Gallery
- The old exterior wall was knocked out in the new mudroom which gave us the first sense for what that intersection will be like. We think it will be great.
- The egress windows are framed in and the windows will be installed this week! We will be able to see what the light will be like in the family room.
- Holes have been knocked in the cinder block on the basement wall and rebar put in that goes down the entire length. This week they will pour cement in those channels for additional wall strength.
- We got our air conditioning working again with the new furnace and condenser on Friday! Just in time for a miserably hot spell!
Remodel Update Week 10
I’m posting this weeks update a little early, the progress is so fun to see. The theme for this week is drywall! The framing is gone, and in it’s place is grey drywall everywhere you look. I was amazed that one guy did it all. The result of these huge 54" by 12 foot sheets of drywall and one guy over two days was impressive. The new space feels like it will when it’s done now. We continue to be really excited for the project!
Next there is buckets and buckets of joint compound.
Remodel Update Week 9
The remodel continues to go well. This week carpentry was mostly outside. The new mudroom got the exterior finished. The roof needs to be finished and then they will put the railing on top. Not much more before the outside will look done, minus some paint and the real door.
The inside work was wires and pipes. The electrician finished nearly everything with just a couple small things left, including my precious doorbell. The electrical inspection is done. The low voltage guys drug a bunch of Category 5E cable for me and almost as much speaker cable. The radon system got installed as well. We tested our basement and the radon levels weren’t bad, but we went ahead with it to make the radon even less of an issue and to make the air in the basement feel fresher.
Insulation gets put in this week and the sheet rock starts going up as well!
Remodel Update Week 8
The remodel is continuing along really well. This week all the framing was completed. There were some ceiling parts left from last week. We did the electrical walk through on Monday of this week and the electrician got right to it. The pre-wiring for more security system stuff was done. The ducts for the furnace also got put in. Another temporary wall was put up in the kitchen so that the door could be taken out and the wall cut out above the espresso bar. The window in the upstairs bathroom was removed. The deck was also put back together which helps the yard feel more normal.
The week ahead is mostly about wires and pipes. Electrical inspection will happen this week and hopefully the low voltage work will get completed as well. I’m dragging new Ethernet and coax to a bunch of spots. The outside will also be restored further with our fencing put back in place and possibly the beginning of the siding work.
Remodel Update Week 7
The update last week felt really significant with the new floors in and all. This week felt like an even bigger advance! All of the walls in the basement are now framed in and the windows are in the mudroom and the family room. We can now see just how the light will be in the family room and get a sense for how the flow will be in the main level with the mudroom there. We also got most of our side lawn back this week. Tammy and I are both feeling really good about the layout.
The week the project also broke into the rest of the house. A temporary barrier is in place in the office to keep dust out and the exterior wall has already been taken out to make room for the new pocket doors.
This week we do the electrical walk-through as well as mapping out all the low voltage work. We are right around the half-way point now.
The pictures of all the framing are probably hard to make out without an idea of what direction things are.
Remodel Update Week 6
Week six was a big one! The difference between last week and now is really fun. Last week we had a dirt floor in the basement, now there is cement. Last week you had to take a ladder down the last half of the steps, now there are now steps. Last week they framed the mudroom, now it is enclosed (sort of).
I’ve been amazed at all the structural engineering that has gone into lowering the floor. The extra 7" will be worth it though. This week windows get put in and most of the framing happens.
Remodel Update Week 5
This last week was short with the 4th of July holiday, but there was still some nice progress. The mudroom is now framed in and you can really see what will be. The basement got the steel reinforcement plates put in and the dirt leveled and prepared for pouring the new concrete. The original plan had the concrete getting poured this week but they got backed up on another job so that will happen at the beginning of this week.
Looking ahead we should have a floor and most likely windows in place in the basement by the end of next week. We are also hoping that we can get the air conditioning hooked up again for the main floor. We’ve been without it since the digging started and since that is done the new condenser should be able to get back in. We have our fingers crossed. It has been pretty hot lately. Luckily we still have air conditioning upstairs in the bedrooms.
We are also preparing for the project to start invading the rest of the house more. Walls will soon be getting knocked down and we’ll have to accommodate some additional disruption on the main floor.
Remodel Update Week 4
The destruction in the yard slowed in week four and the destruction in the basement accelerated. Outside we got our new egress window wells poured and the dirt around them is mostly filled back in. The foundation for the new mudroom is in place as well. The yard is still a muddy, rutted mess but at least we don’t have six-foot deep holes that people can fall in. I also can now take the lawnmower from the garage to the front of the house without walking through the alley and around the block on the sidewalk. It’s the little things!
The basement is a disaster zone however. The stairs got cut off half way down. I put a ladder at the end so I could get down and take pictures. The half of the floor being lowered has been broken up, hauled out and the dirt dug down. The half that isn’t being lowered has been cut out for the drain tile installation around the basement wall. The plumbers were here for two days rerouting plumbing to accommodate the various changes.
Next week framing starts and the new floor in the basement gets poured. I’m thinking this is maybe the ugliest it will look. 😀
Remodel Update Week 3
Week three of the remodel project has been substantial. Arriving home to heavy equipment in the yard is the first clue. Most of this weeks pictures are large holes dug around our house. It’s proven to be a big inconvenience as we cannot walk from the front yard to the backyard easily now. This leaves Chase incredibly confused about where he’s supposed to do his business in the yard.
The week ahead starts some of the framing work and the excavation of the floor in the basement. The next shots from the basement should be interesting! I love how the light comes in from outside in the basement already. I’m also pretty excited about the large windows we’ll have in the basement. I think the space will feel really nice.
We lost about 3 days this week due to rain. Everyone agreed we didn’t want large holes in the yard filled with three feet of rainwater.
Remodel Update Week 2
The I-beam is in place! This week the project has gotten dirty and more serious. I would say that the project has really started now with a decent amount of hammering, smashing and banging. Notable events this week include installation of the new furnace (not hooked up), the pouring of new footings for some central supports and pulling the central foundation support that has been in place since 1939 and replacing it with a super strong steel beam. Thank you for your 72 years of service large wooden beam.
Nothing much happened outside this week, but that will change this week. The excavation crew arrives Monday to start digging.
Remodel Update Week 1
The first week of the project really just focused on getting things ready for real work. The deck was tore apart so that the new mudroom foundation could be put in. The first part of the work on the support structure of the house started. We are removing a central support post in the basement to open the space up for the family room.
First Shots with Lensbaby
For Christmas this year Tammy got me a fun lens for my camera, the Lensbaby Composer. When I did the Stone/Steel/People workshop I mentioned that my pro friend Layne was obsessed with shooting with his Lensbaby. I thought it would be a fun option to have in my camera bag and Tammy decided it would be a fun present. I haven’t been shooting much but I used it when I was in Grand Marais this last weekend and here are some shots with it. These were all shot on manual at f/4.
Birthday Photo Shoot
My sister asked me to do a favor for her. She has a good friend that was turning 40 and she wondered if I would mind doing a small photo shoot at his birthday party. The party was known but the photo shoot was a surprise. I ended up traveling the entire week before the party so when the time arrived I wasn’t the most excited to go and shoot, but sometimes you need a kick in the butt to set up your gear and have some fun. And, fun it was! Everyone was really fun in front of the camera and had a good time posing and being posed.
I setup my black backdrop. The room was pretty dark and my only light was my Canon 580EX II flash. I was firing the flash wireless using the ST-E2 transmitter. I shot with my Canon 5D Mark II all handheld with my Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L. I had the flash mounted about eye level and fired it backwards into a bounce. The lighting all worked out better than I expected, given that I just had the one flash.
The only issue was on flash recharge rate. My flash ate 8 AA batteries and when they weren’t fresh I was struggling to keep the flash going. I’ve added the Canon CP-E4 flash power pack to my wish list for any shooting like this in the future.
Here are nine shots that I really liked from the night. I couldn’t pass up an excuse to get a bunch of adults to do a pyramid! Starting with the birthday boy.
High Resolution Album Art #3
More high-resolution album art for others that may have these albums: Chan Poling “Calling All Stars”, Cities 97 Sampler Volume 8 and Dan Wilson “Live at Pantages”.
Canal Park and Gooseberry Falls
We drove from Duluth to Ely this morning to start our weekend in Ely. We got some photos in Canal Park and of course we stopped at Gooseberry Falls. I really dig the photo of the violins.
2009 State Fair
We had a great time at the Minnesota State Fair this year. This year was the first year that Mazie really got into it. Highlights included the butterfly house, carousel ride, cookies, skyjump and the butter heads. Mazie had an awesome time on the skyjump.
Max's 30th Birthday Party
My brother-in-law Max turned 30 today and there was a nice get together at the Bayside Grill on Lake Minnetonka to celebrate. Just a few photos from the evening. I wasn’t able to get even a small fraction of all the people in attendance. Sorry to all those not pictured here.
Mazie Photo Shoot
Last Friday Mazie and I had a super fun “Daddy-Daughter” day filled with many fun things. Part of our fun day was a trip to a store to get a new dress (we ended up getting two) followed by a photo shoot in her new clothes. We decided to do the photo shoot in our front yard, taking advantage of all the wonderful tall grasses and native plants. Mazie had a ton of fun, and so did I behind the camera.
Photos from Overnight Website Challenge
Last weekend I made three trips to the Sierra Bravo Overnight Website Challenge to get some photos of the start, middle and end. I lugged a decent bit of gear and tried my first attempt at event photography.
The event wasn’t simple to capture. The room wasn’t very interesting so it was hard to get a decent backdrop on people. The podium where people presented had natural light behind it which made it nearly impossible to photograph. I tried some long exposure stuff and it was a little interesting. All in all, a tough room. I think my favorite shot is the one I took of the Ruby.MN 2.2 Team right before the event started.
I thought there would be more opportunities for pictures of people sleeping but there were surprising few that actually caught any sleep. I tried, unsuccessfully, to get one of the teams to do a human pyramid.
Photos from Wintergreen Dog Sledding Trip
I finally edited and uploaded the photos from the Wintergreen Dog Sledding Photography Workshop I did two weeks ago with Layne Kennedy. The workshop was amazing on all aspects. The dog sledding was great. The dogs were amazing. Layne did a great job teaching us how to take better photographs, and I truly think I stepped up my photography skills in a significant way from the trip.
At the end of the trip we put together a slide show of 10 shots from the trip that told the story of the trip. Layne really focused on getting us to ask ourselves “What are you trying to say with this shot?” when we looked through the viewfinder. It was an interesting learning experience, because I found that I had to really immerse myself in the experience to try and see that story. He also highlighted different types of shots, and thinking about how they will be used down the road.
I’m really happy with how they came out. It was great fun, and I really want to push my camera skills further.
