of that phase, and that can't happen soon enough!  And I'm thrilled with every aspect of the metal roof from its environmental/ecological soundness, its fireproof nature, the energy conservation pluses, etc.  It matches all my values on every level, including color.  The only downside is that it is pricey, but it will also definitely outlast me, so this has the decided advantage of being my last roof!

This is the view back toward my bedroom.  Chauncey is
eating and Poosa is exploring.  After I took this photo I
moved the two tall pieces of cat furniture into my shower
(for new readers, I shower outside), so that the cats
would have more of their space in our tiny studio.

I am cooking my first dinner on my new gas cooktop.
I also have seven jars of sprouts in various stages
of growth which I am rinsing.

They were very yummy crimini mushrooms!

So we are all cozy in our little studio apartment, and thankfully still have access to the kitchen and laundry out in the main part of the house (except during certain construction phases when my bedroom door gets covered with plastic and we are "locked up").  My gas cooktop was put in this week and hooked up on Friday evening, so last night I sauteed mushrooms for my first adventure on it and that went really well.  I think everyone who has told me how much I will enjoy the cooktop are right and once things settle down (that will happen, won't it?!), I look forward to being able to learn to cook properly.  

Anyway, the roof disaster means that the six of us have moved earlier (and faster) into my bedroom which has now become a mini-studio apartment.  We are now living in about 331 sq ft.  The room is long and narrow which makes the sorting of it a challenge (30' x 11'), but we are managing fairly comfortably, and since this is also the only place in the house with any insulation, we are appreciating its warmth!  

The view from my desk which (the view that is)
now magnificent!  Thanks, Kathy!

This shows the length of our studio.  Sasha loves to
sleep and relax on my piano keyboard.

Poosa likes the fact that she can now get up on my bed!

This is the new look to the south side of my home!

 The rest of the house will, of course, get insulation, but not until after the roof and the rewiring of the house (which also should happen this week).  My electrician is thrilled to have such open access as he normally doesn't see that except in new construction, but face it, this poor house is being pretty well newly constructed.  Except in my bedroom all I have are studs, beams, trusses, and exterior siding.  The wiring which is currently in place is, of course, badly done and potentially hazardous, so it is nice that it will actually be cheaper and faster (both wonderful words as far as I'm concerned) to remove all the existing wire and re-run it properly (instead of trying to figure out what previous folks thought they were doing!).

Another big event this week was the final filling of the utility trench and the re-landscaping of the south side of my yard from front to back.  The area which had been grass (and not very good grass at that) has now become a giant bed since the grass was really toasted after all the digging not only for the utility trench but also for the downspout drainage.  My best friend, Kathy, owns a nursery and she found plants to put in it (she doesn't have huge stock at this time of year, but I got what she did have) and she also ordered some winter color for me in terms of pansies and primroses, so I now have lovely views where just a short while ago there were hazardous ugly trenches and dirt mounds.  The change is really heartening and helps me to realize that sometime my interior will be similarly transformed.

This is the view of the south side from my backyard.
My wonderful outside shower is shown as well.  This bed
will be getting lots more plants as winter ends, but it is
already a vast improvement!

I think that is about it for the remodel update for this Sunday.  I've picked a bunch of photos to put into this post but there are even more at the remodel link at the top of this page if you are interested.

The utilities are nearly done.  The electric meter should be
moved in the next day or two and soon also the phone.  Then
all my utilities will be underground.