Week 6: Another week of hell.....

Week 6 has been a nightmare basically......You have bad weeks and good weeks, this week was a horrible week. Everything is moving way too fast, and if you don't get on the train, the shoot, you're out of luck. Basically, this week, we seemed to be working in reverse and felt more behind than we have ever felt before. Not to mention, the weather has been in the 100s, which makes it hard to function or sleep.....

Things that did and didn't get done:

Done: Demo and framing of kitchen. The new opening to the kitchen, great!! Exactly what I had envisioned.
Not done: What to do about the opening. Now that it's open, it looks so plain....molding or no molding?

Done: Completely gutted the bathroom. There are holes in the floor and ceiling.
Not done: Piping....why? Not because the crew is slacking, it's because we didn't do our homework and pick out a shower/bath valve in time.....oopsie, our bad..... (and for that we have frantically been searching for a vintage shower/bath faucet and valve. Frantically. It's crazy, we should have done this weeks ago. Negative points for the Man and I.)

Done: RCP (reflected ceiling plan) needed to be done, which again, I was delinquent on.....so I rushed and drew one out in AutoCAD.....I hate designing without putting much thought in it. The Man and I came to this decision because the lights are balance and centered. Plus we changed two recessed lights to pendants in front of the kitchen window......oopsie, again, last minute changes.
Not done: And now, we are late yet again in picking out the pendant fixtures....

Done: Wow, finding these shower and bath valves sure was a scramble!!! We literally scrambled around searching high and low for anyone who had these in stocks. Our GC asked for these several days ago and when we went to Home Depot/Lowes, we could not find anything we wanted!! Stupid move again, on our part. We should have ordered something "custom" like this ages ago. How dumb were we to think HD or Lowes would carry such a thing?! Ugh. Behind, behind, behind.
Not done: We had to expedite shipping on these suckers (sucks to be us, more $$ down the drain) and we are now waiting for it in Week 7.)

Done: All the tile has been selected except the backsplash in the kitchen........yes, we are last minute and the most wishy-washy people ever. Can't make a decision on anything....I think ultimately, we want to go with beautiful blue glass tile for the backsplash.
Not done: We haven't bought any tile!! Not one single tile....hope everything's in stock.....finger crossed (kicking myself in the bum!)

While the Man and I scramble around all week and weekend, this little guy is sound asleep ever so peacefully.....it's nice to be a hamster :)

Hoping Week 7 is better,

The Lady

Week 5: Progression with Demo

Week 5 is starting off with good progress. Demolition is going very well, it's really, really nice to see the house "clean" and empty. "Clean" because all the old junk is gone and it's literally down to studs and plaster. I love seeing a house like this. The whole house is dusty and dirty though, so technically, it's not clean. People might get freaked out seeing a house in this condition, all exposed studs and piping, but it makes me happy. Progression is important. No freaky surprises yet from demo (fingers crossed), so that's a good thing. Here's some pictures of our house in the demolition phase currently! Exciting!!

(Looking at the bathroom floor, subflooring exposed, trash bags full of rubble)

(Exposed concrete subfloor and wood lathing)

(Back in the day, before the drywall days, they used to use wood lathing and plaster for walls. Because it's plaster
which is essentially like concrete, the crew's having a hard time with demo)

(Window in the bathroom staying as is)

(Our backyard is a dumpster yard! LOL)

(Yeah not the loveliest sight but this pile of trash makes me happy! Goodbye old stuff!)

(Panoramic of the kitchen)

Out with the old,
The Lady

Demo officially started today!!

Week 4 still, and officially, we have started demo today 8/29!!! Exactly 1 month ago, we received the keys to this house. Wow. It's taken a whole month to plan this. Exciting!!! Finally, finally things are happening!!

Have I said I love demo?! Demolishing feels so good!! So clean and such a rejuvenating feeling!! I can't wait to see more! There's a huge pile of trash in our yard and it makes me so happy!!

(Looking out the kitchen windows, so nice to see the old stuff gone!)

(More Kitchen)

(Our backyard is a dumpster yard)

(Panoramic view of kitchen)

Demo demo demo,

The Lady

Life's Spin

Strange how sometimes life just turns you around, spins you a 180 degrees the other way and then bonks you in the head and says wake up. Taking a second from the construction updates and focusing on real life stuff. Family. When family is affected, stupid little things like construction and color of tiles really don't matter anymore. They seem so minuscule even though it kind of stresses me out.

My dear grandpa has basically been hospitalized since January. I briefly went to visit him in Japan in March mostly due to a scare of worsening conditions. My grandpa is a strong man, hardworking, no nonsense kind of man, who took care of his family and worked basically his whole life. It was heartbreaking to see such a man as I have always remembered strong, to be weakened and hospitalized. It really affected me emotionally when I went in March. It was very hard, devastating, heart wrenching and most of all, I felt complete and utter helplessness. 

He is stable now and is doing okay to an extent, but still hospitalized. However, I just received some daunting news from my relatives that he is once again not doing so well. It is as easy as shattering a piece of glass. Bad news of family members feels like that to me. So fragile. It can change like that, at a snap of a finger. And again, I feel helpless being miles and miles away. 

Just last night, the Man and I ran into a friend at the local hardware store as we were leaving after checking out some floor tiles. He is also a diver and shared some stories with us of his dives. I actually didn't know he dove, so it was exciting (always) to hear a fellow divers adventures. He has been everywhere diving, and I found myself envious of his adventures and dives!! I have forgotten so easily the thrill and excitement that diving gives me. I've been so consumed with this freaking house that I have forgotten everything. Seems like all I get is bad news lately about the house, I have forgotten the amazing, exhilirating feeling that diving gives me. It was just so great and so fascinating to hear his stories and his dives.

As cliche as it sounds, you really have to stop and smell the roses once in a while. One minute you can be so consumed about one thing and the next minute, it's all forgettable. As a diver once said, do a 360 spin before ascending out of the water. Lesson learned, do a 360 every once in a while.

Spinning,
The Lady