Home Addition Days 4 & 5

Monday the inspector came and went...just about that fast too. Ok'd everything but said that the edge around the outside of the patio had to be deeper. So the workers returned to dig a trench along the outside edge. By that time it was too late to get the concrete. I think there was also a backup or shortage of concrete anyway.




So bright and early Tuesday morning they showed up to finish prep work and just before I had to take the kids to school the cement truck showed up.









Brendan was happy that he at least got to see the truck and a little of what they were doing...but he was NOT happy to go to school. I think that will be a common theme til the end of school. But then I'm planning on being a "horrible" mom and take them up to Utah for a week or so during the main house construction. Hopefully, seeing his cousins, grandparents and going "fun" places will keep his mind off of it and put me back in good graces with him.

First wheel barrow full.

I'm glad they didn't track up my "nice" carpet with the wheel barrow.

They finished just after lunch time. Boy they were fast. I thought it would be a full days job.




I'm glad Lance had preschool and Ryne took a nap during that time so I didn't have to worry about "little" fingers making their mark in the concrete.

But of course I had to make mine. By the time the kids came home from school it was already too dry to put our footprints in so I had to settle for stick figures. Oh well.

They said it needs another day to finish drying and hardening. So the Stucco workers should be here tomorrow to remove the outside stucco wall then the framers will be here Monday. The days get pushed around depending on what happens...but it's normal to have some delays right? Plus that gives me a few more days to pack and de clutter. Ugh!

Home Addition Day 3

Ok, so I know this might be boring to some but I find every aspect of the building process fascinating. These are of course more pictures of our post holes now ready to go with re bar. Just waiting for inspection, which will be on Monday.



After inspection the concrete will be poured then we wait a few days while it cures.

I believe the framers are expected next Wednesday.

For now its back to the waiting game so I most likely won't be posting more of the process until at least Monday.

Home Addition Day 2

May 12 ~ End of Day 1




Of course, as soon as the "big kids" got home from school they just had to "jump right in". The workers had left for the day so the kids decided they could take over.

We decided that this made a pretty good playpen for the Ryno. Throw in a couple of balls and trucks and he's good to go...for a little while at least.







Who could resist a game of "King of the Hill".










Day 2 started with much of the same...Brendan moping because he had to go to school instead of staying home to watch/help with the "real" work. And a jackhammer right outside my back door.






















But hey...this is better than t.v.!!!



We've found our new babysitter!










And Lance has a new job.










The first "dust" was laid inside the house with the making of this hole for the post that will hold up the beam for the inside wall.

Floor plan

Ok, so here's the plan...I couldn't get my scanner to work and the plans that were emailed to me were not able to load either so I finally just took a picture of it and uploaded it. Phooey!

Existing is the bottom master bedroom with master closet and bath to the right of it. Across the hallway with the stairs are the kids rooms. Front two are the existing rooms minus the hallway and new bath. New bath is as shown in detail next to the existing bath. It will make that room smaller but soooo worth it. Maybe I can get my bathroom back?

I was trying to upload my plan of the existing upstairs so you could get the idea of the addition, but it just wouldn't work. Sorry, that the quality is bad but you can get the idea. It's a pretty big job. With the front left room moving out (to the left) 3 ft or so to allow for the hallway, we have to cut into and extend the roof. The windows on both existing rooms have to be moved to the sides. Then there's the plumbing, electrical, structural issues, additional air conditioner...etc etc etc....but boy it will be nice when its done!

The kids have already called dibs on their rooms. Brendan wants the top left, Kristen top right, Mackenzie bottom right and my two lil' boys get the bottom left. I told them it was only on condition of behavior or I might just take over one of their rooms for myself. They were horrified...well I have to keep them on their toes somehow!

Let the dust fly!

Last fall we entertained the idea of adding onto the house. We currently have 3 bdrms 2 baths upstairs which includes the master and master bath. We do have a bedroom downstairs but it is so far away from us upstairs that I refuse to use it for the kids plus it was "supposed" to be my craft/guest room but we have our friend Ange living with us so it is hers. So that means that we have our 5 children crammed into 2 bdrms and sharing 1 bath, which means of course that they are always using our bathroom too. I talked to my dad about it and he immediately started drawing up rough plans for it. He had 3 ideas, one to just enlarge the existing two bedrooms, basically doubling their size or enlarge one, add one plus bath making 3 bdrms and 2 baths, or adding 2 more rooms and hallway making it 4 bedrooms and 2 baths. That was the one we decided on so we cleaned up the drawings and started talking to a contractor friend of ours.

But then we had to put everything on hold when Eric was laid off and our future here was uncertain. But with the new year and new job came the renewal of our plans. And so after a lot of work and going back and forth with the architect and engineers, the plans were submitted for permits last week and we received them yesterday.

Our wedding anniversary is also today, it was a wonderful present to be starting this today...after all the waiting.

DAY 1 ~ We have holes!

So here is a picture of the back side of the house where we will be extending about 14 ft. The two upstairs windows are the kids existing 2 bdrms. The added rooms will be supported by columns, creating a covered patio underneath.

Happy Anniversary! And for our present we get the wonderful sounds of a jackhammer out side my back door!

Breaking the concrete to make the holes for the columns.

Besides the use of the concrete cutter/skilsaw and jackhammer, these perfectly square and level

holes where made with only a pickax and shovel

Not quite deep enough but just right for a pint size kid. Boy it's going to be hard to keep the kids from playing with everything. They soooo want to help.

Brendan was NOT happy to be going to school today.

Ryne's First Haircut

Today we took Ryne down to our favorite barbershop and got his locks chopped.

I had been wanting to get it done for a while but had been outvoted by Ange and Eric...I guess they thought I would buzz it like I do the other boys.

I wasn't planning on doing that...I wanted to take him in for a good cut. So when I finally explained that, Eric said I could.


Here's our long haired boy before his cut.















Ready...Set...hey where's my sucker!


















There's the first cut.










As long as we keep a steady stream of suckers going in...we're good!

"But I'm still keeping my eye on you!"

























Aquariums are fun to watch too. Lance found Dori in this one.












Whew! All done! Wait...what happened to the suckers?!!!


I guess 4 suckers just wasn't enough!


What a handsome boy!





My hair may not be brushed, but I'm still cute!

I Hear A Ringing In My Ear!

Last Friday afternoon, Brendan comes up to me and tells me that Kristen has a bell stuck in her ear. SAY WHAT!!!!

Incredulously, I look in her ear and low and behold there was a tiny bell stuck down her ear. Of course this was Friday afternoon when I knew that many doctor's offices would soon be closing which would leave me very limited in where I could go if I couldn't get it out myself, not to mention I didn't exactly want to go to a doctor's office or Urgent Care with 5 children on a Friday afternoon either.
So I thought through my options...I remembered that I have some bent needle nose pliers that I use for jewelry that I thought might work, so I tried them first. Didn't work, only succeeded in pushing it a little farther in, so now along with the ringing it was starting to hurt too.

I thought to myself, "If only I could suck it out somehow." Ding ding, maybe the vacuum would work, since it was so little. Course the end of the nozzle was too big and I only sucked up her earlobes.

During this time I had the other kids running around getting ready and things together in case we had to go to a doctor's office or Urgent Care and have an extended stay there. So I sat on the stairs and just thought for a bit on how in the world I could get it out or even how the doctors, etc would...if only I had something sticky on the end of a little stick, but I didn't want to push it in any farther either. Then a huge light bulb went on over my head! The bell looked like the brass metal ones and I thought, A MAGNET might work. I have the kind that's at the end of an extension that I use for picking up my lids while canning, but I thought the end might be too big...but worth a try right? Course I NEVER know where it is because a certain young man in my house tends to take "cool" things like that and disappear with them. But he always knows where they are...what are the chances...so I called for him, "Brendan, where is that magnetic stick thing that I use when canning" "Oh yeah, I know where it is!", he says as he tears through the house looking...nope not in his desk....running to the garage...returns triumphantly...here's one Mom! Even better than the one I had in my mind it was one of Eric's tools, a screwdriver that extended with a little magnet on the end of a hex like tool. PERFECT!
Laid Kristen's head back on the table and put it down her ear, heard a light click and VOILA it was out! SOOO glad it was metal! Or as Brendan informed me, that it must have had iron or steel in it.
So we cancelled the emergency outing, but we had to go out anyway to take the girls to their dance class.

Everything back to normal.