Grumblings

The SewerSide³ oven set off the smoke alarm again last night (it did it the first time I cooked for the boys while Lisa was in San Francisco, but I figured it was a fluke... but it's now two for two... so I don't think it's a fluke). Lisa looked behind the oven after dinner and thinks there's about 10 years' worth of dust back there... guess we've got to vacuum that out before the next oven usage... joy.

The sink in our bathroom filled with water on its own again last night as well. We ran some bleach down it while we escaped the condo and went for a sunset walk on the beach with the boys. It still stunk when we came back.

Still no word from the plumber.

I really hate this place... but we'll get to see our home (or at least its foundation and some skeleton tonight, when we visit the Coreys.

Gone

On her way out to the pool this afternoon, Lisa called me and said even more of our house was gone. So after dinner, Lisa, Dad, and I went out to Maxine.

Some of the debris (though not all of it) is history:




The interior kitchen/living room wall is toast...

(it's really strange to see the bathroom and closet just standing there amidst... nothing)

As is the external kitchen wall...


And most of the north wall...

Interestingly, though, the dining room door jamb is still there (and that whole wall is going)... we're speculating that they're keeping the corner of the house for the electrical...



Still not sure what this hole (and footing) in the master badroom is for... support for the second story?






There's still so much to clean up... Dad figures at least another day or two of debris removal (especially as the backyard is still a disaster)... but even with a new dumpster, there's only so much space for trash...


The demo and the financial worries are taking their toll on Lisa. The loan from Dad certainly helps... but she needs to see some framing soon.

Hopefully, that will come by the end of the week.

"Will it Go 'Round in Circles?" (or "Lookin' Out My Front Door")

Was a slow weekend. The Maxine site didn't have the planned "clean-up" day...the dumpster was too full.

On Saturday, the SewerSide³ main bathroom's sink (yeah, that would be OURS) filled on its own with water. We watched it. When it drained, it left behind little brown specks... that would explain last week's residue. There were no other plumbing incidents.

We wait for PipeDreams to call to set up the appointment for all the fixes Wes agreed to. They said that they'd call this week. I'm not holding my breath... I figure the call will come around 4:30 on Friday.

The rest of the weekend was filled with Kyle's water polo (a tournament... two wins and a loss... yesterday's win included 11 saves, six steals, AND an assist [pretty uncommon for a goalie], then the end of season banquet... Kyle won MVP... two seasons, two MVP awards... we're pretty proud)... water polo and growing fears of paying for all this.

Dad came up with a solution a couple of months back--CircleLending.com. We talked to Jason about it last night. As a CPA, he felt that we could do it ourselves and save the CircleLending fee. When I talked to Dad about that this morning, he said that he'd rather pay the fee and feel more comfortable that Circle Lending would handle the paperwork. So we're going with that. That should cover the costs, though Lisa and I are still a little nervous.

To deal with that anxiety, we went to Home Depot after Kyle's games on Saturday to scope out bathroom faucets and shower fixtures. We were able to find what we liked under our state budgets... that made us feel a little better.

Of course, this morning, Lisa came back from Jack's swimming lesson, saying, "When it rains, it pours." I thought she meant money worries, then plumbing issues. But no. "Did you look out the door?" she asked. So I did:


The elevator repair has started. So for the foreseeable future, the boys' room's window must remain closed (dust and noise... so summer heat... mmmmmmmm, yeah), and to get to the car, we'll have to walk the perimeter of the parking lot (joy).

Jeez, I hate this place.

Tear the Roof Off the Sucker!

Slept most of the afternoon... I feel a bit better (was it just sleep deprivation?)...

On my way to get a haircut, I met Lisa at Maxine... she called me and told me to get down there with a camera.

Here's why...














Just before we left, Lisa (hat in the foreground) noticed I had left some hangers in my closet...


After my haircut, had some good southern BBQ (at a new place... have to take dad there [mom would've loved it]), and we swung by to see the end of week progress.

Fred had said there would be times it would be painful to look at the work, that it would resemble a war zone. I think this is the moment he was talking about.












and the rubble wasn't just confined to the interior... the backyard was devestation as well...




Climbed the ladder to the roof to get some very revealing shots:





They say tomorrow's a "clean-up" day. I say we need one... but where are they going to put the debris?


Neighbor Mike from across the street asked if I was taking pictures from one particular vantage point. I hadn't really thought of it... that's a shame... guess I'll start now:


but now the timelapse will show only growth... and that's all right, too.

Or as Jenna said at the end of my haircut, "May your plumbing stay down, and may your roof go up!"

Friday

So still feeling like crap. The owner came by at 8:15... no plumber. Since I was up, waiting, and still feeling especially crappy whenever I sit up, I went over to the house and took some pictures.












So there's no roof... but still a ceiling.



and a MAJOR difference from yesterday:




There's now a fence around the entire worksite. The only issue is that I didn't see anyone I recognized who seemed even nominally in charge (so I couldn't ask about the dumpsters or where they're keeping the key)... I'll have to head back later today before my haircut to check on progress and info.

The plumber arrived around 9. They're scoping as we speak... disturbing.

Going back to bed... Be back later...

Quick Hits

Just added some long-awaited pics to the blog:

• The Pod being picked up at the end of "Long Day's Journal into Night"
• The old house pics (pre-construction, pre-demolition) in "Waiting"
  

Cruised by the house earlier today... most of the shingles are off on the main portion of the house... took some pics from the car...will go by later today to see (hopefully) more de-con-struction...

-----------------------------------------
UPDATE [7:42pm]: feeling sick, so I didn't take Kyle to practice...so I didn't get a chance to see what progress was made, but Lisa and Kyle did... half the house is without a roof (not just the shingles, but the wood as well, and there's a fence. Tomorrow morning, I'll need to head over to find out where they're keeping the key and to take some pix.

Through 841

Lisa came home from swim lessons with the boys, and Kyle was excited to show me some video he took with his phone [QuickTime]. So the roof (or at least the roofing) is coming off.

So after I dropped Kyle off at water polo, I swung by the house. Jose was was just closing up... what he could close up... the house is pretty much gutted. He saved the windows and doors and locks. I was impressed and told him I'd need to come by tomorrow and take some pictures... he said if I wanted pictures with a roof, I'd better come early. He thought they were going to start removing the roof at 8am.

So I went home to pick up Lisa, Jack and the camera.

As you can see, debris has made a return up front...


And you can see where it came from: our now shingle-less roof...


And while the front still looks like a house--meaning you can't see through the walls-- the changes to the east and the north are "transparent":




I went through the doorless jamb into the master bedroom, and found a new hole in the floor

not quite sure what that's for...

But from the boys' room, looking back/north, it almost looks like a new house going up, except that it has a ceiling.


The portion of the hallway/bath is still intact, but the door jamb and heater are HISTORY (hooray!)...


And when we left, you can see right through the house.

In a sense, 841 is "through." In another, it's the start of something great (hopefully).

Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings...

Oh, yeah: we ran the garbage disposal then did laundry... no backup yet!

Scope-Day

Our SewerSide³ condo gets its long-awaited colonoscopy... wait for it, wait for it... literally WAIT FOR IT... on Friday.

Wes called earlier today to let us know that he's been in communication with the Pipe Dreams plumbing folks, Marcy at the condo office, the Lordon (mis-)Management experts on customer service, and his co-owner in New Mexico.

I can't believe that we're going to wait until the end of the week (at 8am, no less) to run a snake with a camera through our pipes. Especially since Lisa wants to wait before really using the garbage disposal, dishwasher and washing machine until after our procedure.

This is getting old... yawn.

Foundation Poured

After hearing nothing regarding the plumbing situation at SewerSide³ (more on that later), we headed over to the Maxine site to meet with Fred. He was happy to see us and to show us the progress made. We passed two inspections today: foundations/footings and foundation epoxy. Major steps. So he's happy to not just see us, but to tell us the good news.

The front looked different with a pile of dirt outside the kitchen window... but more importantly, there were remnants of concrete on other driveway.


And sure enough, there were foundations all around the perimeter of the new construction:






[Though I'm not quite sure what this little footing is for...]


Then he took us into the kitchen. And what a site to behold: the interior is gutted... where there had been walls, there is only framing.

And the foundation has been poured in the interior, as well.

The footings, too (this one's in the kitchen).

Fred talked about the wood in the frames: fifty year-old wood, that was as strong today as the day it was installed.

It seemed so weird to look through the kitchen wall frames, across the open floor, and see a reasonably intact hall and bathroom door... surrounded by demolition.

And the master bedroom's walls were stripped completely, leaving them naked.


Fred must have spent a good thirty minutes, talking with us, telling us of his birthday yesterday, of the day of fasting tomorrow (he's thankful, since tomorrow they begin to remove first the insulation then later the roof itself... "a messy day," he says), of his childhood in Israel. And of his upcoming week-long vacation in Alaska; Jose will be in charge in his absence, and there's "nothing" he can't handle remotely... work will go on with no lessening of the pace. He says he hopes to return to framing the second story. His confidence is uplifting. It was great to talk to him; he's a pretty spiritual guy (our only twinge of embarrassment was when Kyle came by to say hello, wearing his (actually my OLD-- from the late 80s) Pogues t-shirt: If I Should Fall From Grace With God).

After we wrote him the next check: 60K for start of foundation (uh, it looks like we're more at the end of it), he took off and I went in to check out the rest of the house.

From the boys' old room, I could see concrete progress made (bad pun, I know):






The kitchen even looked more bare from across the open floor:




The heater looks as desolate and useless as it was during most winter nights with its pilot that never stayed lit... can't wait to replace THAT with a nice forced air unit!


The bath/master bedroom footing was done,

and the master bedroom was stripped of drywall.

And now the master bedroom afforded a great look into the living room.


And from there it was into the living room and dining room, to look more at the kitchen:




Then Lisa and I called the boys over to do what Fred told us we must. He had seen our painted handprints behind the refrigerator in the kitchen. Now, he said, it was time for something more monumental, more permanent, more meaningful. We all had to write our names or initials into the foundations. We were taking ownership of what would hold up our lives for ... well, the rest of our lives.

And so we took turns, marking our territory. I went first.




Then Jack...




Then Kyle...




Finally, Lisa...




This was a great moment for the boys, as you can see.


And the love of my life, my beautiful wife, she looks pleased as well.


I took this pic because it looks like a funeral mound, a grave that buries our old house, and plants the seed for our new home.


Then we had dinner and drinks and tv with the Coreys.

When we returned home, it was not to plumbing difficulties, but to a plumbing email from Wes:

Hi Bill and Lisa -
I sent Lordon Management Company an email last night detailing the problems you experienced with the kitchen sink, shower, and the response times of the plumbers, and followed up this morning with phones calls to them as well as John at Pipe Dreams. (also left you a voice mail message earlier this evening about this). What I was told by John (Pipe Dreams) is that the problems you have experienced this past week have been caused by food / kitchen scraps / cooking grease being introduced into the kitchen drains from the units that share the common line (3 units total - yours and the two directly above) and was further told by Lordon Management that care needs to be taken with what is sent to the garbage disposal.
I am proceeding to schedule a diagnostic session with John to use a camera device to verify the integrity of the piping in the unit - just to rule out any structural issues - as well as performing the full servicing of all the drains in the unit in case there is any build up not removed by the snaking done last week. Had thought the diagnostic session was planned for Tuesday based on our discussion Sunday AM but John (Pipe Dreams) did not have this on his schedule. So had him check for any openings this week and get back to me. Will contact him tomorrow AM; my schedule is open TUES, WED and FRI this week - do you all have a preference?
I'll be in touch as soon as I hear back from John. Also please let me know what we owe you all for the plumbing service call from last WED.
Thanks -- Wes


At least, it SEEMS like he's looking out for us. It really FEELS like Fred is... It's going to be an interesting five and a half months...