First step: the mold. Exact measurements are crucial. And be sure to build the mold with smooth material, unless you want lines, grooves, texture, etc. to show up in the concrete. We used a melanine board. Here’s the mold in its basic shape and early stages. You can see where the sinks will sit. The […]

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1. Because of the odd angles upstairs, a simple square shower was out of the question. Here’s the basic shape. There will be glass between the shower and the tub. The rest will be tile.

2. After you’ve plumbed and framed and sheeted the floor, add a layer of felt (tar) paper to the bottom of […]

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1. This was our bedroom until we started on the remodel and had to move out. Because the upstairs addition was being built on top of what was once just a flat roof, we had to tear out the entire ceiling. See picture three in “Preparing for the Upstairs Addition”. First, we protected the oak […]

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1. The problem is this: See the L shape where the carport roof meets the house roof? Well, now that we’ve straightened out the foundation, and (even though you can’t see it in this early picture) added a room on top of it, there is a big gaping hole that gets veeeerrry wet. So, that’s […]

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1. In this early picture, which was taken shortly after we started the remodel in May of 2005, you can see the electrical meter on the back wall. Obviously, when we built a room over this new foundation, that meter was enclosed. Not only that, the main wires coming in from the street ran right […]

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1. Floor joists for new downstairs area, which will be an expansion of the laundry room, in place. *Note: The wall to the left will be demolished, and the electrical panel and conduit on the facing wall to be removed.

2. Floor sheathed, and Brian’s ready for demo!

3. The framing goes up, and, of course, it […]

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1. This is the new hallway. The master bedroom is straight ahead, and the master bathroom off to the left.

2. View from inside the master bedroom into the hall. There is a closet to the left. The master bathroom is to the right.

3. Looking into the new master bedroom.

4. Looking into the new master bathroom, […]

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1. The old cast iron drains are removed from the crawl.

2. We spent an entire weekend at the end of October without an operating bathroom while we replaced the cast iron drains with ABS. Read “Holy Water” in the Remodel Stories section, if you want to know more.

3. The new ABS drains.

4. The plumbing for […]

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Be sure to read “Slim Chances” in the Remodel Stories section for a good laugh.
1. This is what our old roof looked like—cedar shingles that looked to be original to the house. We’re talking seventy years old! In this picture, you can see the top is torn off the roof. Brian and a friend installed […]

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1. In order to add head room and modify the stairs, we’re adding a dormer here:

2. We removed all the ancient cedar roof shingles in the area where the dormer will be added. Next step is to remove the skip sheeting and rafters.

3. Old rafters gone. New wall framing in.

4. New rafters in, at a […]

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