Oh but things are coming along in the second storey. We now not only have banished all knob and tube, completed the plumbing rough in, reinforced the half storey joists, framed out the new walls, installed the rough opening for our arch way, installed the new sub floor and installed drywall. We (and by "we" I totally mean the most excellent crew from Stubb's Construction and not actually myself in any way shape or form) have also now completed mudding and taping (and sanding and clean up!). Next we (and now I really do mean me and Kurt) will be putting the first coat of Benjamin Moore's Aura paint up on the walls. This way, they'll be able to see if there are any inperfections on the skim coat or new drywall that need to be addressed. The second coat will be done after the flooring goes in as laying the hardwood and tile will likely result in a few dings so there's no point making it perfect just yet. And after that, our closets get installed and it is on to flooring. I have to admit, I'm dying to see how the millwork on the closets have turned out.
In other news... The contractor we hired last year to repour our basement floor and refinish the basement (Garth Daku) may have created a serious structural issue to our house. He had been contracted to create two rough opening for windows in our basement. According to the gentleman who owns Allied Masonry, the two holes created in the foundation for the windows were done so poorly he's surprised the side of our house did not give way. The one side of our house is currently being supported by our floor joists. I'm absolutely sick about what could have been. Thank goodness Allied Masonry has fit us in and are putting in steel lintels and other supports right now and the windows are being installed shortly after. With the foundation comprimised, it's possible our house would not have survived the thawing of the ground and the shifting this causes in Regina's soil gumbo. When the lovely gentleman from Allied Masonry is done, our home's foundation should be exceedingly stable once more. And we'll have great natural light in our basement and the space will be ready for development sometime in the future.
I used to think that we were unlucky with finding contractors. Now, I'm thinking that we were more than lucky. Considering how utterly catastrophic the damage could have been, a derelicte chic front porch and trashed front and back yards is pretty minimal. Also, Stubbs Construction and Allied Masonry are reaffirirming our faith in contractors. Take home message: Do your homework before hiring anyone. And just when you think you've checked out someone enough, check them out some more. You can never be too careful who you hire.
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