Murasaki99 ([info]murasaki99) wrote,
@ 2008-06-02 07:28:00
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Current mood:awake
Current music:NPR Morning Edition
Entry tags:family, home improvement

House Remodel - Lot
Took me awhile to find the old drawings from back when I bought this place, but here is the footprint of the original house on the lot.


It's not a huge lot, but then I didn't want to mow grass all weekend (and currently I pay the neighbor boy to do that). My mom's place has more than 1 acre to care for, and that is way more than either of us want to maintain, even if it does look like an English park.



This is my try at adding the new part to the old house -- not to scale, although I did the best I could, since I really want to eyeball the remaining space and work out where other things need to go & think about landscaping. The addition sits about four feet beyond the old porch roof, which spanned the back of the house. I think there is room enough for a modest garage behind the house (someday).

The backhoe man arrived at 7 am today and started in with an earth-compactor, much to the cat's distress. I hope my neighbors weren't planning on sleeping in. 0_o Me, I'm going to work as soon as I call the plumber to fix the commode.



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[info]ithilwen
2008-06-03 02:28 am UTC (link)
That addition looks like it's going to give you a LOT more usable space. How exciting! How long is it going to take to complete it?

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[info]murasaki99
2008-06-03 05:33 am UTC (link)
It should add about 695 sq. feet of space - the original house was listed as 1200 sq. ft. or so, but the laundry room was lost in the demolition and that was about 50 or 60 sq. ft, so the total should end up around 1820, counting the old still-standing house and the new area. Not too bad. The old family room was 12x20 feet of not-very-usable space and it is now gone as well. Yay. :)

My contractor said 2-3 months from start to finish, but he got a quick start, so we'll see. He thought the longest time would be for the concrete pours, because that is done by a subcontractor who juggles other jobs.

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[info]centaurg
2008-06-03 03:26 am UTC (link)
Any restrictions on the use of the easement?

How about a combined garage and garden shed? Otherwise, one of those lawn tent things used to park cars under a nominal shelter could be a temporary solution. It'll have to be pretty sturdy to keep from kiting away in one of your more vigorous wind storms!

I've wanted a nice storage/garden shed for my back yard, but the only things Lowe's has that's remotely affordable is only about 5' high at the peak. Was giving some thoughts to actually building something, but my carpentry skills are extremely limited and my budget's not much bigger.

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[info]murasaki99
2008-06-03 05:37 am UTC (link)
You can't build anything permanent in the easement - it is under the power lines and over the sewer main. Currently I have some shrubs and grapes growing there.

Garage will hopefully double as garden/tool shed.

They are selling some adorable wooden sheds locally. No clue what they cost, however. They look like miniature houses and would probably make great kid's play houses, too.

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[info]centaurg
2008-06-03 06:28 am UTC (link)
I should have said combined garage/garden shed/work bench. I simply >must< have a place to put tools and a work bench to build and fix things.

The other thing I've been wanting is a storage locker; something to put flammables in that's enclosed and away from other buildings. About the size of a freezer unit. There are always a few things that ought to be stored at a safe distance! And that I could probably build just out of the scrap lumber in the garage loft...

Dawn? She wants a tree house. :) We've got a good candidate tree, but try convincing the landlord...

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[info]murasaki99
2008-06-05 07:04 am UTC (link)
Yes, I've gotten to that stage of maturity where I appreciate a good work/shop area. Mom and I are still deciding on what of dad's tools to keep, but I'm pushing on keeping much of the tools that are both expensive and when you need it, you NEED it (like a miter box). Safe storage of flammables is always a worry. We cleared out a lot of really old stuff this Earth day via the county recycle center.

I adore tree houses. I don't think my old sycamores are sturdy enough to support one, but the red maple might.

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[info]centaurg
2008-06-05 09:21 pm UTC (link)
Workshops may be some sort of family curse; my father lived for nearly 30 years in a converted contractors office: one room with a kitchen and bath added on--the shop was separate and had more square footage than his shack. He seemed happy with the arrangement; that's living simply.

Bother-in-law has the Garage Majal, which is a temple to mechanical engineering geekyness of never having too many tools. It started life as a separate house/shop, but got bigger; I got to watch the addition built in late 2000/early 2001.

I have to live and tinker a bit more modestly. Yes, got a miter box which I rarely use but essential when needed. The main work bench is in the garage, supposedly to enable vehicle maintenance had the garage not become a warehouse. (Who actually uses a garage to store >cars< any more?)

Will the house addition have a roof peak over the new section or will there be a peak in the new center?

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[info]x_expat
2008-06-03 01:34 pm UTC (link)
Looks like a good amount of space—room for a garage and shed and yet not too much lawn to mow. I always wanted one of those sheds that look like a playhouse.

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[info]murasaki99
2008-06-03 02:32 pm UTC (link)
Some of the sheds they are building out here are very cute that way. I'm also a fan of the Tumbleweed House company - super-small livable houses. Maybe some year when I finish downsizing. XD

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[info]x_expat
2008-06-03 02:36 pm UTC (link)
I've seen the Tumbleweed houses and I'm debating whether or not I could downsize that far. Maybe if I bought a separate little playhouse shed for art supplies. ;)

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[info]murasaki99
2008-06-04 02:03 am UTC (link)
We need an art colony -- with small houses and a large workshop/studio for the residents. And maybe a library. :D

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[info]x_expat
2008-06-04 03:37 am UTC (link)
I think there are colonies/cooperatives like that on the West coast. Would be nice to have a little cluster of houses and a central studio loft building and library.

Or a castle filled with little apartments. ;-)

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[info]murasaki99
2008-06-05 07:00 am UTC (link)
Castles tend to be drafty. :D But it would be fun, castle or colony. There used to be a nice art colony in the New England area, but I'm spacing on what it was called. It was way cool, though. I wonder how hard those are to set up?

A library with a studio loft would be perfect. Especially with the way we all tend to collect books and related materials.

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