Meet the Crew!

So, I have received an email from Kathy with photos of the crew. David, our contractor is wearing the cowboy hat and from left to right is Thomas, Casey and John. We drive to the lake at least once a week and each time we see that there is a huge amount of progress. We like that David is integrally involved in every bit of this renovation. He is very concerned that everything is right and everyone is happy. His standards are high. I know that he had a rough time revealing to us that in order for the house to be supported properly, we needed more pilings. Yikes! After listening carefully to what he explained, we fully agreed. He knows his construction and this job, for sure. We are confident in what he is doing. That says a lot.
David is one of those guys who really knows a lot but is quiet about it. His work speaks for him. I've nicknamed him a "renovation therapist". He not only knows what is needed, but presents it in a manner that we can understand. No double speak here.
When you look at these photos, take a look at the inside of the garage. Demolition and construction are in full swing. Neatness counts! I wonder if they do closets, too!

Granite Day

I'm glad that we made the appointment for a "slab viewing". This refers to granite. Somehow, it can sound weird, like shopping for barbeque ribs but that is how one picks out counter material. Craftmasters is tucked away in Houston and the parking lot is more crowded than Saks at Sale Daze. We couldn't have picked a hotter day and we quickly made it to the reception area. It's a friendly place where people seem happy to work despite the degrees. Our sales rep is Vanessa and I wondered if she would drop from exhaustion while I searched for the perfect colors and "movement" in the thousand or so pound slab. Let me tell you that Vanessa is a "no nonsense gal" who intuitively seems to read your palm and the granite's grain for compatibility. The first two sister slabs were perfect! Vanessa has it all together, for sure. So, we have slabs. Sound good? Her two co workers concurred it was a good choice so we are another step towards completion.

Remember, Lighting is EVERYTHING

In this case, the saying is literally true. Nothing is left BUT the lighting. This house is getting peeled like an onion.

Where's JOE?

Just a brief entry today. Allen told me that Joe has surfaced but has been under the weather. We wish him speedy recovery. Heck, I know that his Mom was out west for a vacation and figured that he had booked the house with parties! GET WELL JOE! We miss you.

Swim til We drop!

Even though we were at the lake on Thurs. night, we couldn't stop ourselves from heading back to deliver more fixtures and tile for the house. Once the garage door raises, we are again stunned by the order and total neatness of the work area. That which has been removed and things to be installed are neatly arranged and stacked. I need to meet this crew and pursuade them to organize my life! The house itself has been treated with that same neatness. I can tell that someone has even vacuumed the popcorn ceiling mess. We simply ask ourselves who are these men who work diligently during the week and then quietly disappear without the usual chaos and mess that comes with renovation and construction? I see evidences of David's checking and fore thought as I look through the house.
We did battle with a few wasps. End score: Linda 14/ Wasps 0. That's a surprize that no one wants!
The great change is that the low beams in the ceiling are gone. It looks much more spacious and now the room seems like a blank canvas ready for the big change!
The real reason for the trip was to take in a long and leisurely swim. The lake is cool and the breezes plentiful. We floated and swam the afternoon away. We were the only people in the lake for most of the afternoon until a few young boys down towards the dam jumped in. I'll be sad to lose these summer swims.

First Week: Disappearing Interior and Wall of Wasps!

In one short day the entire interior was transformed to mere bones of the house. It looks very encouraging to us and everything that was removed is very neatly packaged in the garage for removal. What we did learn today is that there was a leak in the livingroom/bathroom wall. Even worse is that the dining wall was full of wasps! Kathy and David sent us a virtual slide show of what is going on. That's efficiency! We'll take a look when we head up there for a swim this weekend. I hope that the wasps have moved out!

Get on Your Mark....Get Set....

Less than a week from "D Day". "D" is for demolition. Monday starts the renovations with D&K Custom Builders. We've been busy picking out tile, cabinets and countertops and now it begins. One sad note is that with all of the construction, our carefree and lazy summer swimming days are probably numbered. Joe has been around and is starting his own demolition of a dead tree to the side of our yard. We're making a trek up there this afternoon to bring home a few last things to empty out the place. I didn't think that we had much up there but there are a lot of boxes in that sacred RV building. I wonder how long it will all take. One thing I have noticed about the lake community; everyone is really friendly and it is like a little home town. This we like!