Good News for Remodeling

According to Market Watch, the end of 2009 showed an uptick in remodeling. Requests for home additions and remodeling projects were up 110% in Miami compared with the previous year. Requests for kitchen remodeling were up 166% in Phoenix, 120% in Chicago and 112% in San Jose. This is a hopeful sign that things may be slowly turning around. Considering how the industry barely has a pulse, even a slight gain in sales would translate into a huge percentage increase, so it's important to take this still hopeful information with a grain of salt. That said, its sure good to hear good news for a change!

Creating a Mood

C & B Red/Green by lancec on Polyvore.com

Items in this set:
Crate and Barrel Sofa, $1,000
Floor Lamp, $300
Coffee Table. 46"Wx30"Dx18"H, $250Publish Post
Side Table. 23.75"dia.x23.75"H, $200
Kathryn Table Lamp, $180

Sometimes pulling together ideas can take a lot of time and be rather frustrating. Polyvore.com makes the process simple. You can download a clever bit of software that allows you to clip photos from various websites, which you can later use to compose a virtual mood board. You can scale any photo as well as layer the images to create interest and depth. This is a great tool!

Fart Fans, Hot Moping and Inspection

After the bump in the renovation road during the holidays, we were able to find an eager electrician that was able to complete the unfinished electrical work. He was able to install an exhaust fan in each restroom, (AKA "fart fan" according to the inspector, an apt description), and finish up any remaining "pig tailing" that needed to be done on the outlets. He also added new outlets where needed finishing up this stage of the rough electrical. Hallelujah!

We also had the master bathroom shower "hot mopped", a smelly process that requires several layers of felt paper and boiling tar. I stayed out of the way and out of the bad air, but the end result was a water-tight black basin filled with water to prove the point to the inspector. This contractor did a great job. Sounds a little crazy to say this, but the end result was truly beautiful to look at (or maybe I had taken in too much of the asphalt fumes).

The inspection was last week. We lucked out with a personable inspector who went out of his way to let me know of any possible problems we might encounter with future inspections, like where motion sensors would be a good idea and options for operating ceiling fans by using dimmers or remote control devises. He had a good sense of humor as well. 


The only glitch was that apparently one of the trusses had to be cut out in order to get the furnace up into the attic. My contractor told me that the attic access had to be enlarged, but he said nothing about cutting out part of a truss. A truss is a structural element that supports the roof, so it would have been nice to know that a segment of one had been removed.!  Luckily, this isn't a huge deal. We'll just need to box up the larger opening according to the inspector's direction which will tighten up the missing part of the truss and all will be fine. 


With only that one surprise, we were signed off on the rough framing, electrical, plumbing and mechanical. Next stop, drywall!

Contractor Challenges

Ah, the wonderful world of contractors!

I consider contractors to be professionals. After all, they are often paid substantial sums to do what some consider the impossible. They need to be licensed. They are trusted with keys to homes and businesses and often have access sensitive materials and valuable objects. It's too bad that the reality is that they often come across as flaky and unreliable.

Case in point: we contracted with a company to move our furnace to the attic with a promised deadline of Friday. I visited the jobsite finding the contractor M.I.A. Repeated calls go unanswered and the promised deadline is missed. Now, I've been in the business long enough to know that schedules need to be reasonably flexible. All he needed to do was let me know that he needed more time....no problem. But failure to communicate with a client (me) is a cardinal sin and creates a loss of credibility for the contractor. A vital part of any contractor's livelihood is referrals. Will I refer him in the future? No.

I'll hear from him on Monday because he's done this before. I also have not paid him in full. Never EVER pay for everything upfront. That way you have some leverage over the contractor. An upfront deposit is fine so they can buy materials, but pre-paying in full is a huge mistake.

I also had to fire our new electrician. He came highly recommended and I was very impressed with him when we walked the job together. However, during the time he was working on the house last week, he suffered some kind of breakdown. I received a very disturbing, agitated call from him having nothing to do with his work. I was also alerted by a neighbor that he was pestering other workers on a project across the street. Not wanting to wait for a third strike, I decided it was best to move quickly and let him go. I wish him the best and hope he gets the help he needs.

It's never easy or pleasant to fire anyone, but I need to be concerned for the safety of my neighbors as well as the other people working on the job. Locks were changed and a new locking side gate installed.

Like all of us, each contractor has their own baggage. Its important to do your best to communicate with them often, as well as show up at the jobsite unannounced. Its also important to realize that no schedule is set in stone and dates will change. Also, a renovation is a collaboration, not a dictatorship, so drop any notion that you as a client have the right to disrespect your contractors. That doesn't mean you can't be angry and let them know your frustration when things go wrong or deadlines are ignored. Just keep the lines of communication open.

Contractors need to remember that they are providing a service, and that includes "customer service". Contractors need to realize the importance of communication as well, and that it is far better for a client to hear bad news from the contractor instead of finding it out for themselves without an explanation. Communication can only increase the credibility of the contractor. Finally the old addage of "under-promise and over-deliver" is crucial for the client/contractor relationship.

Cliche but true, working with contractors can be like herding cats...just be prepared for the unexpected and be flexible. Keep a sense of humor as you use the broom (or club) to guide the cats to the finish line.

Now, about breakdowns....I have no guidance on that. Sometimes even when you go with a great recommendation and a good gut feeling, you get surprises!

The good news for the week is that the kitchen has been gutted and the construction debris removed (thanks Reggie!). I'm happy to report that the old appliances will be recycled. I also got a solid recommendation for a new electrician as well as a new contact for flooring.

And the adventure continues!

Shipping Container Living

Affordable housing has been an issue for a long time. An intreging use for the thousands of old shipping containers is to use them for housing. They are the right size at eight feet tall by eight feet wide and 20 or 40 feet long. Some very creative architects are combining them to make some interesting livable spaces.

For those with the room, a shipping container could be fashioned into a usable studio, guest house or cabin.

The Work Continues....

I'm happy to report that work is proceeding nicely on the renovation. It certainly looks chaotic, but we've made progress! The furnace is being relocated to the attic, and in it's place a combination utility/linen closet has been framed. An awkwardly placed closet in the new dining room wall has also been walled off. The closet has been removed from the living room and a new larger closet has been created in the adjoining bedroom.

Electrical upgrades have also started today. The original wiring is aluminium, which over time can short out and cause a fire. The best solution would be to replace all of the wiring with copper, but that is not in the budget. The next best solution is "pigtailing" at all of the outlets and switches. When properly done, it creates a "bond" between the aluminium household wiring and the new copper outlet wiring. This greatly lessens the chance of fire. This is not a do-it-yourself project...hire a licensed electrician to get the job done right.

The electrician is bringing all of the kitchen and restroom outlets up to code as well as adding new exhaust fans in the restrooms and ceiling fans in the bedrooms.

The next step after the furnace and electrical are done is having everything inspected. Do I see light at the end of the tunnel?

Asbestos is gone!

The asbestos that was a component of the "cottage cheese" ceiling, old floor tiles and ductwork has been removed. AQHI did a great job, securing the permit from the Air Quality Management District, scraping and hauling it all away and disposing of it properly. AQHI specializes in environmental waste remediation, and I could not be happier with the results.

For many years asbestos was used in construction, and the houses in this community built in the mid 1960's were no different. Now it is commonly known that asbestos is a dangerous carcinogen, but in the past the public was kept in the dark for many years about how serious the health effects of asbestos exposure often are. In fact, as early as 1930, an internal report by the John-Manville Corporation reported employee fatalities related to asbestos exposure. Other documents reveal that Owens-Corning, John-Manville and other companies were complicit in supressing information on deaths, illness and general misery brought on by asbestos exposure. This is a sad example of unbridled corporate capitalism where the only interest is the bottom line.


Currently it is estimated that each year 10,000 people die in the United States from asbestos-related disease, which includes one out of every 125 men who die over the age of 50.

Laws have been enacted to limit public exposure and asbestos generally is not used in new construction, although it is still not banned outright. The website for the EPA has great information on asbestos use and mitigation. Luckily, in most cases asbestos can be lived with if it is left undisturbed. It becomes a danger once the tiny fibers get into the air and they are breathed deeply into the lungs.


If you have a house built up until the early 1980's that has a textured "cottage cheese" or "popcorn" ceiling you are considering removing yourself, do yourself a favor and have the material tested for asbestos. Search "asbestos testing" to find a qualified testing facility in your area. They can provide a simple kit where you can provide a small sample to verify if it is contaminated.

Now that the asbestos headache is past, we can get on with the rest of the renovation! Next...moving the furnace and more demolition!