Am I On the DIY Network?

Hooray!!!  That's really all I can think right now.  We've FINALLY closed, and the contractors came in bright and early today to start working on the renovations.  The two guys that worked today were named Peter and Jack, so Jared has decided that they will be referred to as "The Rabbits."  So far, they've made significant progress in one room, but it's only day one, and any progress is better than where we were!

Since the last few posts have been devoid of pictures, I'm making up for that with this one, because all I did today was hover and snap pictures as the Rabbits worked.  So today was the end of the sad little half bath just off the master bedroom.

Here's what it looked like before.

First things first, remove the baseboard.

And the molding.

Then the sheet rock.

This was a dusty job.

The old frame work.

Hooray!  No more sheet rock...on that one
wall.

They had to move the toilet, and they
completely tossed the old sink.

Then the other side of the wall plus the
frame work came down.

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This is how Loki was through the process.
Didn't phase him at all.

What would a demo project be without a
few surprises?  The sub floor had a bad
job done to it, so up it came.

Do it right, not fast.

The view from this location would be nice,
but only on one end.

Prepping to make the expansion.

It's not much, but it's enough to add a
shower and vanity.

Putting in the frame work.

Ta da!

Also, a closet got torn out.  It was
unnecessary.

This is what happens when leaks are not
addressed.  Just another surprise that has
to be taken care of.

Before

After.  They were getting far too bushy.

And there it is.  Our first step on the road to a livable house.  As it is, as long as we keep the cats out of holes to the outside world, it's not so bad.  We rented a little storage unit to keep most of our unnecessary stuff out of the way, so that's been a big help.

Tomorrow is another big day.  The kitchen is getting ripped out, and they're starting on the fence!  The challenge from here out will be making sure that the cats don't escape through the floor, so they'll be locked up in their own room for awhile.  Hopefully we get sub floors in and all possible escape routes blocked soon so they can at least roam at night like they're used to.

I'm just so happy to have some visible progress going on, and I know Jared is too, even though he doesn't like being on the sidelines.  He would love nothing more than to be in the thick of things himself, learning and helping build this house.  I on the other hand, am content to sit by and watch the guys work.  For now, I'm going to take a hot shower at Jared's work and be glad that something is started!