Basement progress

I shouldn't be writing right now. I should be laying Garrett down for a nap and then showering. There's actually many many more things I SHOULD be doing but just not feeling it today. But since I'm procrastinating as it is I figure maybe I'll do something just a little productive while I sit on my fanny.

It's been a while since I mentioned any progress on the basement and wanted to update it before more things happen. I mentioned how Jon was in a boot and on crutches and how that was going to prevent him from moving things from the basement. Well, he did it anyway. It took about 2 weekends and having 1 neighbor and 1 of the home teachers come over to help him move the extremely awkward and heavy stuff out. I also can't park in the garage anymore. (This part kinda stinks since it's been hovering around 95-100' for the past week.) It's a sacrifice I'm willing to make at this point though.

At the start of the week following the majority of the stuff being moved out I was on the phone calling people to get bids to come do work in the basement. So far I've had 2 electricians, 1 cabinet maker, 1 concrete cutter, and 1 window installer out in the last 2 weeks. I also had a concrete repair/lifter out for a bid to fix the driveway and back patio, but that isn't high on the priority list so if I get to that I get to that. I also got the building permit application with the city picked up and filled out. Jon had to get his signature notarized and the plans drawn up with dimensions and smoke detectors labeled and then I turned it back in. It was ready the next day and paid $254 to be official.

What I'm hoping to get accomplished this week is scheduling the concrete cutters to come out by Wednesday. Jon will have to take that day off to get the window and window well installed. (I found out that it's not worth having the window installer do it. The whole reason I even called them was not that I didn't think Jon could do it but the fact that he hasn't done it due to his schedule and I was tired of waiting.) I'm also hoping that in the next couple of days Jon and I will have some time together (with minimal interference) to make some electrical decisions. There is some questions on where to place things and also which kind of lights to put in and how many. One of the decisions is also which electrician we're going to have do the work. There is about a $1100 difference between the low and high bidder. I think we need to compare quantities of things (like can lights) between each bid and see what the actual price difference is when we have those all the same. I'm hoping we can make all those decisions so I can have the winner out to do the work before the end of the week as well. One other thing I'm hoping to get done is to have the final framing done. This kind of depends on where we put the cabinetry (and its size) next to the fireplace but it also depends on Jason's schedule since he's the one that's been doing the framing. I've been trying to tell him that we should be on the top of his priority list but I don't think he believes me. ;)

The cabinet maker said that by the end of the week he will have plans and images drawn up so we can see what everything will look like once it's made and then we can make some more final decisions on that. We found out that it takes them about 2 weeks to make and then install the cabinetry. We also found out that we put that in after the painting is done but before the stonework around the fireplace is done. Having custom cabinets made makes me really really scared to see how much it's going to cost. One thing that we can choose that is going to affect the cost significantly is the type of countertop for the bathroom and the wet bar area. Jon wants laminate and I don't really want laminate. We have laminate upstairs and while it is sufficient and looks somewhat decent it's not long lasting (as the kids' bathroom has proved since the backsplash is pulling away) and to some extent cheapens the overall look of the area. So this is something we're gonna have to look into more.

Once we get the window and electrical installed we then have to call for the four-way inspection with the city. Then it's on to insulation and drywall.

I keep saying it'll take a miracle to have it done before I'm due but I'm going to do my best to make it happen.