Before we left last week, S and his dad managed to finish the Arxx foundation. Soon (this week, if we are lucky) a cement truck will arrive and fill it with concrete. Then our favorite carpenters will come and frame it up. The entire front will be bumped out about 6-8 inches so that it will rest on the new foundation. On the side and back walls, they will run new supports beside the old ones for strength. We expected to be much further along by now, but some personal and extenuating circumstances have held up the show -- customary with these types of projects.
We're headed to another Peak Auction this weekend hoping to pick up the remaining windows we need so the framers can install the headers. At the preview this afternoon, armed with dreams and tape measures, we found the one we really want for the front of the kitchen, so please pray that everyone else at the auction thinks it's hideous! Another major item we are trying to track down is local stone to cover the white styrofoam so that it matches the original foundation. I'm hoping for a small miracle on that one.
To be honest, I really think the foundation makes a huge difference in the overall appearance. It covers up the embarrassment that was the crumbled dirt foundation under the kitchen and makes the front look more sturdy and clean. Here's what it used to look like:
Can't wait to be rid of those ghetto stilts, the ugly electrical box, the old front door and that whole mess of windows. Baby steps to the elevator.
It does look tons better. Once those stilts are gone it will really start to look like a bonafide sturdy house! Redoing those windows will help tons too, I hope you got lucky at the auction! What are your plans for the siding on the addition? Paint? New siding?
ReplyDeleteThanks Jenny! S is at the auction right now trying to get the windows. I just talked to him 30 seconds ago and they were about to come up. We think the odds are pretty good. (Here's hoping!)
ReplyDeleteAs for the siding, we will definitely be ripping off all of that gray stuff and putting up new wood siding -- probably board and batten like the back of the house. We're still debating on the paint color -- we have two main schemes we're looking at but haven't pulled the trigger on one or the other yet.
And the porch design is in progress as well -- that will be the final thing to make it look like a real house!