We Have Windows!

After not waiting so patiently for 6 weeks, our custom windows and doors are in!!  I actually think DH and I went a bit overboard and Betty could have more window square footage compared to wall square footage.  

Windows and doors played a significant role in our design of the new layout.  Our goal was to achieve an ocean view as much as possible and hopefully these do just that!

Keep your fingers crossed that the Andersen directions and YouTube videos are enough of a teaching tool to get us to install these correctly!  There's no room in the budget to get these installed by a vendor.

Sticker Shock

WARNING: This post was written while upset and two glasses in to really tasty Prosecco.

Let me start by emphasizing how much respect I have for the trades.  DH and I have this philosophy that we'll DIY as much as possible but hire out on plumbing--don't want to flood the place-- and electrical--don't want to start a fire or die from electrocution--not because it's hard, but because it requires a true professional with experience under his/her belt (no pun intended).

I believe that one should be adequately compensated for the work that they do.  I mean, I myself expect to be paid well for what I do, why wouldn't I expect the same for the trades?  I also believe that you get what you pay for; however, a small electrical fire or electrocution may be worth it.

Today I was told our "million dollar house" needed $65,000 of electric work.  You read that correctly.  That's 4 professionals working full time for 2 weeks.  This is a great company, came highly recommended and we wouldn't have to worry about the quality of the work or materials.

Even as I say it out loud and type it out, I still can't wrap my mind around the cost.  I feel like going through my DVR and rewatching every show on HGTV to see if their electrical costs come any where close.  I get it, and I hope you do to.  Either HGTV has #alternativeFacts or I'm calling the wrong folks for quotes.

And maybe it was the way he explained it to me that set off this type of reaction.

I almost cried, doubled over, and threw up on the man's shoes.  Then I got upset.  

Is it because of the location?

Is it because I'm--a woman--acting as the General Contractor (GC)? Do GCs get a better price?  Would my husband get a better price?

Am I underpaid??!?!?!?!

Twenty minutes later and a new sense of reality has set in.  Did I underestimate the work that needs to be done?  Was I naive not to see how everything would cost more because of the beach location and the double square footage?

Do I have an unrealistic understanding of how much things cost?

For now, I'll call another company for another quote and I think I'll rewatch Super Bowl 51 and get my blood pressure under control...well, at least the 4th quarter.

Demo Day!

How do you go from this:

To this?

Well, you first have to endure this:

Let me start by saying: demo day is never A day.  Nope.  Definitely not! Don't let Chip Gaines fool you.  Demo day is 28 days over the course of four months!  A newborn, full time jobs, Company Command, full time graduate school, and winter have all limited DH and I to working only on the weekends.  Four months later, I can't help but feel like we lost so much time.

Let me also point out something that might have been obvious to everyone else, but us.  Three Thousand square feet is more than double Dolce Olin's 1300.  It never seemed to end.  Every time we thought we were almost done, there was another room, another wall, another piece of plywood to pry off the floor. It. Never. Seemed. To. End!

Not only does it never end, but the 117-year old dust from the horse-hair plaster was a struggle on another level.  Whereas at Dolce we purchased those flimsy cheap masks, for Betty we went through 3 different filter masks hoping to protect our lungs and their breathing capability!

And the Dumpsters! How many 30 foot dumpsters do you need for a 3000sqft house?  Don't answer that, it's a lot!

Before we started framing we went through 5 dumpsters and of course we always went over weight on those darn things.  TIP: When choosing a dumpster company, consider a few things: cost of extra weight, length of time allowed at construction site before incurring additional charges, and of course, size of dumpster.  A company might offer a great deal by having the dumpster for an unlimited amount of days--something that is advantageous when you're demo is going slower than anticipated--but if they charge outrageous fees for going over weight, you might want to reconsider whether or not you need the dumpster for that long of a period and if you can speed things up.

With a new layout design that we both loved and shortly after our building permit was approved DH, my dad, and I picked a spot and a hammer and went for it...for four months.  Did I mention how it took 4-months?

Up first?  The 117-year old Chimney that stands between us and the open concept we crave.

Money, Money, Money...

We had a handful of contractors come through Betty to give us insight into what it would cost to have the home professionally demo'ed.  Three Thousand square feet of construction material, removal of 2 Chimneys and a whole bunch of 30ft dumpsters came in at $20,000.

DIYing it all came in at a total of $3,200 and 28 six-hour weekend days. One thing that was a must, that we definitely would not touch was the removal of the 100-year old asbestos.  We hired a licensed contractor--well worth it-- and paid $3,800 for the safe removal of the pipes and tile floor.

Was saving $13,000 worth potentially losing 3 months that we could have had for our trades folks to come in instead?  I think that if we were under a time crunch to move in, I would say No Way!  But we're not, we have some time to work with.  Our limited budget is the most important factor for us.    Saving $13,000 means we can convert the home to gas and install central air and heating!