House renovation - ongoing - DIY Chatroom

**Scuba_Dave** · 02-02-2009, 05:37 PM

We bought the house Nov 23rd, 2003
2 days later I was already cutting open a wall

4 bedrooms, 2 baths, stone/cement patio on the back with storage underneath, 1650 sq ft including the 2nd floor - which due to 30" knee walls was not really useable
We saw this house on the Internet & passed it didn't look very big
We happened to be in the area & I recognized the street
Swung down the street, not impressed - looked small
As we passed the house we saw the back yard & the inground pool

We called our broker to setup a time to see it

My 1st project was installing a 240g saltwater reef setup
I had 2 tanks at my old house & I was converting them to 1 tank at the new house. The house didn't really "need" anything
Yeah, right
We had the property walked by conservation committee before purchase as I wanted to build a garage. They gave the OK, but I would still need to file with them for final approval

**Scuba_Dave** · 02-02-2009, 05:54 PM

I started on my design plans as soon as the tank was up & running
After talking to the building Dept they advised me to put everything I could possibly want to do on the Conservation Committee Permit application. There is a stream on the property & ALL work has to be 1st approved by Conservation Committee

So, I did - everything I possibly wanted to do
They were kind of surprised by the plans. The old house plot plan on file with the Town was hand drawn on graph paper. They kept a copy of my plot plan for Town records. We had our Conservation permit in April 2004, building permit was issued about a month later

1st up was enclosing the front porch for a 3 season porch & and dormering the 2nd floor for a Master bedroom, bath & walk-in closet. We had the front screen door ripped out of our hands the 1st winter a number of times, Closing in the front would allow 2 exterior doors - so the outside door would swing in
I started the porch 1st to get into the groove. Not that I really needed it as I had just finished an unfinished 2nd floor on the last house. It was easy work & I'd start the dormer in warmer & drier weather

Front porch came out nice, it was on to the dormer

Demo is always fun, especially when you have living space you need to keep dry, A little easier then my last house (total roof ripped off) since I was only ripping the back 1/2 off. Demo continued until I was ready for the big push to build the walls & get the new roof on

The 3 windows on the left side were all changed or eliminated
Far left was eliminated - walk-in closet
The next set of 2 casements were eliminated
The next set of casements was replaced with a bigger window to meet egress code. Roof was on - 4 skylights (3 venting) & dry by the end of the summer

**Scuba_Dave** · 02-02-2009, 06:02 PM

The next year I was still finishing inside work up
A lot of yard work - we had several trees taken down & I bought a chain saw & played lumberjack. The Husky chainsaw I bought is heavy duty & has a 28" blade, one tree was 54" straight across the trunk. This tree was hollow about 15' up the trunk

We needed room so I added on to the pool cabana

I also built a 10' bar for the pool area

I'm a lumberjack & I'm OK

**Scuba_Dave** · 02-02-2009, 06:14 PM

Pool cabana came out nice, still needs some work
I added a solar heating system to the roof to heat the pool
Yeah, nice filter huh? That was another project - digging out inside & connecting a new pump & filter

2005 was also the 1st greenhouse design
I built it but didn't like it, so it remained unfinished waiting for a redesign

In 2004 I planted about 1000 fall bulbs along the driveway

I was so happy with the bulbs from 2004 I went with more for 2005. Fall of 2005 I planted over 5000 fall bulbs - . I also put a lot of new gardens in around the house

**Scuba_Dave** · 02-02-2009, 06:20 PM

Winter of 2005 was a bathroom remodel
I didn't mind, but the wife was kinda upset to have to use the 2nd floor shower (cold up there)

New jacuzzi tub w/heater, new toilet, radiant heat in tiled floor, new vanity, lights & dedicated circuit. Custom mural in the shower - we are scuba divers. A built in shelf for odds & ends by the sink. I also moved the door out so that the linen closet would be in the bathroom. This also made the bathroom look much bigger & the door wasn't at your elbow

**Scuba_Dave** · 02-02-2009, 06:23 PM

2006 I had big plans - the garage foundation was going in!!
So I worked on the plans for the 24x36 garage, same size great room & walk up attic. A sunroom would go on the back patio

**Scuba_Dave** · 02-02-2009, 06:32 PM

The foundation went in as planned
At around the same time I dug a trench & had the electric service buried. Notice the plank going from the back patio to the new foundation wall

Backfilled - I have parking for my truck
Like the portable hot tub?
Its going out by the pool - solar heated

The plank I mentioned ends up being my undoing
My son is born on July 13th, 2006 - yes a friday - EARLY AM
While at home that weekend I'm measuring - the area under the plank is boxed in by the new foundation walls & the existing patio. It's about 5' deep at one point. As I am measuring the dirt lets loose & down I go....I land on the plank. 2 days later I pick up my newborn son & wife & they come home from the hospital. 5 days after that the wife makes me go for an X-ray - broken rib
That's it for 2006!!
I'm useless with my son as I can't lift anything for 30 days
Very frustrating, and I have to take painkillers at night as that is the only way I can sleep

**Scuba_Dave** · 02-02-2009, 06:42 PM

2007 & the wife is planing our son's 1st birthday party
She has invited over a hundred people!!
Garage plans go on hold & sunroom plans take priority
You know how silly it looks when you put up those 1st few studs?
The patio sloped 2" back towards the house. So I had to put up a 2x at the corner & then run a level line & cut every 2x as needed

6 skylights go in - 3 are venting, 4 of the skylights are 606's

Skylights are in & ice shield on - so its dry by the birthday party

An LVL beam goes in so the wall between the kitchen & sunroom can be taken down

Here's a pic of the dormer roof - 4 skylights & a suntube

**Scuba_Dave** · 02-02-2009, 06:51 PM

The deck doesn't make it in time for the party
So I have a (very) Temp stairs setup to get in & out
As it turns out its a beautiful day & no-one is inside

Like the outside pool table?

I get the windows & doors in & the roof on

Then I start the deck

**Scuba_Dave** · 02-02-2009, 06:55 PM

The deck goes in, but I run out of time
I had a few boards left & the railings that still needed to go up by the end of October 2007

The hot tub has come in very handy. This not the one from the earlier shot. This was installed in 2004 or 2005 - very tricky getting in without the deck

**Scuba_Dave** · 02-02-2009, 06:58 PM

2008 & I'm out of work, so a lot of work will get accomplished (per wife)
Deck gets finished early & the railings go up, new walkway to the pool

Approx 42,000 lbs of rock is delivered & spread out in the garage area

**Scuba_Dave** · 02-02-2009, 07:11 PM

I build a play area for my son, I reworked a play set from someone
Play set, huge swing & a 6x6 sand box go in, and 2 play houses

Before:

Wife said it was too big, he wouldn't be able to use it in 08, Wrong!!

I had a helper, who was impatient for me to git 'er done

An unused 2x2 skylight makes a good "wall" to block of where the firemen's pole was - too little for that

Lawn is recovering from digging up some tree roots from an old BIG tree. The old hot tub cover behind the swing set is the 6x6 sand box. We bought a new tarp for the play set & its done

**Scuba_Dave** · 02-02-2009, 07:20 PM

A lot of other work went on that isn't mentioned
I ran a 60a sub to the pool cabana
Wife was very happy to have that inspected, filled & grass growing
That was a leftover project from 2006 when I broke my rib

And why finish projects when you can start another one?
With the play area finished the wife wanted a gate to get to the pool from the play area. So I extended the fence to the back stockade fence. Then I took down the back pool fence, put in the solar heated hot tub, bar, built seating, a raised planter & installed 5 skids of patio block. I build a picnic table, a 12x12 deck for it to sit on, and installed a 3 pond system that will eventually be about 1000 gallons. Then I started to convert a 24x30 area to a veggie garden

**Scuba_Dave** · 02-02-2009, 07:28 PM

The 8' Picnic table was under $100 to build - VERY heavy duty

Due to the high water table - stream nearby, the garden turns into a jungle. Tomato plants will grow to 8' tall, the fence is a 6' tall fence & they grew up & then back down. The sunflowers grew 10-12' tall, I used them to tie the tomato plants up

I rebuilt the greenhouse - smaller & I like the new look
It no longer blocks the back windows

**Scuba_Dave** · 02-02-2009, 07:34 PM

So with warm weather I was supposed to start the garage & addition. I slipped out by the pool & twisted my knee - a 3 month set back

I did some easy work, edging the gardens...all the gardens
Well over 200' of edging, but now I can use the lawnmower to ride the edging to cut the grass & no longer need the gas trimmer in most areas, I also worked on the gardens & pool area

Another old hot tub shell, this will drain to a 2nd pond, then to a 3rd & back to the hot tub. A raised wall will allow sitting around the tub pond & increase the total water capacity