Exciting!

Progress has actually been happening at my house! Interior work progress!

I hired a contractor about three or four weeks ago but he had to wait until the Yard Men were done with everything... Then I had to wait almost two weeks to get a dumpster (mainly due to the fourth of July holiday and a mix-up with my order). But finally a dumpster was delivered and my contractor began work.

In the four days he's worked so far he's completely cleaned out all the trash (and I do mean TRASH) that was under the house. A neighbor came over and told him that one of the previous occupants of the house literally threw his trash up under the house, which was completely believable, seeing all the junk that had accumulated in the back yard...

Contractor also has taken the fireplace down to the floor, stacked the rest of the bricks outside in the brick pile and cleaned five rooms of demolition debris, which is incredibly tedious work. He's torn out all the sheet rock, paneling, and carpets out of the three back rooms, begun tearing out one of the bathrooms, and has taken down two dropped ceilings and ripped out two other ceilings. He began taking down the two plaster ceilings, as well, but they're a bit harder and messier to demo out.

He's working on a plan to jack the house up and figuring out where the foundation needs to be replaced. He's been making the existing electrical system safer for all the demo work going on (apparently I had live wires that I didn't know about), and he's been inspecting the wood structure of the house and finding out what studs and such need to be replaced.

Side note here--- the back bathroom that was built on the screen porch was, of course, not added correctly and has led to pretty bad leaking and wood rot. And this is the part of the house with the sills that sit on the dirt, too, which complicates things. Although it is bad, it's not as bad as it could be. And I think it will allow me to add on to the size of the porch, which I wanted to do, since I'll have to replace the area anyway.

Also where a kitchen was, and where the kitchen will be, has some problems, too. But we knew about that. Most of this was expected, we just don't know how extensive the repair work will be until we demo some more.

I have pictures but my laptop is... having some issues. I have to send it off and get it repaired (for free), and also my car died a while back and I had to buy a new one (not for free), which kind of put a small kink in things, too. BUT, work is going on at the house, and will be going on at the house.

It's very exciting. Hopefully soon I can get some pictures up using time on a borrowed computer.

My mother and I solved the how-many-bathrooms-should-I-have and where-is-the-laundry-room-going problems, in addition to the I-really-need-a-closet-in-the-second-bedroom problem. I've said it before, but I think my floor plan is in its last stages of tinkering.

Oh, and contractor estimates the rest of the demo should be completed this weekend. I think it will take a few more days than that, but we'll see how hard he works. Then begins the fixing of the foundation and jacking up the house. And from there on comes the fun part of making it into a house again.

Exciting!