Food Break

All the construction has made us hungry!

With Andrew's visit, a gift of fresh Eastern Shore Oysters, and the cooking help of the Italian and her lovely husband B, we celebrated the actually start of the remodeling with:

Oysters à la rhétaise

Shallots, garlic, a bit of cream, saffron, curry, salt, and pepper comprise the sauce. Added to the oysters, being so fresh, made an outstanding dish.

Of course, Andrew then says to me that he doesn't really like shellfish...of any kind. Ohhhhhh, really? Poor Andrew. Here is a pork chop instead and I will eat your serving of this deliciousness!

More Progress Still

Shower pan is in, with a nifty corner bench! The bench is not wide enough to sit on, but perfect to rest a shaving leg! Next step: adding in the valve for the water, sheet rocking the rest of the shower stall itself, and then tiling.

We seem to have an issue with the tile that we picked. The issue being that it isn't in stock, even though we were told it was when we asked as we were first picking it out. Now, I have to go pick out similar tile, but without Will, who is in Anaheim. I am hoping that I can pick out something similar-enough that he will be pleased and we won't be disappointed in not having the first choice.

We could have the first choice, if we wanted to wait for it to get here-- after Memorial Day. With the manner that these workers are moving (fast! fast!), that two-week delay isn't worth waiting for the originally picked tile.

Heavy duty, modern wiring is now strung through all the rafters and the studs. Tomorrow, the electrician comes to do a "heavy up" and put in a sub panel for the rooms. Big Mike will be hot wiring tomorrow as well, and he and the Other Mike will remove the old wiring.

And I just thought you all would be thrilled to know that Will's hoarding has (yet again) turned out to be a good thing. Another closet will access the air conditioner (so, the opening with all the yellow wiring hanging down-- this is also the closet where the sub panel will be placed) and we had the opening made wide enough to fit this door:

that has been in Will's office for three years now, just waiting for the perfect jamb. Will tells me that he "saved" the door from imminent destruction. Translation: he picked it out of the trash. He has owned it for OVER TEN YEARS, all the time leaning against some wall in his apartment. Yes, some of the rectangles are missing, but it is a very good thing that my Uncle Jimmy was in the glass business. He assures me that he can find matching glass bits for the missing or cracked pieces.

It is also another good thing that Will's father, Edward, does a bit of stained glass work. Ohhhh Edward! We have a project for you! When are you next coming across the pond?!!

Framing, Done

The framing is done! The half wall is in place at the top of the stair, opening the place up.

We even have a frame for the closet in place, as well as several receptacles for future electrical outlets and light switches!

Tomorrow, the rest of the in-bound plumbing and wiring (including location of ceiling lights) will be completed, in addition to a visit from the spray foam insulation company! We are moving right along.

We've Been Framed!

Ladies and Gentlemen, you are looking at the rough in of the bathroom! In the middle of the framing, you have an the opening (24 inches, in case you wondered) for the door. To the left of the opening, you can see the circle drain in the floor for the fancy square loo we bought. The floating vanity will be opposite the loo, above the air duct. To the right of the door will be the entrance to the shower that measures 36 inches wide and 60 inches long. It is a large shower. Still, the bathroom is about 12 feet long and 6 feet wide and will be contained within the area that is formed from the new dormer. A smaller bathroom than originally planned, but we sacrificed it in order to maximize space in the bedroom.

Also, you can see where they have framed out the air duct in the sitting area of the bedroom for a window seat.


This is the southeast corner of the house and will be a corner in the bedroom. This will be a knee (half) wall, and on the left, we will have a bank of 18 inch-deep drawers. The studs on the right will just be a wall. We have an access panel to the air duct on the area perpendicular to the window seat, the end of which you can see on the edge of the photo to the right.
Here, you are looking to the stairs from the sitting area outside of the bathroom. Eventually the studs to the left of the yellow ladder will be replaced with another half wall, so you will see into the bedroom as you come into the space.

Here is just another shot of the sitting area outside the bathroom. This will be the straight-ahead view from the bed. The door to the bathroom will open into this space. No pocket doors-- you lose too much space in the bathroom in order to make the cavity into the which the door would slide.


This photo looks to the front of the house, westward, or, facing the street. This is the closet area. At the moment, we don't have studs indicting where the closet starts--that will come tomorrow-- but what I wanted you to see is the ceiling. They took out several small studs that formed a low ceiling, and vaulted it. This space will be rather small: much smaller, we think, then what we had originally posted, so the added height will be nice. Still, just like in the original plan, the wall of the closet will be perpendicular with the wall that backs up to the shower.

And, finally, the money shot: the main room with the newly vaulted ceiling. Originally, studs were fixed across the entire space for a ceiling at 7 feet and really weren't there for support of the roof. With them removed, we have a ceiling height of at least 10 feet at the ridge line. You can look back and see the studs here, after we had the old walls, etc. removed. You are looking directly east, to the back yard. The bathroom (or the wall that is the back of the shower) is to the immediate right; the bed will be to the left, just past the yellow ladder; and the closet is immediately behind you.

These guys are moving right along. By the end of the week, we should have it all plumbed, wired, and framed.

Cosmic Love

Yes, I borrowed the post title from my brother-in-law, but this is a huge reflective mirror outside the Louisville Science Center. It is at least 3 storys tall and who knows how wide, and very very shiny.

Construction Zone

The attic remodeling has begun! Our contractor was here today and began plumbing in bathroom. It has already been an adventure: holes in other walls *not* in the attic and a small electrical fire in the guest bathroom (oh! the joys of cloth, non-grounded wiring!)

After months of planning-- years, if one includes the original thought to remodel the attic when the family first took ownership of the house-- construction has moved from an idea to action. Now, according to our guy, we are being told that for the first couple of days we shouldn't expect fireworks. BUT by Friday, we should have framing done and wiring and plumbing roughed in: that's when the pyrotechnics will erupt.

Weekend Party

My cousin Jamie married over this past weekend in Louisville. His bride, Melissa, looked beautiful. She definitely has the stuff to be the next Mrs. Downs. We had a marvelous time seeing family at the wedding. One the best things: it was on a Friday night so we had the rest of the weekend to visit with other family and friends.


We were able to see Diane, and check in on her leopards.
We also spent some quality time with this guy and his ridculously cute family.
The reception was at Louisville's newest and hippest hotels, 21C. It is an art museum within a hotel, or a hotel within an art museum, depending on your point of view. It also has a thing for red penguins--for example, they stand above the entrance way to the lobby. Brando could be a replacement, should one ever fall sick.

Chloe and my mom got to spend some quality time discussing the latest art exhibit of portraits...
...while Caroline and Darren (and dare I say, me and Will) took the local waters.

Taking the local waters isn't always recommended, as it can lead to dancing like this:

Not everyone could have some dance moves like that!