New bid is in

Mosaik listened carefully to our budget requirements and came back with a design today that puts us back on track! Most importantly, they maintained the structure of the design and all the functionality that it introduces.
Most of the reductions were related to labor-intensive finishes and expensive surfaces.
Design drawings to come soon because we hope to sign our contract late this week or early next week. Estimated time to start demolition is early March.

In the meantime, you too can reduce your remodel costs by

• Eliminating granite slab (no matter how gorgeous)
• Reducing or eliminating tile flooring - very labor intensive
• Replacing highly finished surfaces with painted surfaces
• Choosing laminate surfaces for lower-priority areas; lamintates also offer more variety, flexibility, and style than in the old days
• Choosing carpet for some areas instead of wood flooring
• Reducing accent lighting (such as rope lighting above cabiniets) and simpifying electrical (eliminating built-in plug strips)
• Eliminating skylights or Sola Tubes
• Taking on some paint jobs yourself (fireplace, for example)
  

Mosaik was able to propose these changes without impacting the function of our new kitchen, and their design still allows us to upgrade finishes and surfaces when we're ready. We have the design inspiration and can act on it in the future, such as when we start work on the master bath and will have contractors in anyway.

Shed construction begins

In a panic to get some storage in place for all the garage junk, I chose one of the rainiest days in history to start building a shed. I started at 8am amidst some drizzle and the rain intensified without pause all day. Fed up with torrential rain and wind, I quit at 4pm. I have half the foundation and the sub-sub floor to show for it. Listen to me complain.

Whoa... time to ease back on the throttle

Last month the subcontractors came through to make their bids. Our first detailed bid came in today, but it’s a good bit above what we’ve budgeted, so we’ve given Mosaik feedback that we need to go back to the design and cut costs. Hopefully we can do this without impacting the structural changes we want.