The bids are in!

Three of the four contractors got us a bid today!  So now the ball is in our court.  We are going to make a spreadsheet to compare the three bids.  We want to compare apples to apples, but it's not going to be easy. 

Bids Tomorrow!

We're super excited and nervous about getting the bids tomorrow. I would like to call a couple of references before making a decision, and visit a project they are currently working on.

Issued for Preliminary Pricing

We sent the drawings of our addition and the Instructions to Bidders to four contractors.  Because of the holidays we're giving the contractors plenty of time to get bids back to us.  We'd like bids by December 15th.

The Architect

After surviving architecture school and passing the licensing exams, I can finally call myself an Architect! And my first project is waiting for me. The house!

New Tarp

We made time to work on our plans this weekend!  While the bid set is not finished, we are much closer to our goal.  That's important, because the roof got a new tarp this weekend.  Rain actually dripped down over our bed where my father-in-law was sleeping. 

What were we thinking?

We looked at the plans with a very critical eye, and realized we need to revisit some major decisions.

We'd like to keep the front porch and front door in the existing location.  This means keeping the current living room and not making it a bedroom.  This decision alone has really thrown us for a loop, and changes our plans drastically.  So it's back to the drawing board, but I think it will be a better home.

Our new plan will add a second bathroom, remodel/expand the kitchen, new roof, new hvac, new windows, and a tankless WH.  We'll end up with a 2 bed/2bath home that we can possibly live in for 3 more years. 

Pier and Beam vs. Slab

We're going back and forth on this one.
the pros for Pier and Beam: 
the structural engineer Dennis Duffy recommends we use piers.
wood floors
crawl space to add plumbing/electrical later


the cons:
more expensive

Grade Issues

The backyard-facing wall of the living room will have about 14” from grade to the top of the finished floor, assuming no steps.  At the back of the porch, we have about 12” to “finished floor” level, but I think we have the patio step down an inch or so. 

The 7” was an intermediary measure, from the top of inside floor to the bottom of exterior shingles.

I like having a decent crawlspace and less expensive floor structure more than I dislike having a couple of stairs.  Seems like less of a headache to plan, anyway.  And the engineer mentioned that adding venting the underside might be difficult with the lower floor option.

Multiple folks have recommended insulating the floor, so we thought of including that in our estimates.  But, it’s low-pri, and probably one of the first options we’d jettison to get our project airborne.  But, if we keep a good crawlspace, floor insulation could be added later.

Siding

Should we patch the existing siding or replace it with Hardie Board?

Search for a Contractor

We are looking for a contractor to do a 650 sqft. addition to our house.  We want to add a master suite and laundry room.

The Plans

The drawings are coming together and we've even got a model!

The House

May 2003  

The house looked like this the day we bought it. Behind all that foliage sits a 32 by 25 foot box with a gable roof.

The gigantic vent hood only vents into the attic, and the window is painted shut.

I love the 2-1/4" wood floors and the double hung wood windows.

The original owner sold us the house. They built it in 1948, back when the interstate was East Avenue and the flightpath for Robert Mueller Municipal Airport was overhead.