Words from Master Dave: part four

Contractor to the House under the Rock: Part four 

From the contracting side of things, there’s been a little progress over the past week. The electrical panel is scheduled to be replaced next Friday at a cost not too far off the estimate I gave several weeks ago. I was worried that I had grossly miscalculated based on what my electrician was going to have to do, but after working through his estimate, it was apparent he had included many items for the kitchen and master suite upgrade. It should take him about a day to swap everything out, and it’ll put us in a great position to bring the rest of the house up to standards. 

Rebecca met with the structural engineer on Tuesday, and he is drawing up his plans for us and for the city. This also frees Rebecca up to design some spaces around what he considered key areas in the house—“…don’t move this…” and “…leave that alone if you can…” type of instructions. The best part is that we are one step closer to having a stamped set of recommendations for how we are going to accomplish the eventual floor plan, and one step closer to having something we can estimate. 

I’ll let Julie describe her shopping sprees, but I know she’s made some decisions on appliances and plumbing fixtures, all good progress. I hadn’t heard from Roger because he hates me—this is waaay too slow for him. I did look at his deck railing, however (news to him!) and have a fairly easy band aid fix to get him through the next several months, or at least until he gets a budget together to figure out how far to take the deck and railing. 
I got all my paperwork into the town of Castle Rock, so now I are a licensed contractor. In Colorado, every municipality has it’s own requirements for contractors which is both frustrating and expensive. In Douglas County, for instance, proof of insurance and a fee of $250 makes you a licensed contractor. (It should be noted that the license fee has been revoked by the county for the time being—perhaps making it easier to get permits?) Castle Rock requires the same insurance, but also a valid license in any other municipality requiring a test. Oh, and another $150. You know…for luck. Aurora tests, but does reciprocate with Denver, who also tests. But Denver doesn’t reciprocate with Aurora, so…well, you get the picture. 
Next step is drawings, estimates and submission to the city…

Pieces of the Puzzle

The process of the remodel is new to us. There are some many pieces of the puzzle that it takes to get to the initial swing of the hammer and big picture. Don't let the HGTV shows deceive you; it takes way longer than 30 minutes to design, plan, budget, permit, demolish, and build!

 With that said, there have been things happening in the process and we keep getting one step closer to that 'initial hammer swing.' I have been working closely with our designer, Rebecca Musielak of 303 Development. She is a gem and has gotten to know my quirky personality and what kind of style that I like. We have shopped for appliances and plumbing already. Little did I understand that you can't order kitchen cabinets until you choose the appliances. Seems backward to me, but I comprehend it now! Gotta make sure that beautiful stove will fit in the space that we allotted for it with the cabinets.
 I chose my gas range, stainless refrigerator, convection microwave, dishwasher and wall hood. Rebecca came along to Specialty Appliance and walked me through the pros and cons of different options. Next came the plumbing. We went to a showroom of all things plumbing. Doesn't sound that exciting, right? Well it was! I decided on the tub, faucets, sinks, towel rods, and wait for it.....the toilet. 
Rog and I met with Rebecca last week to finalize the design on paper. The structural engineer has been to the house to inspect the walls that are coming out. The wall between the kitchen and great room IS a structural wall, so that will be a big part of the planning. There will be a big beam added to support the roof when that wall comes out. We sat and poured over four designs that she presented to us; all with different options. We got more and more excited as we pictured what our house will eventually become! We combined elements from the designs and came  up with the final design. As I said, one step closer. The reclaimed wood on the island that will be custom colored, the fireplace in the master bedroom, exposed brick on the original fireplace stack, industrial pipe shelving  in the kitchen-we can't wait!
Rebecca has sent the design off to Dave to review. Dave will have a trade walk thru with the sub contractors this week to present the design for their bids. He will also (I think) apply for the permit with the city. The city has to have the final design plans before issuing a permit, so I am hoping that will come soon. We are having a little 'Before Party' as soon as Dave gets us a start date. Then will follow with an 'After Party' to reveal all the magic.
Meanwhile, I visit the house every day to do little projects on the outside. l got the fountain working in the back. I think her name will be Aquafina (thanks Kim K). I raked and shoveled rock out of an area in the front so I could add some plants before fall comes. Let me say that raking rocks really STINKS! The list continues with things to do.

Before (its bigger than it looks!!)

After

Gus loves Aquafina.