Day 6, week 2, and the work is steadily progressing. We got a mini-fridge set up for the crew, and music was wafting through the house as I calmly set out on a leisurely trip around the area to run errands. Fields of corn bent in the wind, the sun baking sweet goodness into every kernel. Trees sang in the constant changing breeze, as the leaves scuffed against one another, dangling gently from bowed limbs. Ahhh, it was spectacular today.

Note to homeowners: the “framing” process sometimes includes removal of framing, flooring, or other such structurally suspect members. After I returned home, and was informed that we needed yet MORE lighting replacements (damn you, knob and tube!) for the outside front of the house, I learned that the subfloor in the former-maid’s-soon-to-be-master bathroom needed to be replaced. No biggie, right? But, awesomely enough, it meant that for some time today, tonight and for some of tomorrow we have no floor, wall or ceiling in that room! Drama! It was so exciting to see it all open and bare. I’m just glad it’s not ME who has to walk on those tiny little joists. I mean, I know they’re plenty strong (stronger now for some reinforcement installed by the guys) but still. No thank you.

We had arrived at a plan late Friday afternoon to remove a wall that wasn’t built substantially enough to house all the plumbing, and to steal 3″ of space from the adjacent small office/bedroom rather than make the tiny bathroom even tinier (trust me when I say we NEEDED that 3″ to stay in that room). That means shuffling around some doors (which we had a surplus of after removing two openings from said office/bedroom) to make the new closet door at the top of the maid’s stair a 24″ door. This means that the 28″ (or 29″?) door that USED to be in that location can be used for the door on the powder room downstairs. Success! We can reduce, reuse, recycle! This, plus the door I found in the attic that should be able to replace the one at the top of the basement stair means that all the doors in the new kitchen will match the rest of the house. Yay! It really is the little things.

At one point today, the electrician was either hammering or drilling, the nail gun was shootin’, the saws were blazing, plaster (wood? who could say?) was falling, and measurements were being shouted across the house – it almost made me cry with happiness. I can’t quite explain it – maybe it’s the weather, which has been, up until today, fairly oppressive – but it feels blissful today to have the house torn apart. The energy of the crew is respectful, dedicated and extremely pleasant (I sort of don’t want them to leave every day!), and we’re adjusting to our new sleep schedule as well as to not really having a cooking rhythm. All in all, a very good start to the week, I’d say.

Photos, you ask? Photos, ye shall receive!