the art of compromise

we’re a month into the reno now (not counting the 10 months it took to get to the actual building), and i’m getting better at compromise. For example, i would love to have a set of stairs like this:

due to budget constraints, i think we’re going to go for interim stairs – plywood covered with some kind of sisal-type runner. we can always wood them up later.

i love the look of drop-in tubs like duravit’s happy D.

or a stand-alone like duravit’s 2nd floor.

but aside from issues of cost and space, i’m told that this is NOT very practical if you ever want to shower in your tub. plus, i have some very splash-y bathers in the family (think tidal wave). so i’m looking for a 6′, double-flange, left-hand drain tub with a plywood side that can be tiled. must be stylish. and affordable. if you have any suggestions, let me know.

on other fronts, the city crew arrived a week ahead of schedule to replace the water and sewer connections. which is great and all, but we’re not quite ready for them. the old toilet is sitting on the front lawn.

my office now has the beginnings of the wall (on the left below) that will separate it from the stairwell. i think i’ll do a low bookcase along there and then a plywood desk wrapping around the other two sides.

the trusses seem to be mostly done (to my inexpert eyes) and the roofer is waiting for a break in the rain to get going. i was hoping to keep the existing roof over the living room and just shingle the addition to match, because our roof is only 3 years old. well, the roofing industry has stopped making asphalt T-lock shingles in the interim, so we’re replacing the whole darn thing. apparently someone from new york bought the last few bundles of black shingles in the city last week (even though the shipping was significantly more than the price of the shingles).

the walls between rooms are going up, and the plumber is threading pipe.

i’ve ordered windows. i knew the stairwell window was big on paper (5′10″ x 10′), but it really is BIG, if you know what i mean. it stretches from the second-floor landing all the way up. i’m going to wait and see how visible we are before covering it. i think it would be funny to just have a view of the stairs from outside the house.

we have trusses

the trusses arrived on friday! we have the beginnings of a roof.

there was a slight mix-up with the truss order and a shear wall issue, but it all worked out in the end. if you are ordering trusses, i suggest asking if they can accommodate a sloping or raised ceiling – we managed to increase our ceiling height max by almost a foot.

inside – behold! stairs!

my office windows!

kid bedroom #1

kid bedroom #2

kid bedroom #3

walls are going up

walls are being framed! you can see the size of the windows that will stretch across the back of the second floor (10′3″ each, to be exact. why 10′3″? i have no idea).

from the front, the same windows, facing south. i think i’ve found the window supplier i want (contingent on pricing of course) – innotech is higher-end vinyl, featuring ’tilt-and-turn’ style windows with wider frames (3″ fixed, 4″+ operable). they offer operable windows of up to 36 sq ft, which is pretty huge. i found them by driving past a neat-looking modern house, noticing their windows (because i am obsessing about windows right now), jumping out of the car, scaring the heck out of the homeowner, who was peacefully gardening, and prying the info out of her.

this picture is from a few days ago, and almost all of the stucco has been stripped now. the roof trusses are being delivered tomorrow! the excitement never stops…

rain rain go away

as a gardener, i love the rain (no watering! free pass!), but as a home reno person in the process, with no ROOF, i hate it. go away! you are potentially ruining my hardwood floors, currently covered by plywood, but still lurking!

progress has been made. the deck for the second floor is finished, and they are working on framing the walls for the second floor. these are joists from a day or so ago (note the daylight between them):

and yesterday:

and covered up for the night – i finally have a flat roof!

on the up side, i ordered the roof trusses, and discovered that we are able to have scissor trusses. this means that the ceiling on the second floor rooms can rise from 7′ on the outside wall to 9′ on the inside wall, which (i think) would be way cooler than angling from 7′ to 8′ and then going straight across.

i was very brave and climbed the ladder to check out the view – mostly trees. we had some debate about stairwells (is it normal to go up on the right or the left?), and windows (3′ off the floor is the norm), and i’m still trying to figure out the windows, but it’s all moving along.

on other fronts, we celebrated father’s day at the beach, trying to fly kites with no wind (many belated photos for the family next), followed by dinner. summer plans are afoot!

number three fell asleep as soon as we got there. numbers one and two conferred on wind direction.

there was a lot of running, to no avail.

i posed with the kite.

we retired to the restaurant for refreshments and sustenance.

zombie boy is particularly proud of this pose, and is using it on his new blog.

salut!

canuck design: gus*

i first came across gus* design group in my quest for a great table, but they do other things that have popped up on my design radar.

the gus chunk table. not elegant, but honest.

i like their upholstery. the spencer chair is reminiscent of florence knoll.

gus timber side table. funny ha-ha.

i love these swing-arm lights – would love them for bedside lighting if they didn’t cost $500+ each.

and finally, very earnest and green and well-intentioned. upcycle ottoman using fair trade coffee bags.

everybody has an opinion

when it comes to doing a reno, everyone going by the house has an opinion. some people are devastated that we’re changing anything, some are just curious, a few (very few) are keen on the changes. i am trying (very hard) not to second-guess myself and my style choices (not traditional! not craftsman!). skin! grow thicker!

the crew is ripping along – in this case, through the roof. the master bedroom has some lovely new ceiling joists and a blue tarp roof.

from the outside, we have (temporarily) a flat roof.

i am told that most of the roof should be gone by the end of today, and walls on the second floor will start going up tomorrow.

still having some trouble with decisions over how the windows should be framed. we have a very clean line around the windows and doors (or rather, we did) – stucco/plaster without mouldings. would love to replicate this, but am told it is a lost art. was hoping to use aluminum windows, but the quote for that was more than double the vinyl windows. back to the drawing board.

for the inside framing, i want a very simple box. architect has suggested mdf window sill/frame and mudding/taping right up to the edge. contractor has expressed concern that drywall will shrink/crack and it will look like crap. also, drywall won’t stand up to wear and tear. he has suggested 2″ window trim on top of this, but i’m a bit meh on the idea. maybe the mockup will change my mind. was also hoping to have box drywalled higher than the top of the window frame, so as to have room to install roller blinds. also told that this is $$$ option, given extra j-beads  and whatnot (not sure on this term – extra corners anyways). must ponder on this.

my garden is struggling a bit with the lack of rain (in vancouver of all places). having trouble staying on top of the watering/weeding. i usually don’t get to this stage 0f garden neglect until later in july, but things seem to be okay so far.

herb garden (the fennel is taking over again). yellow flowers are the lemon chamomile run rampant. basil is my waterloo – has died again.

the first of the purple cauliflowers  (graffiti) is emerging in my daughter’s garden. she claims that her singing is the reason for this early success. i am skeptical. perhaps cauliflower is tone deaf?

the strawberries are finishing up and the raspberries are in full swing.

i’m going to go and do some more unpacking. i should be finished by the time we move out. adios!

canuck design: bocci

i’ve been looking for some round pendant lights that are modern and interesting, and bocci (based in vancouver) has a great design by omer arbel.

Cast glass with a frosted central cylinder to house the lightbulb. I love the shape and the look – just not sure that it would provide enough light in a traditional configuration (2 or 3 hanging in a row over a kitchen counter) – they seem to be designed to be clustered.

Not in my price range – but love the image.

omer arbel has been making waves since he started with chairs, but fans of modern design will perhaps most appreciate the 22 design for outlets.

so beautiful.

on the less glamorous side of things, the reno has moved downstairs to footings.

shear wall prep for the stairwell.

sadly,we’re also losing three windows at the basement level – one to by-law restrictions, one to the new stairwell, and one for safety (picture a giant window well smack dab in the middle of where the kids play hockey/bike/throw balls). at least that’s three less windows i have to replace…

demolition days 4, 5, & 6

i’m not sure that there’s much left to demolish at this point. it’s been totally cleaned out! the contractor tells me that we have the most solid house he’s ever taken apart – no signs of rot or sagging or problems anywhere. one of the reasons the house is holding up so well after 70 years is that (they discovered) a rainscreen made from lathe was built between the stucco and the shiplap boards.

of course, most of the hard work from the builders of yore is being taken apart and chucked in the bin. we have managed to convince the structural engineer to okay keeping the existing douglas fir beam in the basement and some of the fir window headers as well.

here we are looking south into the living room. The fireplace mantel has been taken off the wall temporarily.

looking north – it’s wide open.

master bedroom after day 6.

looking towards the master bedroom closet. The existing basement stairwell next to it will be closed in, and some of the floor space added to the closet – the rest will go to expanding the footprint of the kitchen.

beams have been added to replace the load-bearing wall that divided the dining room from the hallway. They’re doubled up because i wanted the beam tucked up into the ceiling instead of hanging below it.

The back stairs and safety railing around the (outside) basement stairs have come off. The second floor addition will project over this porch, so i think they’re adding a new post to the outside corner somewhere around where the ladder is.

tearing off the roof has been postponed for a few days until the threat of rain lifts. In the meantime, they’re working on new footings for the existing posts in the basement.

we’ve also had some more back-and-forth conversation about how to maintain the slim corner profile between sets of windows. A steel post in each corner would work, but would cost more and require time for fabrication. I think they’re come up with a way to frame it in wood – we just need the engineer to sign off on it.

strawberries are going gangbusters – picked 300 berries this morning, along with some raspberries and green peas.

Grow Your Own #29

Wow! Prepare to be awed by the fabulous entries for this edition of GYO.

Cannellini Bean Salad

Andrea Meyers (Virginia, United States) of Andrea’s Recipes came up with her usual yumminess in her recipe for Cannellini Bean Salad with White Balsamic Vinaigrette.

Artichoke Salad with Sage

Graziana of Erbe in Cucina used sage from her Italian garden to make Artichoke Salad with Sage.

Sweet and Sour Chicken Thighs

I never thought that a chicken recipe would appear on my blog, but this one from Núria of Spanish Recipes (which makes sense since she is from Barcelona) sounds good – Sweet and Sour Chicken Thighs with Rosemary, Honey and Orange.

Braised Rhubarb with Herbs and Saffron

Jessamyn Tuttle from Mount Vernon, WA used up some of her rhubarb harvest in Braised Rhubarb with Herbs and Saffron which you can read all about in her blog Food on the Brain.

Lemony Rosemary Polenta Cake

Bee and Jai from Jugalbandi created a Lemony Rosemary Polenta Cake using some home-grown rosemary from their garden in the North-Western U.S.

Quinoa Flake Crisp

Linda Simon (WI, USA) from Kitchen Therapy created a lovely Q-is-for-Quinoa Flake Fruit Crisp using the last of her rhubarb.

Lemon Thyme Shortbread Hearts

Elissa from the blog 17 and Baking lives in Seattle, WA (USA), and made Lemon-Thyme Shortbread Hearts using lemon-thyme grown in her herb garden. Sounds yummy. I wonder if she’ll have to change the name of her blog when she turns 18?

Potato Salad with Peas and Peppers

Kim Lewandowski (Portsmouth, VA) of Live, Love, Laugh, Eat came up with a delicious Potato Salad with Peas and Peppers, featuring her spring peas.

Raspberry Tiramisu

And finally, this fabulous-looking Raspberry Tiramisu comes from Dhanggit’s Kitchen in Aix en Provence, France and uses home-grown raspberries.

Bon appetit! If I’ve missed anyone, please fire me an angry email. I hope to have the cojones to contribute to the next round of GYO – #30, hosted by Graziana of Erbe in Cucina.

demolition day 3

i was thinking about subtitling this post ‘mishaps and misdemeanors’, as i have encountered both. the demo continues apace, i managed to scrunch my car on friday (distracted by reno thoughts – but thankfully no one was hurt), AND the contractor turned off the power to my freezer at some point, unbeknownst to me, which led to a horrific hour this afternoon. imagine the stench of defrosted fish that has ripened over three days of very warm June weather, in combination with thawed raspberries/strawberries from last summer’s harvest. now combine that in two inches of liquid sitting in the bottom of your freezer, and enjoy the clean out! yuck.

thinking positive thoughts. we got through the dvd of godfather 2 tonight (mr. naki didn’t fall asleep this time), we finally have our stuff out of the old house (save for a trip to the dump), AND i skipped a belt at my karate grading (i’m up to green now – yay!), so while i am not deadly, i am at least partially lethal.

photos. master bedroom before.

master bedroom after day three:

kids’ bedroom before:

kids’ bedroom after day three:

this was the view down the hallway after day two:

and this was after day three:

looking at the north wall of the living room after day two:

and after day three:

a new beam was installed that spans the living room entrance wall (please do not attach any significance to the numbers on the beam) – it will help to support the new second floor. This necessitated two holes cut into the roof.

I harvested a bumper crop of strawberries from my strawberry bed today – 250! i think we’re on track to beat last year’s harvest. i have noticed that some plants habitually produce deformed (although still tasty) strawberries. Should i cull these or not?