Gallery
- The old exterior wall was knocked out in the new mudroom which gave us the first sense for what that intersection will be like. We think it will be great.
- The egress windows are framed in and the windows will be installed this week! We will be able to see what the light will be like in the family room.
- Holes have been knocked in the cinder block on the basement wall and rebar put in that goes down the entire length. This week they will pour cement in those channels for additional wall strength.
- We got our air conditioning working again with the new furnace and condenser on Friday! Just in time for a miserably hot spell!
Remodel Update Week 6
Week six was a big one! The difference between last week and now is really fun. Last week we had a dirt floor in the basement, now there is cement. Last week you had to take a ladder down the last half of the steps, now there are now steps. Last week they framed the mudroom, now it is enclosed (sort of).
I’ve been amazed at all the structural engineering that has gone into lowering the floor. The extra 7" will be worth it though. This week windows get put in and most of the framing happens.
Remodel Update Week 5
This last week was short with the 4th of July holiday, but there was still some nice progress. The mudroom is now framed in and you can really see what will be. The basement got the steel reinforcement plates put in and the dirt leveled and prepared for pouring the new concrete. The original plan had the concrete getting poured this week but they got backed up on another job so that will happen at the beginning of this week.
Looking ahead we should have a floor and most likely windows in place in the basement by the end of next week. We are also hoping that we can get the air conditioning hooked up again for the main floor. We’ve been without it since the digging started and since that is done the new condenser should be able to get back in. We have our fingers crossed. It has been pretty hot lately. Luckily we still have air conditioning upstairs in the bedrooms.
We are also preparing for the project to start invading the rest of the house more. Walls will soon be getting knocked down and we’ll have to accommodate some additional disruption on the main floor.
Remodel Update Week 4
The destruction in the yard slowed in week four and the destruction in the basement accelerated. Outside we got our new egress window wells poured and the dirt around them is mostly filled back in. The foundation for the new mudroom is in place as well. The yard is still a muddy, rutted mess but at least we don’t have six-foot deep holes that people can fall in. I also can now take the lawnmower from the garage to the front of the house without walking through the alley and around the block on the sidewalk. It’s the little things!
The basement is a disaster zone however. The stairs got cut off half way down. I put a ladder at the end so I could get down and take pictures. The half of the floor being lowered has been broken up, hauled out and the dirt dug down. The half that isn’t being lowered has been cut out for the drain tile installation around the basement wall. The plumbers were here for two days rerouting plumbing to accommodate the various changes.
Next week framing starts and the new floor in the basement gets poured. I’m thinking this is maybe the ugliest it will look. 😀
Remodel Update Week 3
Week three of the remodel project has been substantial. Arriving home to heavy equipment in the yard is the first clue. Most of this weeks pictures are large holes dug around our house. It’s proven to be a big inconvenience as we cannot walk from the front yard to the backyard easily now. This leaves Chase incredibly confused about where he’s supposed to do his business in the yard.
The week ahead starts some of the framing work and the excavation of the floor in the basement. The next shots from the basement should be interesting! I love how the light comes in from outside in the basement already. I’m also pretty excited about the large windows we’ll have in the basement. I think the space will feel really nice.
We lost about 3 days this week due to rain. Everyone agreed we didn’t want large holes in the yard filled with three feet of rainwater.
Remodel Update Week 2
The I-beam is in place! This week the project has gotten dirty and more serious. I would say that the project has really started now with a decent amount of hammering, smashing and banging. Notable events this week include installation of the new furnace (not hooked up), the pouring of new footings for some central supports and pulling the central foundation support that has been in place since 1939 and replacing it with a super strong steel beam. Thank you for your 72 years of service large wooden beam.
Nothing much happened outside this week, but that will change this week. The excavation crew arrives Monday to start digging.
Remodel Update Week 1
The first week of the project really just focused on getting things ready for real work. The deck was tore apart so that the new mudroom foundation could be put in. The first part of the work on the support structure of the house started. We are removing a central support post in the basement to open the space up for the family room.
High Resolution Album Art #3
More high-resolution album art for others that may have these albums: Chan Poling “Calling All Stars”, Cities 97 Sampler Volume 8 and Dan Wilson “Live at Pantages”.
Canal Park and Gooseberry Falls
We drove from Duluth to Ely this morning to start our weekend in Ely. We got some photos in Canal Park and of course we stopped at Gooseberry Falls. I really dig the photo of the violins.
2009 State Fair
We had a great time at the Minnesota State Fair this year. This year was the first year that Mazie really got into it. Highlights included the butterfly house, carousel ride, cookies, skyjump and the butter heads. Mazie had an awesome time on the skyjump.
Max's 30th Birthday Party
My brother-in-law Max turned 30 today and there was a nice get together at the Bayside Grill on Lake Minnetonka to celebrate. Just a few photos from the evening. I wasn’t able to get even a small fraction of all the people in attendance. Sorry to all those not pictured here.
Mazie Photo Shoot
Last Friday Mazie and I had a super fun “Daddy-Daughter” day filled with many fun things. Part of our fun day was a trip to a store to get a new dress (we ended up getting two) followed by a photo shoot in her new clothes. We decided to do the photo shoot in our front yard, taking advantage of all the wonderful tall grasses and native plants. Mazie had a ton of fun, and so did I behind the camera.
Contribution to High Resolution Album Art
I’m a big fan of high resolution album art. It improves the overall music experience for me. I like having a high-quality album cover while listening to Apple TV. It’s a must for cover flow in iTunes. I recently went through and tried to close to 100% coverage of album art, which meant scanning some covers that I just couldn’t find anywhere on the Internet. I figured I should share that work, so that others can more easily put the right art on their music. Here are 11 covers all at 1,600 by 1,600 pixels that I scanned for my collection.
Dow Jones Disco Party 2007
Oh my. Really. Wow. Absolutely fabulous!
That is the only way to start any post on the 2007 Dow Jones Disco Party that we had this year. This years party was a complete blast. I had given a preview of the Disco Theme in another post and people did not hold back at all in going all out.
Great food. Amazing band, Boogie Wonderland. Disco music. Awesome people! How can you go wrong! Party along with this video!
Every year it gets better and I really cannot imagine how next year could top this one.
Butterball!
Tammy and I had a great time last night at the Butterball! Through the generosity of my friend Dan Grigsby, Tammy and I as well as the Tangen’s got on our best Black & White and headed out for a night of fun. The evening was packed. The Butterball sold out and raised a nice amount to help get food to those who need it.
The evening began with a silent auction. There were probably 50 items up for auction with a great variety of things. We put our name on a number of items and after surveying the area a bit decided to get serious about the live art. There was an artist on the stage who was doing a painting right there while everyone mingled. The artist was Chris Allen and he was doing a Graffiti piece. I really liked it for a bunch of different reasons so we focused on that and happily when 9:30 arrived we were the highest bidder. Great art, and for a great cause.
This is the piece that we got before framing and in really horrible light.
We ran into so many people that we knew at the Butterball. It made a fun evening even more enjoyable! After the auction ended Soul Asylum took the stage and put on a really amazing show!
I haven’t listened to much Soul Asylum for a while now and it was really fun to hear some of the great songs. The energy was great – really a fun show.
After a few hours of mingling and having a great time, we headed home in the chaos of Saturday night frenzy in downtown.
Sous Les Sapins
Photos from our weekend in Eastern Iowa staying at Sous Les Sapins Guesthouse with friends.
Mazie's First RenFest
This weekend we were adventurous and decided to take Mazie to her first Renaissance Festival! And just to keep things really interesting, we brought Izzy along as well. It was awesome. Everyone had a great time. Mazie really enjoyed it and had fun with just everything going on. Izzy did well, and was very interested when she realized there were bones laying around.
Green Lake Triathlon
Up and leaving really early for the Green Lake triathlon — Tammy’s first triathlon! Hector, Michelle, and Tammy are all participating. Proud of my Tammy’s triathlete status.
