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House Renovation Progress

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Posted by: Joeychgo

Well, we’ve started the yard and are about to install the deck and sliding glass door.

The back yard is / was alot of clay and not graded well at all. We started to fix that with a little bobcat today. We are also widening the driveway. Here are some photos to start.

This is the yard as it was when we got here:

A little bobcat and some time….We get the new drveway section dug out and the backyard grading started.

Even found an old Railroad Rail buried

Then we got rained out and had to stop work…

We still have to lay topsoil and rototill the yard, plan seed and an erosion mat. Should be quite nice for next year.
Here you see all the lumber and the new sliding glass door, just waiting to be installed. Unfortunately, Villa Park, IL is very slow at issuing building permits, and it looks like I might not be able to start the deck for another week.

What I wanna know is - where the hell did my work bench go???!!! Actually, if you lok closely thats insulation to insulate the rest of the garage, and a bunch of new shop lights that wil be installed.

What a mess though huh?

Oh, got my temporary office set up. Still refinishing the woodwork, thats a harder job then I thought….. But, not too bad. This is the room that had red painted paneling on it.

Hopefully, the landscapers can finish tomorrow. The pavers are suppose to be here either tomorrow or the day after to handle the driveway.
Ill post more soon….

Posted by: mespock

Looks like Dave has his work cut out for him... LOL...

Looks like you'll be busy for a while.. good luck...

Posted by: Joeychgo

Quote:

Originally Posted by mespock

Looks like Dave has his work cut out for him... LOL...

Looks like you'll be busy for a while.. good luck...

Are you kidding??? Dave and I spent about 2 hours the other day... Trying to fix an outlet that doesnt work....

Conclusion........ I need to call an electrician.. Sometimes I think Dave and I should learn to put the tools away and crack a few beers instead.

Posted by: pepperman

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joeychgo

Are you kidding??? Dave and I spent about 2 hours the other day... Trying to fix an outlet that doesnt work....

Conclusion........ I need to call an electrician.. Dave and I should learn to put the tools away and crack a few beers instead.

As long as the Beer is Killians, i couldn't agree more.

Posted by: 94m5

Looks good joey.

I'm looking at a couple houses out here right now.

Mike

Posted by: Sergmark

Ahhh The joys of owning a home . Glad you could find your workbench ..That should be kept available at all times

oh it's fun trying to figure someone elses electrical " two hours on one plug " Ahh the pain

Have fun

Posted by: cavemansmarkviii

We have the technology, we can rewire it. Three phase would be cool, although the shop lights don't like it much. (Long story).

Posted by: Jibit

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joeychgo

Are you kidding??? Dave and I spent about 2 hours the other day... Trying to fix an outlet that doesnt work....

I could have fixed it really quick but Joey won't let me put any holes in the walls

all I have to say is old wiring and old houses are a PITA!!!

Posted by: mespock

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joeychgo

Just run a new wire.. How old is that house... Mine's 100+

Posted by: Jibit

Quote:

Originally Posted by mespock

Just run a new wire.. How old is that house... Mine's 100+

easier said than done. still has cloth covered wire and can't find where its going to. Its dead and everything is covered. Since he just did the bedroom there is fresh drywall up. Below where the basement is, the ceiling is drywalled! Tried tracing the wires back to the box but nothing cloth is at the box. The only other option I see is start to open every switch and outlet near it and see if the wires come into it.

Posted by: bufordtpisser

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jibit

Maybe it is like that commercial where the guy is flipping a light switch and two doors down the garage door is beating up on some ladies car.

Posted by: Jibit

Quote:

Originally Posted by bufordtpisser

Maybe it is like that commercial where the guy is flipping a light switch and two doors down the garage door is beating up on some ladies car.

I love that commercial!

Posted by: Jibit

never thought about if it was a switched outlet, there are no switches near it or in the room (other than the light but I believe it was on). There are plenty of other switches in his house that we have no idea on what they do or go to

Posted by: pepperman

Sounds like it is time to put a whole new electrical service in that house, since the old wiring is cloth covered.

Posted by: Jibit

Quote:

Originally Posted by pepperman

Sounds like it is time to put a whole new electrical service in that house, since the old wiring is cloth covered.

not exactly, a lot of wiring is new, they just left the old stuff in too!

Posted by: Frat-man-du

Quote:

Originally Posted by cavemansmarkviii

We have the technology, we can rewire it. Three phase would be cool, although the shop lights don't like it much. (Long story).

Been there- done that..pop goes the weasle!

Now worries, it will be done before you know it. Looks good so far. Wonde rwhere that rail came from?

Posted by: 94m5

Clean it up and set it in the garage on top of a big log. makes a good anvil.

Posted by: ONEBADMK8

Awesome Joey!! ALOTTTTTTT OF WORK!! Good gawd!!! Ditch the wood fence though, get a vynil fence, way nicer, modern and maintinence free.

Posted by: cavemansmarkviii

Get one of those beeper setups for finding where the wires go if you don't already have one. Plug it in or hook it to the wires and run it past the breakers or other boxes to find where it goes. Way cool.

Posted by: mespock

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jibit

So what is Joey doing during all this time? This sound like a 94m5 project where all you see are picks of JD working...

In this case are you Joey's JD..

Posted by: Jibit

not at all, Joey helps, but it difficult at times. Ever seen the size of us? the spot where the circuit breakers are tends to be very narrow, and that's all I'll say about that

Posted by: mespock

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jibit

not at all, Joey helps, but it difficult at times. Ever seen the size of us? the spot where the circuit breakers are tends to be very narrow, and that's all I'll say about that

Maybe a few less french fries at Kopper's Kitchen!!

Posted by: Jibit

Quote:

Originally Posted by mespock

Maybe a few less french fries at Kopper's Kitchen!!

yeah, I need to go on a diet

Posted by: Joeychgo

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jibit

not at all, Joey helps, but it difficult at times. Ever seen the size of us? the spot where the circuit breakers are tends to be very narrow, and that's all I'll say about that

ROFL -- Yeah - usually one of us is stuck somewhere and the other is laughing....

Quick update - Deck is started. Here is a pic of the footings (pre concrete)

The footings were not fun to dig. Tree roots were the least of the issue. Turns out, there was an old well back there, and we had to dig through that to get to the right depth. (thats what the bricks you see are from)

I'll get some more pics later, but the deck should be done this weekend and by the end of next week, the sliding door, yard and driveway should all be done. MAYBE even the garage interior.

Posted by: Joeychgo

A few more of the deck progress. This is the basic framing, but gives you a good idea of the size and placement..

It should be completed tomorrow.

Posted by: Joeychgo

Well the deck is done. I took a few shots, but they were at night. I couldnt get daytime shots because its been raining again today. (whats with the friggin weather)

Like the litte fireplace? I thought it was a nice touch and Hobo had it on sale for $100. It runs on propane and give a nice atmospere.

Next, the sliding glass doors go in, the driveway gets done and the yard last. I decided to redo the entire driveway instead of just extending it to the fence. Reason being mostly the flooding we had a few weeks back. SO we are going to redo the driveway and make it 3″ higher to help with the water. Additionally, it’ll make the surface easier to define with the yar and should look pretty good overall.

Then we can finish the yard.

Posted by: Joeychgo

Had to get caught up with that last post - now - the new driveway....

Ok, FINALLY the new asphalt driveway has been completed. As you may recall, the old driveway looked like this:

The most notable difference, besides new asphalt, is that the driveway has been widened on the left to extend all the way to the fence. I widened it for a few reasons. First, I wanted a little more driveway width so that I can now comfortably park 3 cars side by side. Second, the space on the left was a space I figured would never really look good and would be a gardening nightmare. (I hate pulling weeds).

Originally I was just going to widen the driveway, but after our little flooding incident (see this post) I figured resurfacing the driveway was a good move.

What they basically do when they resurface is to simply place a new layer of asphalt over the old. The driveway actually becomes stronger in the process (assuming the old driveway isnt all broken and potholed.

Ok, so this morning I the paving company (Fahey & Sons from Melrose Park 630-543-6323) was finally able to get a day of decent weather to do the job. They started by cutting a 8 inch wide section of the old driveway out where it meets the concrete garage apron and the front part of the driveway (which we did not replace) This is done so the new asphalt can be seamlessly mated to the old parts.

Then they cleaned up the edges with shovels and a bobcat and filled in the left side with gravel, using a roller to compress the gravel base.

Now they start laying asphalt.

They then roll the asphalt and its done. The whole operation took about 3 hours. The cats were mesmerized by the whole deal

Here is the completed driveway.

You can walk on it almost instantly. But you cant drive on it for 24 hours and you cant park on it for 3 days. It doesnt need to be sealcoated for the first year.

Many people think asphalt driveway is lessor to a concrete one. Im not sure I agree. Once concrete cracks, your stuck with it until you are willing to dig it up and replace it. Concrete also costs about 4 times as much. But asphalt has to be sealcoated every year or two or three. In the long run, the asphalt is still cheaper.

Either way, I think it looks pretty good. We are going to place some low voltage lights along the fence to light the driveway a little bit. Next week, the yard should be completed. Unfortunately, we were delayed too long to seed the grass now, so I either have to wait until spring or lay sod. I havent decided, but im leaning toward sod so it’s done and over with. I would hate to have to live with mud all winter.

The sliding glass door is in and almost completed.

Its more finished then the photo shows but I didnt take any pics as it was dark when it was completed. As soon as we have a decent day, I’ll get pics of the finished deck with the door and you can see how nice it looks.

So, my list is slowly getting shorter. I have a handful of projects that I am working on to some extent and need to finish. These include:

Finish insulating the garage and putting plywood on the walls as well as installing the other shop lights
Finish installing the microwave and rebuilding the kitchen cabinet
Finish stripping the oak trim in my office and getting it up
Paint the upstairs bedroom
Install the new washer and Dryer (arriving Monday) and finish the laundry room

This is just the stuff I have already started and have materials for. Looks like a busy winter.

Posted by: chickenviii

looks good joey so when will my room be ready lol!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by: Conti94

It's lookin really good Joey. The driveway is great. Looks like it was done really well from the pics. I may have to stop by and see everything when it's all done.

Posted by: 94m5

Can't use a jack or jack stands on it unless you put a board to distribute the weight. I still don't like the idea of asphalt holding my car up on jackstands.

I'll pay the extra $

Mike