Thunderstorms!

Where I grew up in eastern Oregon, there are thunderstorms -- incredible to watch in the sagebrush-covered mountains and plains because you can see so far -- and there are what we called "thunder-busters".  The colloquialism conveys the suddenness and severity of those certain storms that make you want to hide under the bed.  Well, last night New Orleans had a thunder-buster on a scale unimaginable by Oregonians: http://www.nola.com/weather/index.ssf/2011/03/strong_thunderstorms_bring_pro.html.  Three inches of rain, inch-round hail, several tornadoes, street flooding, and at least two cases of hiding under the bed that I know of. 

An opportunity for me to lecture all you homeowners who:
-have water seeping in under doors or around windows this morning
-have rivers or puddles underneath your house
-have not cleaned your gutters recently
-parked near a street drain
-keep putting off signing up for that termite contract, or checking that your existing termite company is doing their job regularly
-habitually leave tools, crawfish pots, old leaves, or debris sitting around outside
-have not examined the underside of your roof recently
-have not checked the flashing around roof penetrations like chimneys and plumbing vents
-are not planning for / saving for an eventual roof replacement
-I repeat, if you have not cleaned your gutters recently, DO THAT PLEASE!

In this climate even small leaks and seeps can stay wet all summer.  Termites won't take that long to cause thousands of dollars in damage to your house, and if I'm not mistaken, it's almost the time of year when jillions of those little devils swarm the night air looking for mates and new homes of damp wood in and under our homes.

So unless your house is built like the old Pitot House above -- large overhangs and porch all around, masonry columns and patio on the ground floor -- please take last night's thunderstorms as a warning to address any water-related issues your home may have. 

The beginnings of a master suite

Having done most of the demo and framing downstairs, we've moved on to the upstairs portion of our current big project.  What used to be the kitchen, laundry, and back balcony in the upper apartment in Simone & Michelle's house will become a master bath and a pair of walk-in closets.  A bedroom across the hall from the former kitchen is getting expanded to incorporate the hallway.  Here are a few "before" pictures:

The former kitchen.  A tub will go under the window.

The same kitchen, facing towards the master bedroom.

The existing master bedroom, facing towards the previous photo.

The hallway dividing the kitchen (L) and bedroom (R).

And now a few "afters":

The hallway from the other direction, bedroom (L) and bath (R).

The former kitchen, half removed.

From the bedroom, looking through the former hall into the former kitchen.

Looking back the opposite direction into the enlarged master bedroom.

Spring Weather

Jackson beginning work on an entry restoration last spring.

Ours is a dirty job, a sweaty, dusty, messy, smelly, chilly, noisy, sticky job.  Some of those things aren't always bad: sometimes the smells are of aromatic cedar sawdust, and sometimes the damp dirt under a house is the coolest place on a hot day.

But this time of year, when the forecast predicts a straight fortnight of sunny days, highs near eighty, lows just under sixty, we forget all our complaints.  We pity every working person who doesn't have our job.  Take your conditioned air, your clean workplace, your swivel chair.  Ours is the best job.

The beginnings of a new kitchen

Now that the hard work of planning and administration has been done, we have started the dirty work on a large remodel project for Simone and Michelle, former clients whose house is featured as the "Portico Addition" in our Project Gallery.  The house has been divided into separate first-story and second-story apartments.  This project involves joining the two into one family's home, making a master suite to envy, and giving the kitchen a much-needed expansion and update. 

The original kitchen, ca. 1940, featured built-in cabinets, a ribbed tile counter, and three layers of linoleum floor under a thick mud-bed tile floor.  

After protecting unaffected areas of the house from dust and damage last week, Monday we donned dust masks and began disassembling the old kitchen.  In this corner we are expanding the kitchen into the hallway. 

Dante, the newest member of Kerby & Company, applies leverage to remove the subfloor.

Once the old subfloor was removed, we installed blocking to give the floor added rigidity (the floor joists were spaced too widely at the time of construction, so that now the kitchen floor sags in the middle somewhat -- a challenge we'll deal with later), and installed most of the new subfloor.  We'll leave a hole to the underside of the house as long as possible, so the electricians and plumbers have easier access. 

In the photo below, Jackson and Michelle discuss placement of the range and fridge while Simone looks on and Jeff documents Michelle's superior balance. 

A paean to salvage yards

Salvage yards are a staple destination for any contractor working on old homes, both for shopping and donating.  They are a source for original architectural details like brackets and doors; they offer more authentic alternatives to home-center building supplies, which are invariably imported and visibly cheap; they gladly accept donations of house parts we can't use on a particular project but can't stand to see thrown away and hauled off to the dump.

Shopping the salvage yards takes a lot of patience, flexibility, or both.  What they have in stock varies daily, as do the prices and qualities of the items for sale.  We keep a list of things that might serve some need for any of several clients, and we try to visit often to browse for items on the list.  Often we come away with nothing.  Or we modify plans for a particular remodel project based on what we find available in the salvage yards. 

This week, while walking out of The Green Project with two partial quarts of blue and yellow oil-based paint I was using to protect a client's new (salvaged) back door ($.50 each), I spotted an old farmhouse drainboard sink.  Another client had mentioned wanting one a month or two ago.  A quick measurement and consultation with notes on that client's laundry room, then I loaded up the perfectly sized and styled sink (after some scrubbing) for under $50.  Buying a similar sink new from the internet could easily cost $1,000 with shipping.  I'm hoping that the included faucet will need only some new gaskets and a polish to save our client the additional $250-$800 she'd spend on a new faucet. 

The caveats, though: first, for every great find like this one, I've made a dozen trips to numerous yards and found nothing, or brought something home that didn't work out.  Second, salvage materials often require far more investment in labor to prepare and install than items bought or custom-made new.  And third, old materials often carry lead paint with them. 

Here are the salvage yards in town that we visit most, and a few notes on each:

The Green Project.  www.thegreenproject.org
The Green Project is the most proletariat salvage yard in town: they accept almost anything -- from bricks to toilets to outlet boxes to screen doors -- in any condition and sell for almost nothing.  Items in good condition go very quickly.

The Preservation Resource Center's Salvage Store.  http://www.prcno.org/shop/salvagestore.php
Recently opened next door to The Green Project, the PRC's Salvage Store focuses more on finer, wooden architectural details, usually in decent condition.

Habitat Restore.  http://www.habitat-nola.org/restore/index.php
The Restore carries a slightly different collection, including furniture and books as well as doors, lumber, and hardware.  They used to have mostly surplus from commercial projects, but they seem to have more recently come across much of the architectural salvage from the VA and LSU hospital building projects.

Ricca's Architectural Demolishing Corp.  www.riccasarchitectural.com/
Ricca's has a great selection of doors, brackets, and cast iron, many items either restored or reproduced.  They are especially helpful with period hardware, both antique and reproduction.

The Bank Architectural Antique Sales.  http://www.thebankantiques.com/
The Bank means doors.  Plus mantels and shutters.  The Bank differs from the other salvage yards because they don't just resell donated materials, they strip paint, repair damage, and sand their items first, then sell a nearly finished product.  Worth a visit just to awe at the size of their collection, and the overwhelming smell of cypress.

Strip-Ease of New Orleans.  (504) 484-3040.
Strip-Ease is an up-and-coming version of The Bank near Bayou St. John.

Holistic Budgeting

I never tire of repeating a concept of mine, that everyone knows a bargain at the grocery store because everyone visits one weekly for decades; not everyone recognizes a good deal when they purchase or renovate their home because most people don't get much practice at buying or renovating houses.  In unfamiliar territory, people are more susceptible to making rash choices, failing to foresee the consequences of even their most rational decisions, and being outright scammed.  Plus, if you pay too much for milk, or don't to notice that some eggs in the carton are already broken, or if you fall for the junk magazines and candy at the checkout aisle, what have you lost?  Twenty dollars and rolled eyes from your significant other.  Mistakes in a remodel project aren't so easily shrugged off.  Making a holistic budget before you think of starting a project -- and sticking strictly too it -- will help you get the most from your home and keep money-related stresses at bay. 

Now, let's be clear: I'm the last person to suggest that people should not invest in renovation projects, or that homeowners should not allow their vision of the project to evolve as the project progresses.  The first puts us out of business, and the second removes much of Jackson's and my joy (and strategic advantage over competitors) in our craft. 

But it is not at all in our best interest to sell clients more renovation than they can really afford, test their credit limits, or end a project with their expectations unmet.  We'd like to leave them with money left for curtain rods.  And a rose bush.  And the home maintenance they ought to invest in on a regular basis.

Thus, if you're considering a remodel project, I encourage you to think very carefully about all the things that make your house a home now, and include them in your vision of the finished remodel.  Then, when you speak with us and other contractors, don't tell us "my budget is $45," tell us:

"My budget is $45, less the costs of some landscaping, some updated furniture, towel rods, my bank's financing fees, some to invest in a professional designer's help, the amount I'll pay my accountant to find tax credits for this remodel, the additional restaurant meals I'll eat while you're tearing my house apart, and the amount I'm setting aside now for hiring a gutter cleaner at least once a year and buying HVAC filters on a regular basis." (Italics added to not-so-subtly emphasize a separate point.)

Thinking like this is a lot less fun than "well, I have $45 and the contractor said it'd cost $42.99, so I'm going to splurge on that crystal chandelier."  But it'll be worth it.  Plan well, plan ahead for ALL the costs of a remodel, and you'll be able to afford having us back for another project. 

Better Men's Words

Well, I'm ashamed to admit that I have recently discovered that blogging is a commitment.  Allow me to fill the breach with some thoughts on the meaning of "house" and "home" from some favorite writers.

From Don Juan, by Lord Byron (1788-1824):

’T is sweet to hear the watch-dog’s honest bark
  Bay deep-mouth’d welcome as we draw near home;
’T is sweet to know there is an eye will mark
  Our coming, and look brighter when we come.


From Imitation of Horace, by Jonathan Swift (1667-1745):

For life, six hundred pounds a year;
A handsome house to lodge a friend;
A river at my garden’s end;
A terrace walk, and half a rood
Of land set out to plant a wood.


From Out of the Old House, Nancy, by Will Carleton (1845-1912):

Fare you well, old house! you’re naught that can feel or see,
But you seem like a human bein’—a dear old friend to me;
And we never will have a better home, if my opinion stands,
Until we commence a-keepin’ house in the house not made with hands.