Construction progress

 We're 2 1/2 weeks into the remodeling process, and things are moving along. The only problem is that the dust is driving my nose and eyes crazy. They have done a good job containing it, but dust is just part of the process. However, Ward and Theo don't seem to be bothered much by it. I guess I'm special that way. Also, the toilet that the workers were using developed a leak. Luckily, the water was cleaned up before it leaked onto the ceiling below. And fortunately, we were going to replace that toilet anyway. In addition, we made the final selection of tile for the backsplash yesterday, and I think it will work well with the rest of the kitchen. It's a relief that another decision has been made.

Here are a few pictures of the work. There's not much to look at, but people have been asking.

The entrance into the office (formally the dining room) from the foyer has been closed off. Ward is making a console table for this spot, so there will be a drop spot when you enter through the front door. There's a closet on the other side, and we just couldn't fit a table in the space before, which made it awkward when people visited.

Another opening into the office from the kitchen was also closed off. You can see that work partially through the doorway. The new entrance for the room you see here will be a set of French doors from the hallway.

Down the hallway a little from the office, you can see another door closed, and another one opened up right beside it into the kitchen. The single door into the kitchen from the family room was always a choke point, so this wider opening should help things flow better. We have closed off a total of three doors and opened up two to replace them.

The pantry is getting widened with a couple of shelves. These extend over the basement steps below, so we are limited with what we could do and still follow code. There will be a pocket door to get in, and the actual opening will be 1/2 as wide as what you see here. That's Enrique you see in the picture. He is always smiling.

And speaking of code, the entire kitchen has to be rewired to meet the current code. Every appliance has to be on a separate circuit including the garbage disposal and microwave. And the outlets above the countertops have to be on at least two independent circuits, with every other one on a different circuit.

And while the electrician is here, we've had some overhead lights installed in the family room and office because those rooms had very poor lighting. The new lights are working, and we love them. What a difference they make, especially this time of year when it gets dark early.

We continue to search for things even though I thought I was very organized when packing up. But overall, we're doing okay with the temporary arrangements we've set up for the job. That's about it. There's been a lot of work, but not much pretty to see yet, unlike on HGTV when you get perfect results in an hour. :)

Until next time...