Remodel - Weeks 14 and 15

Nearing the Home Stretch...

Week 14 ushered in another week of warm and wonderful spring weather - unusual because our little corner of the world is normally cursed by the "cooler-by-the-lake" syndrome in spring. Temps can be in the 70's ten miles inland, but those of us residing next to Lake Michigan (Mother Nature's refrigerator) can find ourselves shivering with a lake breeze that makes things 10-15 degrees cooler. Brrrr.... But not so much so this year. In fact this has been the nicest spring we have experienced in our 19 years in southeastern Wisconsin.

The perfect weather allowed Jason and Steve-the-husband to continue their Hardie Plank minuet - Jason would hang the shingles while Steve would be painting furiously to stay ahead. Then, when each elevation was complete, Steve would climb up on the scaffolding to apply a 2nd coat to all of the shingles.

This pix shows the completed 2nd story addition in all its glory with its "Sealskin" paint and the scaffolding finally removed:



I really agonized over introducing this darker "Sealskin" to the color scheme, which had been 3 shades of gray (but now is 4). However, we are really pleased with the results. Using the darkest color on the second floor brings the monolithic height of the structure down to earth and makes it seem less massive.

In Week 15, Jason moved onto the old section of the 2nd floor, removing the cedar clapboards and adding the Hardie Plank shingles. In the pix below you can see that he is about a third of the way completed with the old 2nd floor elevation:





When this old section is completed, all that will remain on the exterior is the installation of the gutters and downspouts (we are still waiting for the downspouts - they were ordered at the same time as the gutters, but have not yet arrived - sigh.)

On the interior, the trades were coming and going during Week 15; yet thanks to Jason's excellent choreography, they were never in each other's way. Randy-the-HVAC-guy installed the galvanized pan for the washer/dryer closet that he had fashioned based upon a template that friend-hubby had mocked up:





Then, on Wednesday, the washer/dryer were delivered/installed. You can see in this pix that they have been pushed over to the left so the installers could hook them up. Steve will move them more towards the center when we begin using them.





Josh-the-hardwood-floor-guy installed the red oak in the new bedroom (you can see the infamous step-up in this view):



and married the new hardwood to the old where the two hallways join (when sanded and finshed, the old and new floor materials should blend together seamlessly):



Todd-the-tile-guy was also here in Week 15. He put up the cement board, mudded the shower pan and began the actual tiling on the floor using the basket weave tile. After grouting this, he laid the tile in the shower stall and then began setting the subway tile on the walls. In this pix you can see the completed floor and the progress being made on the walls:

Weather-wise, it pays never to get accustomed to anything in this section of the country. Springtime unceremoniously departed on Friday, with rain and temps plunging that night into the 30's. While we didn't get the snow flurries that were predicted, up north they got 2-3 inches of accumulation. Ah, May in Wisconsin - you gotta love it!

We are having a sunshiny day today, albeit with temps predicted to barely make it into the 50's for highs. Despite the weather where ever you are, a Happy Mother's Day to our dear readers of the female persuasion - be your children two-legged, four-legged...or both!