Looking Up

I ascended our stairs for the first time yesterday! Glory be and hallelujah! The brilliant and dry weather this week was a superb opportunity for the framing crew and they made fantastic use of it. Last week there was nothing there, at least from what we could tell. Now we can go up to the second story (we have a second story!) and actually walk around in all the rooms. The doorways and closets are all defined (we have doorways! we have closets!), and we can finally picture ourselves in the space, truly. The kids came with me and they too are starting to feel a sense of anticipation and excitement. Jacob said that being there also made him feel homesick, though, and he is looking forward to moving back. We all are.

I walked through again today with David and some other family members. Now that the the big picture is more clear, they asked lots of questions about the little things. What goes in this corner? Will there be a door here? Or a shelf here? I found myself a little fuzzy on the details, even a bit flustered. I would have liked to bask in the progress, at least just for the moment. It seems so long ago that we made these decisions. One nice thing about this stage is that we can make some small adjustments, since the framing can still be changed. It was a pleasant surprise to see how much more open the house looked without a chimney and fireplace smack in the middle of it, As a result, we decided to dispense with the fireplace altogether, as that will allow for a better flow between our living and dining room/kitchen.

I was told today that there is a point in this process where one feels like the worst is over. Last week, I found myself awash in regret-but those doubts are finally retreating. It's a relief to feel confident that there will be a light at the end of the tunnel, a sustaining thought as we tick down our list. Now, onto tiles and cabinets!

Was it Madness?

I was in the car today when this catchy little song came on:

I started to feel a bit nostalgic for our little house.

What was so wrong that we had to turn this...

into THIS?

I guess it's inevitable to feel a tinge of remodeler's remorse. The long anticipated rain finally started at the end of last week, and some of the earlier building momentum has slowed down, though not the steady stream of invoices.

It's good to remember how the project started and why. We bought our house in 1999, when we were childless and found ourselves back in the Bay Area. We had recently moved back from Chicago, and were focused on settling in and starting our careers here. The 1376 square feet seemed very roomy at the time. Even after Jacob was born, then Gil came along two years later, the open and very functional design of our mid-fifties ranch house compensated for its shortcomings.

Little by little, though, our inadequate closets, poor light and lack of privacy in Gil's bedroom, and the increasingly limited space for David's growing collection of guitars (they seemed to follow him home like stray puppies), began to grate on us. We started yearning for more- a guest room/office, a separate space for the kids to hang out with their friends, a master bathroom that David and I could actually stand in at the same time.

We love our neighborhood, though, and always have. We are blessed with great neighbors, live across the street from our sons' school, are close to work, and within biking distance of nearly everything in town. Especially given the very high cost of homes in this area, staying was a no- brainer, and remodeling seemed the best option. This still holds true; I just need to keep reminding myself.

It was nice knowing you, roof. Who needs skylights when you can have the real thing? Hey, who left the back door open?

No Rain in Sight

Last week the action around the house started going in a new direction. Previously, we had been watching the dumpster roll in and out and more and more of our house torn apart and tossed inside. More recently, beams and lumber have started to make an appearance. I've been looking forward to the framing, but not as much as the roof coming off, which started yesterday. Hooray! This means the second story framing will begin soon.

When we started to talk about when to begin the remodel, we had some trepidation about our winter start date. The bulk of the rainfall in California occurs between December and April, and that's when most of the construction is taking place. These conversations with our contractor frequently centered, with good reason, around the roof, and when it could be removed, the wildcard being the weather. Of course the builders have to be prepared, and can protect the frame of the house with tarps, but rain will inevitably cause delays. Whether there's truth to it or not, I feel like it will be smoother sailing once the new roof is up.

There was barely any rain in December. The forecast for the next week and a half is sunny and dry, with almost no chance of precipitation. Good news, right?

As a native Californian, I vaguely remember having to take baths with my sister during the drought in the 1970s. Staying with my parents during the late 80s and early 90s, I watched (and followed suit) as they flushed shower water through the toilet via a bucket. Around that same time, my college roommate and I subscribed to that oft used (and somewhat disgusting) mantra about letting the yellow mellow, and when brown, flush it down. It doesn't feel right to hope for dry weather. I'm in the habit of checking reservoir levels and whether any given storm tallies our annual rainfall to the normal range. But at the same time, I know our plans haven't made any difference on the local weather systems, and we may as well reap the benefits.

If nothing else, at least the remodel will improve our water efficiency. Our showerheads and toilets will be low flow, we're replacing our larger washing machine for a more efficient one, and we are including rain barrels in the plan. Also, our thirsty front lawn will at long last be replaced by drought tolerant plants and a couple of raised vegetable bins.

Once the new roof is up, I'll go back to hoping for rain and checking the snowpack levels. For now, we'll just enjoy the sunshine and take things as they come.