HFM

Not much happened this week, due to the aforementioned neighbor notification/review issue. Very frustrating, and very nerve-wracking, given the structural problems, but Mr. Bunkport assures us that they will be able to shore up the house this week. For real. The main happenings this week were completion of the removal of the floor: The complete filling up of that small room in the garage with debris: And our obtaining a street use permit so that they can park a debris box in front of the house...because more debris is coming. Excavation should start this coming week, or possibly the week after that. Mr. Bunkport assures us that once it gets underway, it will go very quickly. Ok, no problem. I will close Week 3's entry with a picture of one of the possum skulls tallied in the Critter Count TM : And more evidence of Spring having come to Mars: This is the first time this bush is blooming since we moved in, too. Purple flowers on the sage I planted  in 2012 -- also the first time this...

Today is Pickles's Doggaversary, the anniversary of the day she came to live with us! It's been two whole years of fun, fuzziness, & fearless defense against all manner of critters, including houseflies: It's much easier to get the fly when your feet don't get stuck in the couch, but she doesn't seem to mind a challenge.

This week, a very nice man with good taste in books named Jonathan spent many hours removing pieces of walls & floors in the rooms that will be renovated, so that Mr. Bunkport can get accurate bids from the excavators and framers he's talking to. Here's the progress, day by day. Monday View from the garage door, into the first of the two rooms that will be renovated & made into one big room: No wall! This is the same wall as in the last post, at the back of the garage: Carcass Count TM :  One rat skeleton was found in this wall, bringing our dead critter total so far to two. (Previous one was found during this  glorious day.) I'm sad about all that beautiful lath being gone, but this is what has to be done both to expedite the digging, & also bring that wall up to the fire code (a wall between a garage & a living space needs to be a firewall). The lath all over the garage is basically decorative -- these aren't plastered walls -- but interestingly, Mr. B...

Here we go! This past week, all the necessary pieces finally fell into place to begin the long-awaited renovation of Mars: final plans complete, permits filed, & garage appliances moved out of the way of the excavation crew. The project has three main goals: upgrade and repair the deteriorating foundation and structural elements under the kitchen and porch -- this will improve earthquake safety & enable the house to stand for another 100 years. It will also allow us to covert what is currently two storage areas full of possums into usable space. improve energy efficiency by replacing crappy existing windows, and replacing the existing free-swinging doors on the first floor; we will also be removing part of the wall in the kitchen, which will allow more of the heat from the afternoon sun to heat the house, in addition to improving the feel of the space in the kitchen  improvement of the drain and rotten sewer line under the kitchen -- not glamorous, but obviously important ...

Welcome to this week's episode of Hoarders, where we visit a formerly neat & tidy home in which everything has gone awry, from the yard: To the living spaces: Even the dog looks dismayed. Meanwhile, further investigation reveals an almost completely cleared out garage: Big things are coming!