Busy Day

I got a call from our contractor this morning and he told us they weren't coming in today. They are arranging an inspection for tomorrow and since they finished everything they needed to get done for the inspection they don't need to come in. This is the first day of privacy that the Mister and I have had. This whole week we've had the TBG Construction crew and the J&C Cabinet crew working around the clock so it's always chaos. It hasn't been a lazy day for us though. I arranged a few people to come in and give us bids on our shower door and counters. Three frameless shower door bids, three different prices. More updates on that later. Please pray our inspection goes well. If it does, we can finally have power in this place. Working out of two outlets is not fun.

We will be painting the bathroom today so that we can get it done before we have people back in our house tomorrow. So much to get done!

BATHROOM ALMOST DONE

The bathroom is coming along. We need to prime and paint it, but it's looking better than we had envisioned. Man it feels good. We also found out the tile guy left a wad of plastic and paper in the shower drain. I am sure we will find a way to get it out.

Bathroom

Its coming together and looking better than I imagined. Feeling good and confident!
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TILE BEGINS

We thought about tiling ourselves to save money. but we then realized we were in over our heads. Whatever we thought we were going to save, we would be paying in messed up material and having to redo it. Jehovany recommended this bad ass guy. He leveled things that i thought didn't need leveling and prepped for one day. His words , "Tiling is all about prep" because once you lay it down it's too late. I am a more of a prep later shoot first. That's what got us into this mess. I am learning more and more every day.

BED ROOM- SHEET ROCKS!

Our inspector has a tattoo on his forearm that reads, "Never Again." 3 more inspections and then we will never see "Never Again" never again. The guys have taped and floated the back room and the inspector has signed off!!!

Back Room

After an inspection this morning, the guys were able to put in the insulation and they are starting to close up all the walls with sheet rock in the back room. Need to finalize a few more things and tile will go in tomorrow. The Mister also mapped out his surround sound today and we are off to find glass for two of our windows that got broken back in May.

Patching Towards the Finish Line

The guys have been patching and prepping the walls for us so that we can paint. When we went in today, we felt so good. The walls are smooth and no longer look like they were the unfortunate result of a frat party. Out kitchen and bathroom got hardy back a few days ago and they are ready for tile! So our home is looking like it's one step closer to the finish line. We got word today from our contractors that the tile will go in tomorrow. We are so excited!!! We will post pictures of the tile as soon as we see it go down. Our cabinets are being made as I type and we are supposed to go finalize their color later on this week. Things are moving according to plan and we couldn't be happier. We are so grateful to all the guys at TBG Construction for being so professional and for making our vision come to life.

COCINA

The kitchen is starting to look like a kitchen. We can't wait to cook in it. Our fridge in our apartment keeps everythigng at warm 65 degrees. I bought 2 steaks to grill and by the next day they had turned. I can't wait to get out of this place and into our new home. Goodbye helicopters, Goodbye freeway, Goodby black soot. We were thinking about replacing the windows to the right, because they don't open and need weights, but i think we might keep them as is. I like the way they look.

THE LIGHT

There is land on the horizon. The bathroom has real form and it's coming together very well. The hardy back is down, ready for the tile. The electrical, gas and plumbing all got signed off on. The AC is hooked up and so is all the duct work. Our finish date was for the 15th, but we knew it was a bit optimistic. This week there were crews of at least 7 guys going at it. They really got a lot accomplished.

The building is up

Electrical in room

The room

I am back on the roof! And this time I didn't fall through.

Framing Thieves

Today we are picking out where our windows should go. The framing is up and we have gone through 3 inspections without any problems. The subfloor is rock solid and leveled so that when we put our hardwood floor it will be flush with the rest of the house.

We camped out at the house last night because all of our stuff is there and if that would get stolen we would be sunk.

Hector, the worker who stays at the house during the week, told me that my neighbor is stealing buckets of water from my front faucet at night. We were going to confront them, but we decided it was a great opportunity to have some fun. We haven't singled out one particular plan, so we are open to suggestions. We did buy a faucet lock. The misses wants to jump out of the bushes with a covered panty hosed face and a camera. I just want to exercise my Texas right and shoot whoever is on my property.

INSULATION

We dropped of some stuff at the house. A couple of ceiling fans, the medicine cabinets and speaker wire. And we walked in to see Hector and Leon adding in the insulation to the back room.

FOUNDATION POUR

This weekend we woke up extra early to greet the cement truck and watch them pour the cement into the forms. I never knew it was such a precise thing. The pressure has to be at 30psi, it has to be done quick so it cures evenly.

PROGRESS!!!!!!

We have been very busy.

Making some serious progress. My parents were in town this past week and my dad, the Architectural Engineer was on the job site several times this week. He said that they guys were doing a bang up job, using the highest grade materials and working their ass off. We got to select were the lighting fixtures and recessed lighting go. PLUS where to pre-wire for surround sound. ANY TIPS WELCOME!

Now we need to make a decision about clothing dryers, gas v electric.We know gas is much cheaper to run, but they are all very big in comparison with the smaller 24 inch European ones that only seem to run on electricity. We are thinking of the bosch axxis, because of their size. We need all the space we can get, so we have to weigh both options.



This week we have completed rough plumbing, gas line, and rough electrical, plus we have installed a NORTIZ tankless water heater . This thing is bad ass, it only heats up the water you need. So it saves tons of energy plus it qualifies for the 2009 tax rebate. We can run our kitchen sink, flush a toilet, take a shower, and fill up the bath at the same time without loss of hot water. HIRSCH plumbing has a special on them for $659! It should be between $800-$1000.

Here are some pics of the guys getting ready to pour the footing. Easy as 1/2/3.On the last pic, that thing is solid, you couldn't move it if you tried. and yes my dad tried to move it.

Green Light

One of our best friends Shari made some calls and through a friend of hers we found TBG Construction. Her friend Bill has been working with contractors for over 20 years and he gave them an excellent recommendation. He gave Shari his word that these guys were legit. When our friend Shari says that Bill's word is solid, it's solid and we got to witness that.

We set up a meeting and not only did the TBG team, Jesse and Jehovany Barraza show up, but Bill (whom we had never met by the way) also showed up to make sure we were taken care of. What??? Amazing right? He took time off of work and from his day to accompany the guys and introduce himself.

We ran them through all that needed to get done: Repairing the back room, foundation work, shoring up the house, electrical, plumbing, A.C., and remodeling the bathroom and kitchen. It was a long list and we waited nervously to hear back from them. We prayed that they would come within our budget because after meeting them, we couldn't imagine working with anyone else.

When we heard back from them they sent us a very detailed bid outlining all the work that needed to be done and what the work would cost, etc. We couldn't believe it when we got to the bottom line and the price was staring back at us. It fell within our budget and not only are we able to get everything done that we need but, The Mister and I don’t have to do a single thing. They are taking care of everything. How cool is that? I won't have to fear for The Mister's safety anymore.

What really sold us on this particular team was that they understood that we wanted to keep the integrity of the home as much as possible. When we told them that it was ok if they tore through our floors to get our plumbing done, their response was, "Why would you want to tear your original hardwood floors out?" Don't have to tell me twice ladies and gentelmen, I'm Sold!! If you can find me a solution, instead of saying it can't be done, The Mister and I will always go to bat for you.

They were so excited to get to work on an old home and for you cynics that will say that anyone getting paid will act excited, this team is different. They knew more about that house than we did. We didn't fall in love with this bungalow to completely change it. All we wanted to do was enhance it and update it and they got it. They really, really , really got it.

The TBG team readily provided us with references, copies of their insurance, and license information before we could even ask. They even invited us to go and see all of their other sites they are currently working on including a huge school, before we decided to accept their bid. We couldn't believe that they would be working on OUR project. We have never been so thrilled to sign on a dotted line and hand over a check. Watch out, we are officially working with The Big Guns.

Tips For Hiring a Contractor

Here are a few tips that we recently learned when looking for a contractor. Feel free to post your own.

• Ask for a license number. Even if you know the person, it can't hurt to ask. If they don't give you a number, you can look them up by first name, last name, aliases, and or company names. You will be able to see if their license is expired, pending, and or current. The cool part is that you can even find out if they have ever even been issued a license in the state before. If they are legit, they will not hesitate to give you the number. The website I gave you above has great information. For example, it tells you what the requirements are for contractors when they apply for a license, how much licenses cost, things to watch out for, and a phone number for any questions or concerns you may have.
  

• Checking the Better Business Bureau to see if they have had complaints is also a good idea. Check before you hire them, not after.

• Check references. We can't stress this enough. Don't check them after you hire them, check them before! There are always two sides to every story and you will be surprised at how candid people will be with you.
  

• Ask them how long they have worked with their vendors? Who do they have relationships with? If they have long standing relationships with vendors and they work with them consistently, that means they will be able to get you great deals.
  

• When you shop for material like tile, or appliances, most places, even Lowe's and Home Depot will know local contractors they can recommend to you. They see contractors all day long and can sometimes point you to a great person.
  

• Ask for insurance information. They should have workers comp, should be bonded, etc. This should not feel like pulling teeth. Either they have it or they don't. If they have it, they shouldn't have a problem showing you proof.

• If he or she does not have a license they are not able able to pull permits for you. If they ask you to pull them yourself be careful. They might tell you to pull your own permits because it will save you money... not true. Whether you pull them or they do, it costs the same. However, the difference is if YOU pull the permit, you become LIABLE if something goes wrong. YOU are RESPONSIBLE for anything that happens on your property such as a worker having an accident. If they pull them, they are responsible. In my opinion, the only exception to you pulling the permit is if you sign a contract with a licensed contractor afterwards that says they are liable and will take full responsibility.
  

• According to the state of California, if someone performs work that costs over $500 dollars, they must have a license or they can be fined and or taken to court. So it's best to hire someone who has a license if you are doing major work. If you are doing small stuff here or there, then it's up to you whether you want to go through the trouble.

• When you are getting a bid, be specific about everything that you need done. Ask if they haul away material. Ask if they usually stay within the proposed budget and time line. Get everything in writing. Ask how they have handled disputes in the past. Ask if they have repeat customers.
  

• Sign a contract!!! Do not start work without it. If someone keeps avoiding handing you one, it won't end well. Contracts protect both you and your contractor so there should be no reason not to have one.
  

• Always keep in mind that it is your money, your home, your choice. It's better to ask and be safe than sorry especially when it involves an investment. Don't assume people will volunteer information on their own. ASK QUESTIONS.