Blockheads

Well, on Monday morning there were 9 guys ready to put up the block walls. Yea. However, there was no block. Bummer. They left after 2 hours. The block showed up about 5 hours later...

So, today there was block, but no labor. Oy!

Scheduling could have been handled better. Blockheads.

Christmas Break Photos

Well, we had to take a break from construction, so you get to as well!

We refused to get on an airplane during the holidays this year, so we loaded up the car (two seater, so not much room to load stuff) and headed northwest. A friend who is a Florida native suggested we visit Cedar Key if we wanted a quick getaway from it all, so that is where we went. It is a very small, quaint town (emphasis on very small) a little over 2 hours from central Florida. They did actually have a few bars and restaurants open on Christmas, so that was great. The next day, we had lunch at Frog's Landing Restaurant, where we met Spike, a very tame white heron (or some call him a snowy egret). They feed him fish from kitchen, so he hangs out there quite a bit. Sort of reminded us of a dog - staring in the window until someone fed him! Oh, and the food at the restaurant was very, very good. Wonderful, fresh seafood.

The lump in his throat is actually food he just ate from the restaurant!

From Cedar Key, we headed south to Homosassa Springs. The manatee hang out near the springs there because the water is warmer. We really wanted to see the manatee, but weren't willing to go snorkeling or diving (the water may be warmer for the manatees, but for us it is cold). There is a state park where they have 6 manatee in captivity that they rescued from boating accidents. These guys are HUGE and extremely docile. A typical manatee eats over 100 lbs of plant material every day, but these guys are very spoiled (i.e. I think they are a bit oversized - fat - due to their comfy surroundings). Below are some photos. I loved their noses when they came up for air. Their heads are tiny compared with the large bodies. If you look closely you can see their eyes as well.

This photo was taken from the underwater observation area. The manatee are happy to show off for the crowds - actually, they are probably oblivious...

Photos from above were difficult due to the glare from the sunlight on the water. I used a UV filter, but did not have my polarizing filter with me, which would have helped with the glare, but you can get some idea of their size (and tiny head). This guy was about 6 to 8 feet long.

After the manatee encounter, we headed on south and stopped in Clearwater Beach for the night. We got there just in time for sunset, which was beautiful.

Happy Holidays everyone! Back to construction tomorrow....

Fla Remodel Gal

Slabolicious

It's slab time! Hats off and major kudos to the crew from Goss Foundations for working on Christmas eve morning to pour the slab. They are going on vacation for about 2 weeks starting tomorrow, so it would have been a big delay if they had not gotten this done for us. They Rock!

Unfortunately for our neighbors, they started about 7 this morning. I could hear the cement truck from across the street. I'm sure it was quite loud from next door. Sorry!

I did carve my initials in the slab even though I know no one will ever see them. I'll always know they are there, though.

By the looks of it, we may have a pair of Wellies (rubber boots) in the entry hall. Hummm - they could be used as umbrella holders....

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to all! We are very happy campers with this progress today. Walls go up next week!

Fla Remo Gal

Construction Christmas Tree

Construction projects all over the country have trees on site - many times on the cranes. They are a symbol of good luck. So, of course, since this is the season, we have our own little tree on site. It is the only Christmas tree we have this year. I am not sure exactly where our Christmas decorations are and there is really no room for a tree where we are living now. We really love our little good luck construction tree - even without ornaments or lights!

Happy Holidays to all!

Off with it's head!

Well, I just thought we had a see through. It is REALLY a see through now! When the roof came off the bearing walls could also come down. All the demolition is finished and we can now start on building the new sections of the house. Dirt has been compacted and is ready for the slab to be poured - with luck, before the end of the week. If not, then the company that pours the slab goes on vacation for two weeks, so we are at a virtual standstill if we miss the window. Before the slab is poured, we need two inspections. Wonder if the county guys are working this week.... We'll find out. Wish us luck!

A Matter of Inches

Men always seem obsessed with inches, so imagine the delight of Bob the Builder and Fla Remo Guy when they found some ways to gain inches in the remodel! The first was Bob, who was bragging that he found 8 inches for me - much to my delight (and relief) it was in the kitchen! Since they had to move the front wall anyway, they determined that it actually worked better to move the front wall out by 8 inches. In a home that is small to start with, that is huge for the kitchen. We also gained about 8 to 9 inches on the side of the kitchen by tearing out the fireplace and chimney. Originally, we were going to just cover the fireplace with sheetrock and leave the unusable chimney in place since it seemed to balance out the house on the plans. Unfortunately, when we got into the demo, the chimney was not stable enough to leave, so it had to come down - and the fire place with it. I'm not sorry to see them both go.

We also learned that behind the plaster walls was styrofoam of all things. Apparently, it was used as insulation in the 50's. Who knew? Anyway, by tearing out the plaster and styrofoam, we gained several inches in the rest of the kitchen/great room. More room for the pool table. :)

Fla Remo Guy also figured out that it would be relatively easy to remove the tile floor in what was the den and will end up being the dining room/wine cellar. The ceiling in that room is probably 7'6" at best, so gaining several inches of head room by removing the tile and it's under layer is huge. The room will probably be designed to look cave like, but we don't want it to be claustrophobic.

All in all, this Fla Remo Gal is quite happy with the inches the menfolk provided!!

Bob the Builder

It's about time to introduce our builder - Bob Sorenson of Sorenson Construction, more affectionately known as Bob the Builder. Bob is a build-to-suit custom home builder who has built numerous homes on our street. I swear he has had at least one home, if not two, on our street under construction continuously since we moved here almost 5 years ago. Apparently, there are people who can still afford and want very large homes because he has one under construction down the street which will be close to 10,000 square feet (or more) when completed. Fortunately, Fla Remo Guy wore Bob down and he agreed to do our little remodel as a side project. It actually works well since the superintendent can go back and forth between jobs and some of the work is going on at the same time, at least for now as ours will be finished way before that big ole' house (won't it Bob??) :) For instance, when the foundation team finished pouring footings at the big house, they drove their bull dozer down the street to our house. I'm sure the neighbors loved it!

Fla Remo Guy found these balloons and put them in the house and just left them there. Bob about fell down the steps with laughter when he saw them!

See Through

"See through" is a term commonly used in commercial real estate to describe a new office building which is totally vacant - i.e. you can see through it since there are no walls. Well, we have our own version of residential real estate see through. Fortunately, the new walls should be going up next week, so this condition is a short one!