Weeks Four and Five

Even though it is the middle of Week Seven of The Ugly Lake House project we will go back in time Marty McFly and Doc Brown style to Weeks Four and Five.

I would consider these weeks to be the midpoint of the project and also the slowest weeks.  I've been told that with any construction project that the middle always seems to progress fairly slow and a lot less visual things seem to happen. 

During Week Four the plumbing passed it's initial inspection which means the Master Bathroom Shower and Guest Bathroom Tube were installed.

This is was a pretty dramatic change from the tub and shower that came with The Ugly Lake House.

Also during Weeks Four and Five the old windows complete with plywood window panes were removed and some new, way more energy efficient, windows were installed.  To be honest, they aren't that energy efficient, but anything beats single panes and plywood. 

It's pretty amazing what windows can do for house aesthetically.  If only new siding was in the budget.

Old Windows

While Rob the Plumber was installing the new shower and bathtub and Tom and his sons were installing windows, Mike the Boiler Guy installed a new boiler.  It was late April/early May at this point and in theory heat should no longer have been required.  But due to dismal spring, we did get to fire up the boiler and it works great.

I took a bit a gamble when I purchased The Ugly Lake House.  I had no idea what condition the plumbing was in, and the house had been winterized for almost two years.  When I had my home inspection there was now way to test the plumbing for the boiler or for the rest of the house.  I had a bit of a scare when the boiler was installed and pressure tested.  After a few hours the system loss pressure indicating a leak.  For those of you not familiar with baseboard heating, hot water heated by the boiler is piped through baseboards and heat is given off through a series of baseboard heaters.  The Ugly Lake House has probably hundreds of feet of pipe connecting the baseboard heaters.  A leak could have been any where but luckily the only two leaks found were in a valve near the boiler and in the mudroom ceiling where some new drywall was being hung. 

After the installation, the boiler was inspected and the mechanical inspection passed.  If you are keeping score at home, two inspections have passed leaving only the electrical and building inspections.  More on that later in Week 6.

Roy Boy and Roy Man help me build a wall!

About a week ago my buddy/old roommate Roy aka "Roy Boy" and his dad, Dennis, aka "Roy Man" came over to help me build a partition wall to create a den.  The project went really smooth due to the presence of Roy Man and an awesome pneumatic framing nailer I borrowed from my Dad.

I guess I can give credit to this idea to my buddy Bryan.  He suggested, and I barely remember this, to frame off the area to the left of the front door (when walking in) to create a den.  Also, he apparently thought of the idea to add French Doors in the opening.  Again, I really only remember him saying something about how cool French Doors are.

Roy Man (you may not see him, since he is wearing a camo jacket) suggested that we frame the opening as if we were building a complete wall.  If you notice on the bottom of the frame, a footer runs across the entire span.  This kept the wall more square. 

In these pictures it appears that Roy Boy is doing all the work, Roy Man is supervising, and I'm not really doing anything.  I would say that is about 90% true.  Thanks Roy!!!

The finished wall.  Notice that the footer has been cut to create the opening.  Now I just need to buy some French Doors to finish it off.

The wall makes the first floor narrower but makes the floor plan less random.

Thanks again to Roy Boy and Roy Man!

The Lake and Lagoon/Canal

Since week three has been slow, I've decided to include some pictures of the Lake and Lagoon/Canal.

This is the view from my backyard of the Lagoon/Canal.  I'm not sure what really to call it yet.  Canal is pretty common Michigan term for areas of water off of an inland lake, but it's not really a waterway which the word Canal implies.  Note the little stump of a dock...that apparently is mine.  If anyone has any dock building experience, please let me know.

View from the bridge looking out to the lake.

The bridge that connects the two sides of the neighborhood.  I assure you it is safe to walk across!

Opposite side of the bridge looking back into the Lagoon/Canal

This and the next few pictures of the lake are taken from where the neighborhood dock gets put in. 

Week Three, kind of slow!

The third week of work has passed on the Ugly Lake House and worked has slowed a little bit.  The building permits have finally been approved by the township and county and windows are finally in and ready for install. Week four should be much better in terms of progress.

 However some plumbing and electrical work was completed.

The two upstairs bathroom surrounds were gutted in preparation for new shower surrounds.

New valves were installed in the shower and new faucets and trim pieces will be installed once the new surrounds are installed.

The plumbing and electrical has been completed for the island and is just waiting to be inspected.  When completed the island partition wall be drywalled and the trench filled in.

More Destruction and Some Construction

The previous entries I made all occurred within the first week of close.  The second week has already passed and Tom and his crew are moving like gang busters.
                                                                                   

The whole kitchen was gutted about a week ago

Early this week a nice big hole was added to the kitchen along with the removal of some drywall.  

This will allow for plumbing and electrical to be supplied to the island.  The sink and dishwasher were originally on the left side of the kitchen and will be moved to the island.  

The drywall was removed to run some new wiring.  This will allow a light switch to be relocated, a new counter outlet installed, and wiring for under cabinet lighting.  

On Wednesday and Thursday, framing was installed for the island.  When it's completed it will be around 12 feet long with a two tiered counter top and a cookbook shelf on one end.

I'm super pumped at the size of the island.  It should be able to seat five or six people allowing for easy distribution of my famous "Smasheries".
And no, they aren't alcohol related.

Also this week, the drop ceiling in the Laundry/Mudroom was removed and framing for an "actual" ceiling was completed.  Recessed lighting was installed and wired.  The old fluorescent lights are going to make for some great shop lights in the garage.

I forgot to add this picture of the first floor bathroom.  The vanity will be replace with a pedestal sink.  The gross toilet will be replace and the drop ceiling is also going to become a real ceiling.

I forgot to mention that this house has well water and was also winterized when I bought it.  I took a little bit of a gamble since the well couldn't be tested during the home inspection.  Everything worked out and early in the week they were able to get water flowing from the well.

It's going to take a little bit of getting used to the well water but the trade off is zero water bill.  When you come to visit feel free to double or even triple flush!  

Note:  That's not what you think it is in the toilet.  Just some gross well water.

Destruction Continues

Three days after close, Tom the Contractor and his crew came in for some demo.  By noon that day the kitchen was removed.

Construction Begins!

Or rather destruction....

I closed on The Ugly Lake House on March 28, 2011 around noon.  After a quick lunch and a change of clothes I headed over to the house to tackle the first project, removing the carpet.

I'm estimating that there was about 1400-1600 square feet of it and I'm still trying to figure out why carpet in a kitchen is a good idea.

I'm pretty sure this color is the same as my 1995 Ford Thunderbird airport car.  Was Forest Green  hot in the mid-90's?

With the carpet out it's already looking a little better.  You can also get a glimpse of the original floor plan.  It appears that where the kitchen is currently was once a utility room.

I managed to remove the first floor carpet the end of the first day I was homeowner.  The staircase and second floor carpet was removed on the next day.

My dad came out on the second day for a few hours to help pull some staples out of the floor. 

Would anyone like some free carpet remnants?

It's going to be a long time before I take on this project again.  I was sore for the next three days.

The Plan...

I'm guessing if you looked at the "Before Pictures" you are wondering why I would ever buy such a place.  Well, after some self-convincing and thought, I decided it does have potential, the price was right, and the location is pretty nice too!

The Ugly Lake House is located just below and to the left of the thumb tack.

The loan I got for the house allows for money to put towards a renovation or rehab project.  It's called a FHA 203k and mainly used for houses that are foreclosed and neglected just as The Ugly Lake House has been. 

The plan of action is as follows:

• Kitchen renovation including a massive island with a bar counter top
• New first floor windows
• New boiler, water heater, and water softner
• New flooring through out
• Closing off the Den Area with a wall and french doors.
• Bathroom renovations with a new shower, tub, and vanities.
• Addition of gutters for the roof 
• Remove the chain link fence
• Update the landscaping
• Build a Patio
• And a few more projects that I'm sure will come up

The Before...

Apparently The Ugly Lake House was once a one story cottage.  At sometime a second story addition was added giving it that signature Mushroom shape.  An uninviting front porch was also added.  I can only assume it was an afterthought.

The back of the house with another great looking porch. 

View of the Kitchen from the front door.  What does 191 E. Lane (house I lived in during college) and this place have common?  Yep, that's right, a carpeted kitchen!!!

View of Den Area and Kitchen

View of Kitchen from Dining Area

View of Sitting Area and Kitchen from Dining Area

View of Dining Area from Sitting Area

Staircase and Mudroom/Laundry Room

Mudroom/Laundry Room.  Note the awesome drop ceiling!!!

Hallway leading to Den.  First floor bathroom is the door on the right.

Go up the stairs and turn right and this is what you get.  I'm not even sure what to call this.  We'll go with... Upstairs Landing.

Upstairs Landing

Second Floor Bathroom

Clean shower?!

Second Floor Hallway/Upstairs Landing

Second Floor Hallway

First Bedroom

Second Bedroom

Third Bedroom

Master Bedroom

Master Bathroom

Master Bathroom.  And, yes that is Duct Tape in my shower.