Shed construction: Day 6

So THAT took longer than I thought it would. I also got SNOWED ON (it's nearly March?!?!) when I was putting on the shingles.

We got a bunch of stuff out of the garage and into the new shed this weekend. We'll still need a storage unit for furniture and other odds & ends from the garage. Because we'll be knocking into the garage and it will be used as a construction staging area, we have to clear most of the stuff out of there.

START DATE: MARCH 13

Well, now we have a start date for the remodel! Demolition is tentatively scheduled to begin March 13.

Shed construction: Day 2

I decided to forgo 6 hours of Super Bowl^® XL pre-game action to continue shed construction upon looking out the window and seeing blue sky for the first time this year.

Today's work saw completion of the foundation and floor. Note installation of premium vinyl flooring.

Drawings!

Here are Mosaik's drawings for our new kitchen! (Click each to enlarge.)

Kitchen Plan

Appliance Garage, Desk, Powder Room

Sink, Cooktop, Fridge

CONTRACT SIGNED

Major milestone: Today we signed the contract and design drawings. Now we can begin the detailed project scheduling.

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.

Arhitectural design drafts are in

Today Pat delivered our 80% complete architectural drawings. This gives you an idea of the scope for this remodel. We're practically gutting the first floor.

Watch image carefully for cool animation. The wonders of technology! Cick to Enlarge. Drawings by Pat Sauer, 28th Avenue Design, Inc.

Time to get going in the garage

Here's our "before" picture of the garage. We have to get most of the stuff out in order for the remodel to start because the contractors will need the work space and our kitchen will be jutting into the garage by about 24 inches. We're going to have to rent storage for a bunch of stuff, but we will also be taking quite a few things to Goodwill and charities.

Clearly we have far, far too much junk.