SonicChicken blog

Our current remodeling job is actually only one phase of the overall project. One of my co-workers asked me about the rest of the project, so here is the Master Plan:

• Phase 0 — Acquisition, planning, property survey, financing.
• Phase 1 — Barb’s quilt shop & addition to the house (move bedrooms, expand kitchen, new bathroom, laundry, and great room).
  • Phase 1A — Addition/remodel of the house.
  • Phase 1B — Barb’s quilt shop.
• Phase 2 — Remodel original bathroom, master bedroom.
• Phase 3 — My workshop.
• Phase 4 — Landscaping, exterior living space (e.g. decks, patios, etc.)

Phase 0 began back in December 2004 (?) when we first looked at this house. I consider this phase to have been completed when we got the financing figured out (April 2007), but the property survey (Jan-Feb 2007?) could also be taken as the completion of this phase.

Phase 1 began in April 2007. The contractor expects to complete their portion (through stucco, drywall, tape & texture) by the end of July 2007. We’re hosting a French foreign exchange student for most of August, so we probably won’t complete the rest of the work (finish carpentry, interior painting, flooring) until September 2007.

Phases 2 & 3 can’t start until we get our final inspection(s) for phase 1, but at that point they can proceed somewhat in parallel.

We can begin Phase 2 (remodeling the original bathroom) once our addition passes final inspection, hopefully in September 2007. This is all going to be interior work, so the weather won’t be an issue. We’re hoping that this will only take 2-3 months. It’d be very nice to have this completed by Thanksgiving 2007, but it may take a bit longer than that. Once Phase 2 is complete, we’ll look at refinancing our mortgage and HELOC.

Phase 3 (my workshop) will begin with permit application, which takes some time. This part of the project is (at least initially) going to be weather-dependent so we really can’t put timelines here. If we’re lucky (and persistent), we’ll be able to get my workshop framed and roofed before the rainy season, then continue interior work through the winter. Assuming the weather cooperates, we could have this done by spring 2008.

Phase 4 (landscaping, etc.) could begin in the front yard as soon as major construction is finished on my workshop (winter 2007-8?), since most material deliveries will be dropped off in the front yard. However, we may plant one or two trees in the backyard this fall (the optimal tree-planting season here) once we have the final plan for the backyard decks/patios/etc. Phase 4 is another somewhat weather-dependent project, and much of it cannot begin until the workshop (also weather-dependent) is finished. But again, assuming luck is with us, we may finish this phase (and the overall project!) by the fall of 2008.