The Week in Pictures (this one's for you, Jules!)

I was reprimanded this week by a friend who says I need to post more pics of the renovation. I tried to explain to her that unless something has changed, no one wants to see the same ol' pictures again! And, as I recently lamented, to me it looks as though nothing has changed in the last six weeks. But this week there have been some big changes, so here goes...

The weather man strayed true to his word and gave us several consecutive days of sunshine, so for that I am extremely thankful. But with the sun came really high temperatures, extreme humidity, and lots and lots of liquids! I have, as always, popped in and out checking the progress, taking pictures, and making sure everyone is hydrated and safe. I've also made quite a few runs to the home improvement store, local eateries for lunch, and to the nearest place that has ice-cold Gatorade! But a lot of progress has been made and I'm beginning to see some of my plans becoming reality. After drawing a layout  for this back room we're re-doing, I've re-drawn them again and again trying to squeeze every last inch out of this space. We were able (with the help of our good friend and sub-contractor) to squeeze a couple more feet out of the area, which will go to the master bath. Every inch counts in the master bath!

But first let me say that we are so very grateful for our family friend and sub-contractor this week who has come to share with us his expertise. This kind and generous man is a friend of our daughter and son-in-law and has recently relocated his family to the U.S. from Honduras. It has touched my heart in so many ways to talk with him each day and to see a bit of his heart as he shares with us his journey from danger in his home country to his path of citizenship in this new land he now calls home. He is one of the hardest working men I have ever met and we are so grateful to him for his willingness to help out on this leg of the project.

Okay. Here come the pics but I had to say that. I will shut my mouth now.

As with the front porch demo, the back room was meticulously taken down layer by layer until it was a clean, open space. I didn't post individual captions because there were so many but, as you can see, it was a process. Patience is key on a demo like this because this type of work can be very dangerous if you're not careful. Let me tell you, I've never been so happy as when that final piece of sheet metal roofing came down hitting the ground with a loud bang. It was nasty, it was heavy, and it was very, very sharp. We're grateful that the previous owner secured the foundation because that has made our work a whole lot easier! 

It's a bit hard to see here, but a 5x7 bump-out will be added under the tarp area which will become part of the master bath

Debris removed from the area (but now in the yard, ugh!), and house secured for the night

This slightly blurry picture is actually one of my favorites, because these great century-old 12-inch-wide boards will be up-cycled into open kitchen shelving

More pictures to come as the framing is done.  Stay tuned...

---

"By perseverance the snail reached the ark." 
- Charles Spurgeon