Mid-May Update

First, as for the construction, we filed the application for the building permit today. The City has 20 business days to issue the permit... or ask for additional information. The preliminary review went well, even though the city's card on our house has it listed as a 1-story rather than a 1+1/2 or 2 story. While it is a small step, it is a concrete one and it felt good to file the application.

Second: Contractor bids are almost all in. We are looking them over and also checking with lenders on the best way to finance the work. More should be known next week.

Third: Atlantis, or as it is more commonly known, our basement... is dry! 2 nights ago we had a big storm come through which dropped anywhere from .75 to 1.25 inches of rain. The combination of the new french drain, the repair of some broken concrete to redirect gutter flow and me climbing the big ladder and cleaning the neighbor's gutters seems to have done the trick. No basement moisture!

More to follow...

War Against Nature

Here are some photos of my most recent battles against nature. Bad enough I have to fight water, but now mother-nature has thrown the animal kindgom against me!

Waterworld

So once again we have some water penetration in the basement. Not nearly as bad as after the earlier storms, but enough to cause some puddles. So the battle continues.

I mentioned that the western neighbor's gutters are full of debris and overflow when it rains. (This is the rental duplex). I tried to contact the owner and wrote her a letter about the gutters and I never heard anything. And nothing was done, either. Well, I found out why the owner hasn't done anything... the house is in foreclosure! Of course, this makes it VERY unlikely that the owner will do anything to maintain the property. But on the bright side, new owners may be in the picture soon. So, if you have some spare cash, and are interested in investing in real estate which may need some work, let me know...

Securing and stockpiling

So today another contractor walked through the house with the drawings. While he did that I attached a piece of plywood over the window facing the backyard in the guest bedroom. When we were doing demo it was just too easy to pitch stuff out of the second floor window into the yard. Alas, on one of those overzealous heaves, a piece of drywall hit the top half of the window and put a crack in it. Just a crack, nothing serious....until that galeforce guster we had earlier this week. Apparently it was blowing full on at the house and it was just too much for the compromised glass. It blew into the house. Eric cleaned up the mess and put up a plastic bag for temporary purposes. Today I carefully balanced on a stepladder, braced the piece against the wall with one hand and maneuvered a power drill/screwdriver with the other to secure it...I am woman hear me roar! Then I set up a nice little elevated spot in the "wine cellar" and stacked all of the wine rack pieces and most of our doors to get them out of the way of future contractors. Having finished that I remembered that we still have a living room full of trim that will need similar storage....but that's for another day!

Man Against Nature

Chapter 2 in the battle against basement water penetration. The good guys have achieved a victory!

Yesterday there were two rather heavy storm cells that poured down rain on Columbus. As the major storm system a few weeks ago left an inch +/- of water covering part of our basement floor, last week Eric cleaned the gutters again and modified the gutter system to discharge into small channels leading away from the front of the house. He also cleaned his neighbor's house's downspout and channelled it's gutters away from our house. Now, the fact that the neighbor's gutters barely work but instead pour water between our houses is still a concern, but that is another battle.

So it rained pretty hard yesterday. Twice. During the first downpour Eric stopped by to survey the system. It was working, with the water flowing away from the house rather than just pooling nearby. The real test? Checking the basement this morning. And it is dry! So at least as far as the rainfall from yesterday, the good guys seem to have weathered the storm.

Other news: Yesterday one of our contractors walked through the property to be certain the scope and nature of the work was clear before submitting a bid. Which was a good thing, as the contractor discovered a couple of issues with the drawings that need to be changed (we don't want a porch ceiling built across our transom window!) Another contractor is doing the same this afternoon, so we will hopefully have some bids in the near future.

Wine Rack "Before"

These stacks can be assembled into three adjoining units which will hold over 300 bottles of wine (laughable as our current stock never exceeds 24). There's an attachable corner unit which will house all of Brewmaster Martineau's brewing supplies. So about 150 of those can hold fermenting bottles of Eric's draughts. Someday many months from now, perhaps we'll have an "after" photo for you!

Promised Pics

OK, here we go.

#1 A stack of the side trim pieces for windows and doors

#2 The crown to the pocket doors- look it fits! Oops, a little piece cracked off, but it's fixable!

#3 A window crown at the base of one of the windows

Free trim (and Jim) ROCKS!

Our admiration for our friend Jim grows. We met him at his house this evening to pick up more “pieces parts” that he doesn’t need for his renovation project. Tonight’s bounty included several more doors, half a dozen door jams (complete frames), more window & door framing and dozens of random pieces of quarter sawn red oak (or QSRO as Jim’s shortened it). Once again, he was a trooper and helped us haul all the stuff out to the car. And we helped him lug additional doors out of his basement. OK- we made out way better on that deal! Pictures will be forthcoming! Promise!

A trip to Chicago...Ok IKEA!

So for Easter weekend we jumped on Hotwire and got a sweet deal at a 3.5 star hotel- the Hyatt Regency Woodfield- in Schaumburg (& it's rated 4 stars on Travelocity, but with the anonymous Hotwire system, you don't know until you've paid), trust me- it's a bargain. Our purpose was two-fold: visit Grandma Mac and idea-shop at IKEA. Our first task was accomplished. We dropped in on G-Mac upon arrival Saturday afternoon and again after breakfast on Sunday morning. We had two charming visits, the second augmented by the arrival of my uncle, aunt, cousin, her husband and their 3 adorable girls.

Then it was off for power-shopping at the big blue and yellow box. We picked out our dream kitchen cabinets, a leather couch and numerous other components...on paper. What we actually took home was two sinks. This one for the bathroom http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?topcategoryId=15553&catalogId=10103&storeId=12&productId=33207&langId=-1&categoryId=17082&chosenPartNumber=60074446. Now all we need to do is find a cute cabinet for it to live in.

And this beauty for the kitchen http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?topcategoryId=15576&catalogId=10103&storeId=12&productId=34231&langId=-1&categoryId=15722&chosenPartNumber=90062588

And eveything else was purely hypothetical....until we got to the ground floor (IKEA newbies here's your tutorial: you start at the top floor and work your way down)...and there we discovered a brand new department for organizing...your attic, garage, basement....and your wine cellar! Now, for those of you who have come this far with us from the outset, you are aware that there's a funky little side room in the basement that we christened the "wine cellar" before we ever put a bid on the house. And this is the silly little "fun" project that Eric and I like to fanatasize about while ignoring the practicality and cost factors of making such delusions a reality...until we hit the ground floor of IKEA and realized that their assemble-it-yourself-version would run us a couple hundred bucks...a fraction of getting the thing online (albeit higher grade wood than your standard IKEA pine) ...and this is why I ADORE my husband...as I'm willing to wait on this until we're further along (reluctantly) in the project, he's all, "let's buy it already!" Fortuitously, Girl Friday had the room dimensions scribbled in her planner and from there it was quick multiplication and division to determine how many pieces parts we needed (and a separate cart to stack it all on). When we started there was a pallet of wine bottle shelves...by the time we picked through them for the choice ones there was a stack. Someday we'll have an assembly of these:
http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?topcategoryId=16198&catalogId=10103&storeId=12&productId=69038&langId=-1&categoryId=15893&chosenPartNumber=S49829079
in our little cellar. Do stop by for a glass of wine or a bottle of Eric's homebrewed beer!

Devil in the Details

We received the construction drawings and have delivered them to a number of contractors to provide quotes. The north and south elevations look great! While the plan will not significantly change the front of the house (except for a proper front porch), the back will be quite a bit different.

Oh how we LOVE Jim and his trim!

So, we know a guy. And he's renovating a 1902 house on Schiller Park in German Village. And he's retained all of the historic character of the place, and re-arranged some parts and restored others back to their glorious past. And the place is looking fabulous so far. And when it was all said and done, he had various and sundry pieces and parts left over. A couple doors here, a stack of window crowns there, and framing and molding and lintels and such. And this darling man offered to let us pick through them and see what we could take for use in our own house. And this evening after work we did just that. Jim led us down to the basement where his contractors had neatly stacked all of the leftover trim and doors and told us to "have at it." We were permitted to load anything into the VW van that we thought we could use.

We started with the doors. We thought we'd start easy with a little (thinner than the others) 6-panel door. It is THE heaviest door I have ever carried. Jim delighted in informing us "That's because it's quartersawn old growth red oak!!!" (This was the first, but not the last time we would hear that accolade throughout the venture! In fact, it was intoned any time he thought we were wavering about taking a piece "but it's quartersawn old growth red oak! You can't find that anymore! Your trim guy will figure out something to do with it!) It took Eric and I carefully maneuvering it up the stairs and around corners to the car moving VERY slowly and extra cautiously to avoid dinging Jim's newly stained trim. Two more six-panel doors and a french door were all (of the doors) we could fit. We are happy to report that no trim was damaged during the door transplanting.

Next, our eyes fell upon a stack of window crowns and LIT UP! Every window crown in our house was looonnnggg gone. We know that they were there once upon a time because their imprint was left on the old wallpaper and plaster. We gleefully loaded them all into the van and noted that they were perfect for our place as our home is the same era (1903ish) as Jim's. Next up was piece upon piece of framing for the windows and doors. At this moment Jim had the brilliant idea to open the basement window and feed the trim out of it and straight to the car....perfect. Halfway down the pile we discovered two very long, perfect crown pieces..."What were these for?" I inquire...figuring they were so awesome that we'd figure out SOMETHING to do with them..."Those were over the pocket door, silly!" says Jim...WOO-HOO!!! (Yes, that deserved three exclamation points!) Assuming they fit, we've got original crowns for the ones we uncovered! And the casing for the pocket doors was there too (was)...and many door frames (ciao)...and baseboard trim (sayonara)...and a large pile of lintels (gone). And the marvelous James donned jeans and a t-shirt and spent over an hour helping us load it all into the van (we think he was sneaking extra stuff in there he wanted rid of too). Tis good to have friends. THANKS JIM!

"I'm giving you a two minute head start and then I'm calling the police and tell them you were raiding my house!" (They never caught up to us so we assume he was kidding or he forgot!)

We headed straight for the house and unloaded it all into the living room. And this night visions of lovely historic old growth quartersawn red oak trimming our windows and doors will dance in our heads.

We've got the construction drawings!!!

OK, at least we've got an email from our fab architect Steve telling us they were actually done today. But E-man headed off on a scooter for Cincinnati this afternoon and I wasn't sure if the proliferation of copies we requested were done when I left work at 4PM, so on Monday we'll have drawings!

Getting along!

This is a photo of harmony at our house. These two canines are enjoying a proximity heretofore unknown in this household. Wiley has figured out that Bogart is a meddlesome, but otherwise harmless puppy who she can pin to the floor at a moments notice. Bogart dotes on Wiley, licks her ears, whines at her to play with him, rolls on his back during wrestling and lets her win at tug-of-war!

Houseblog HIJACKED!!!

This is at the request of sister Heather who demanded more photos of the new lad.

Top pic is Bogart (then Bart) lounging at his foster mom's pet store. He'll not be running for Congress with that Playboy pose in his history and now out on the web.

Middle pic is him contemplating chewing on Eric's shoes- a favorite past-time, but he's passing because it's not his favorite pair of tennies- E's Ponys! Those hiking shoes are too tough.

Bottom pic is him in his favorite observe-the-household-spot, the couch. Either curled in a corner or stretched out in the middle he's quite content and Wiley doesn't seem to mind sharing!

Back At It

Wednesday we returned to the house to finish pulling the kitchen wiring. While Eric worked on the wiring, Mary cleaned up the second floor, which had what appears to be recently moved insulation scattered across the floor. It looks like one of the wild creatures who live in the house is trying to adapt to the new environment and make space for a new home. Is it the squirrel from the front eaves or the raccoon which lives in our chimney? Can't say. But it looks like our animal issues are far from over.

Today (Friday) we walked through the house with our architect and a structural engineer. The engineer was being consulted regarding the removal of two walls, lowering a floor and modifying the roof line. The good news: he had ideas to accomplish everything. The bad news: it seems every design element impacted some other part of the house, and each of these other areas will likely need some modification to make it work.

We really MEANT to go to the house today!

I got home from work at 4 just as Mr. Martineau and our friend Brian pulled up on their scooters. Obviously mischief was afoot and they were both playing hooky from work. E and I were going to go to the house and remove the last traces of wiring, do general cleaning and get stuff out of there in preparation for the day (someday) that the contractors will start to work. Alas, it was seventy degrees outside and the park beckoned. So a new plan was hatched and we drove to Bri's with the dogs, then walked them (Bogart, Wiiley & Buddy) to Glen Echo Ravine for a romp...and for Wiley a swim in the creek then a slosh through the mud. We hiked back to B's where Wiley got a hose-down and we got beers on the patio. Bri's dog Buddy is a little cattle dog mix who's as friendly as can be to dogs and humans alike. The trio got along fabulously and Wiley and Buddy did their best to wear out Bogart. A great time was had by all. The humans were rewarded with dinner at the Dube.

The Waiting Game...

We've interviewed numerous contractors and handy-people to assertain what component of our project they are willing and able to undertake and to find folks we can work with. With the exception of one contractor, we're still awaiting bids (the one we received being virtually twice our budget, although we REALLY liked the guy). We're awaiting bids because these folks are awaiting construction drawings to give them a better idea of the true scope of the work to be done. We signed the contract for the construction drawings today. Now it's "hurry up and wait" for two weeks while Steve and Dean consult with a structural engineer and put their pencils to paper and create the technical drawings. That will enable us to obtain the necessary permits, hire somebody (ies) and get to piecing the place back together! In the meantime, I've discovered the joy of "purging" on Craigslist and the bathroom cabinet from the house now has a new home. As does an old green cabinet with glass drawers from our bedroom. With the first two transactions successfully completed I am contemplating what else I can drag out of the basement and post for sale online. And given the nature of the first contractor bid on the house, it may be a newfound method of funding! Only 1,000 more transactions to go!

Dog update: the name-still-to-be-determined fellow currently going by "Bart" (the name he came with) or "Bogart" (favorite name in the running) is adjusting to life in our home. He doesn't mind his crate unless you've instructed him to go there so that you may leave the house without chaos ensuing and then he whines pitifully. He has determined that the left corner of the couch is a mighty fine perch from which to survey the house or take a nap and Wiley has not challenged him, but maintains her patch of hearth. He has not learned exactly what constitutes a "toy" so slippers, socks, hats and empty water bottles are all fair game. His first true bout of destruction came when we went out to dinner with Dad Mac on Wednesday night. His crate was moved from the guest bedroom to my closet so that Dad might sleep in peace later that night. When we returned an hour later, it was to a snowfall of downy feathers. The down comforter that is his evening bed was too close to his crate (who knew?) He dragged enough of it in with him to put a couple holes in it and get feathers everywhere. He also managed to harvest a sweatshirt, scarf and purse (sorry Heather, your Xmas gift - but only the strap- is TOAST!) from the pegs in my closet hanging next to his crate. How he managed to get all of that stuff INTO his crate between the tiny bars is a complete mystery! This afternoon, E and I were taking a nap and Bart was sitting in the doorway to our bedroom. The most woeful moaning started coming from the hallway...Wiley wanted in and wasn't sure about passing the boy. Apparently she hasn't figured out that while he's a pushy boy, he wouldn't harm a thing, least of all the bigger dog in the house. So after calling her countless times to "come" and getting no result, we decided to try a different tactic...."GET HIM!" To which her response was like, "Really? I can pounce on him?" And we were all, "By all means have at it! We're going to need your help training this (adorable) brat!" And a joyful game of dog posturing and pouncing and bouncing and bounding up and down the hallway ensued. And all parties were quite content. And the newbie was officially initiated into the family.

Houseblog Interrupted

We interrupt this regularly scheduled houseblog for an important bulletin...The Martineau household is now plus one canine...the cute ball of fur in the previous post currently known as "Bart". His foster mom had to watch someone else's dogs and rather than kennel him, she brought him to us. He's on antibiotics, ear drops and we have to do coupage (thump on his side) three times a day to loosen any remaining flem, but he's a delightful young boy. This kid who had been sooooo mellow upon our first two meetings was very animated when we received him today. First order was to go for a walk about the neighborhood. He's a very "close walker" which will inevitably result in tripping me until we teach him the proper "heel." He knows "sit" (reluctantly) and "gimme five" and would prefer to sit in your lap, thank you very much. We've set up the crate in the guest bedroom and he contentedly napped there this afternoon. We set up a baby gate and permitted him to the first floor landing for the evening. There's a small percentage chance that the variety of pneumonia he has/had is contagious so we are keeping Bart and Wiley relatively separated and washing our hands (and faces) after we touch him before we touch Wiley. Bart's very "paw" oriented and will use them to let you know that he wants you to continue petting him, or wants out of the room he's sequestered in and into the one you're in. He's pretty submissive, but demanding when he's determined to have something (like out of his room). He's supposed to not be overly exerting himself and I unknowingly set off a tasmanian devil response when I made a "zerbert" noise at him. He was like "game ON!" and went tearing about the dining room and back at me wanting to be chased. I'm sleeping the the guest bedroom with him tonight. Back to your regularly scheduled programming. But do stop by for a visit and bring an extra treat for Wiley who is adjusting to the intrusion in her single dog solitude.

Why no housework got done today

We drove to Gahanna Animal Hospital twice before noon to visit with this little guy. He's currently called Bart and he's a rescue from southern Ohio that a local animal rescue group is looking to place. We met him for the first time on Wednesday and fell in love. He had to go to the vet because he wasn't feeling well and it turns out he's got doggy pneumonia. So he was at the vet until today getting properly looked after. Turns out the little guy is feeling better and feisty. For such a calm and mellow fellow, he thrice removed his IV and e-collar. They decided he could leave, but needs sub-cutaneous fluids, and antibiotics for a few more days. So he's back with his foster mom (he might be contagious and she doesn't have any other pets) until Wednesday, has another vet appointment Thursday, and if all goes well from THERE, he might get to come to his "forever home" (ours) by next weekend! So you all say your best doggy prayers that he makes a full recovery very soon! If YOU are looking for a furry new family member, may we recommend www.columbusdogconnection.com

Home & Garden Show

Sign up to win a series of annoying phone calls! OK, most vendors at the home show offer some real prize like a house full of windows or a free chimney sweep if you sign up. But the truth is your chances of winning the prize are slim, while your chance of being repeatedly called by the vendor and pitched to buy the product are 99.9%.

Anyway, last night we visited to Home & Garden show at the Expo Center. While we are in a good position in that we have actual referrals to most contractors and can also use Angie's List, it was useful to meet some vendors. We learned some information regarding replacement windows and I also collected some information on glass block companies in Columbus. I have to go over the info to see which company is offering the best "home show special".