Month one: Feeling Positive!

The Martin Acres Pop-top Excavation Continues.

For sure, before the build there is a lot of prep work. Demolition and excavation have dominated this month but laying a good foundation is crucial to building a good house. Seems metaphorically appropriate for just about any endeavor, right?

Today’s visit was super interesting in many ways.

• It looks like I’m getting a swimming pool!  That “hole” in the backyard is now deep and square. It will house the concrete foundation and base that will in turn support the new back room.
• If I thought my yard was an accident waiting to happen last week… I’m taking that worry/aneurysm to a new level this week. One wrong step on a dark night (or sunny day) will see a wayward child fall into the pit of despair that occupies most of my back yard at this point!
• And don’t plan on being able to walk “around” the pit of despair, for the yard is no longer remotely flat. “Storm Mountain” rises spectacularly to the west. An 8 foot heaping pile of fill dirt that has been excavated from the 6 foot hole. 

Pictures are kinda possible, but only from this one angle now.

Around the front, excavation has began for the concrete needed there too. A little more foundation work under what used to be a picture window – and will soon be our new dining room – and a small patio in front of the left part of the house. I have kissed goodbye the landscaping that once was and if the garden God’s smile on me, I will be luckily enough to have a chunk of the front part left, even if the part nearest the house is mowed down and concreted over.  

Its a process. Learning to let go, becoming like the monk with his sand picture is easier said than done… But then again, that can be said for everything. 

First world problems. For that, I’m very grateful.

Martin Acres Ranch Remodel – Excavation Time!

 You think you know your house. My Martin Acres ranch had sheltered me and comforted me, it had stood strong and stable for decades. But what lies beneath?

For one thing, it wasn’t the foundation that one would expect!

Let’s get some background. In 1955 my house was built. The “Foothills” model. One of a handful of choices in the new neighborhood created from the Martin Family Farm. It was to be known thereafter as Martin Acres. 

In 1959 (I believe) the new owners of 285 Martin Dr decided to splurge and have an addition put on the back of the house. They paid $3000 and soon enough the builder had tacked on a living room. The new roof was merged over top of the old roof as you can see here:

Last weeks archaeological dig revealed perfectly preserved 1955 shingles under the roof structure of the addition! 

Then there was the foundation. What foundation, you ask? Good question! Nothing much to speak of actually. The original patio located just outside the original sliding glass door – now where you see the French doors – was clearly much to much work to remove, so the builder poured a concrete slap for the new room, directly on top of it. He wasn’t completely silly though; Since the addition was not connected to the house with heating ducts, it required another heat source. A fireplace was put in on the north end and a large brick chimney needed to be constructed. The builder had the presence of mind to “thicken” the concrete and pour something that might have, at some point in time, passed for a foundation beneath that fireplace.

So it was with whoops of glee (not) my three guys set about excavating that enormous chunk of concrete this week.  It left quite the hole in the ground, which is just fine considering our next phase… Excavation prior to pouring footers and a REAL foundation for the replacement living room.

What you see in the foreground is that chunk of fireplace support. The guys tried to convince me that we should repurpose it in the backyard as a Stonehenge type pagan symbol. Could it be that they are not looking forward to jack-hammering that thing into smaller pieces, lugging it out to the front yard and tossing it into the trailer?!  

Truth be told, as I plan ahead to moving in September, there are probably plenty of things I’d like to sacrifice at the alter of needless material possessions and it wouldn’t hurt me to have some sort of cleansing ritual either… But in all my visualizing for this project, I just never saw Mark and I dancing around a motorcycle sized piece of 1959 concrete. Go figure!

Another update on the Xcel power saga? Sure.

Well… the power is still connected to the house. Despite obtaining instructions from “Sally” at Xcel in February regarding the temp power pole and paperwork requirements, it appears either the rules have changed or “Sally” was not the right person to be giving advice in the first place. There are still approximately 3 people (in a chain fashion) that need to receive the work order for the temp power hookup job and not until the last person in line gets the work order, will we be able to get any sort of timeline for when the job will be done.  

Heads up Comcast! Xcel is giving you a run for your money in the customer dissatisfaction department. Don’t worry, you had an enormous head start and it will be tough to knock you off your podium!

In the meantime, just a friendly reminder to all reading this: I’m blogging and taking pictures as often as I can so you can see progress without visiting. My house is private property. It’s not safe and it gives me anxiety to think that when I’m not around, you might decide to fall in a hole, step on a rusty nail or touch any of the stakes and lines that the builder needs for work at my house. Feel free to call me anytime if you want to chat or visit with me…. But please don’t go over without an invitation. 🙂

Martin Acres Ranch Demolition Continues… Rain or Shine

The weather guessers predicted wind, freezing rain and some snow – maybe 2-5″. They were right about the wind. I lay awake last night wondering if the wind, which can be fierce in South Boulder at this time of year, was going to rip the roof off the rest of the house last night, or simply blow open the French doors and force the snow inside.

Snow? What snow. It rained a little and then the sun came out! Apparently that storm hit mostly south of us, down below Denver and once again the weather Gods had smiled upon me.

Today’s pictures are of yesterdays hard work. Dumpsters and truckloads of concrete, brick and whatnot were gotten rid of. 

I had company as I took these pics… The neighbors cat still remembers me and quite frankly wants to know what is going on!

And now a round up on how Martin Acres remodel-related services are doing:

1. My insurance company, who issued a new policy specifically for vacant and under construction homes over 3 weeks ago, decided to pay a site visit yesterday. They were surprised to learn they were unable to get around the back of the house and help themselves to pictures. Hmmm… well, probably they should have come by 3 weeks ago when there was more house to photograph anyway. I thought they’d appreciate the fact that people aren’t allowed to trespass and risk me actually using the liability insurance?!  I sent them some pics taken a couple of weeks ago and maybe that will be just fine.
2. Xcel. Crikey! They STILL haven’t showed up to disconnect the power from the house. I’m happy to take bets on when they will deem it urgent enough. The electrical box is hanging off the side of the house, the wires are entangled in demolished roofing material and they have had plenty of warning that this was going to happen. Imagine what would happen if I ignored my clients to the point of creating some serious safety questions.

Demolition Began with the Back Room

How much damage can 3 guys do to a Martin Acres ranch in ONE day?

LOTS!  Hahahaha!

My Martin Acres ranch has looming excavation and concrete foundation pouring deadlines and it was time to make room for the new.  Or in this case, “unmake room”. Off came the brick, then the roof, framing and whatever else was dangling. My living room, was no more.  Of course you hardly notice anything from the front… Except perhaps a brick chimney that appears to be crumbling and some boarded up window holes that might imply we had a meth issue and were condemned.

Here are today’s pictures. We are about 2.5 weeks into the process. 

For the first time today I was aware that my tromping around in the back yard might be making the guys nervous. I tried to say out of the way as lumber with splinters and old nails came flying down. I heard the sawzall and I watched pieces come unstuck, one by one. 

They might have been further along if not wary of getting ahead of Xcel and yanking the main power box off the side of the house before it was disconnected. That’s right, Xcel was supposed to unhook the house and hook up the meter on the stick last Monday. They still haven’t showed! One of Ken’s less enviable jobs is calling them everyday. Luckily he has a more polite demeanor than I do.

Take your time Xcel! This is not at all a safety concern, a City requirement or a delay and inconvenience!  Grrrrrr!

On the bright side, spring has sprung and my front yard is putting on a brave face despite taking a battering and a decided lack of water.  The daffodils are up (dug up and put in a pot!) and the peach tree is in blossom.

Pop-Top Palpitations

 The day your neighbor asks if she can come see the progress inside of your Martin Acres pop-top in progress and you answer “sure, follow me” with a big smile, only to find THIS when you open the front door:

Yeah… that’s the same day you understand what having palpitations feels like! Needless to say, we couldn’t actually go inside that day.

Let’s back it up a bit. This was March 16th. A few things had changed since the week before (the pictures in my last post) clearly.

The guys had worked their tails off to clear the house, not just of light fixtures and such, but also flooring in the back room – the bamboo engineered floor that I installed with my dad in 2009 and the 1959 linoleum tile glued down (with tar?) under that. They had lifted the flagstone patio and stacked it in nice piles and they had removed doors, some windows and even bushes outside, to facilitate better access for the skid loader.

In the back yard, they erected a pole for temporary power. Xcel was coming to disconnect the house and connect the main power supply to this. It’s starting to feel a lot like a construction zone!

It was time to start removing drywall. With it came a whole bunch of blown-in cellulose insulation. I had Bestway put that in, in 2007 shortly after purchasing this home. Now, it was a fluffy mess! Cellulose filled the air as the drywall was pulled off the ceiling and walls. Remember that skid-loader I mentioned? I believe Ken drove it to the front door and they scooped insulation into it, then deposited in the dumpster in my driveway.  I told you he was creative and efficient!

By March 19th, it was looking a little cleaner. And by that I mean, everyday a little more empty. It’s a process. 🙂

Conversation with my neighbor and good friend, who is graciously putting up with a less than lovely view, these days:

Her: Hey Dal, are you excited?

Me: I’m anxious, does that count?

Her: Why anxious?

Me: Because last week my house was worth $600K+ and this week… $250K maybe. I’m not 100% what the value of the land is, but that’s about it’s value right now.

 Next post will probably have REAL back room demo and excavation pictures. You think the above pic is bad, wait til you see it as just a hole in the ground!

 

Building Permit has been Issued!

 Well, two weeks earlier would have been nice, but on March 15th, the permit to alter and build on the existing home at 285 Martin Drive came through. You’ll be pleased to know I hadn’t lost my marbles or temper. Instead I waited almost patiently then breathed gratitude and relief!

Truth be told the work started before this permit was issued… or needed.  We already had the demolition permit (circa February 2017) and there was plenty of prep work to be done. By March 3rd, there were 3 guys applying hard labor, creativity and care to the demise of 285 Martin Drive!

The kitchen is not going to change – in location or finishes. But the problem with that is when you rip the lid off your house, your kitchen becomes an unwitting casualty unless steps are taken to protect it. Ken had a plan. Ken ALWAYS has a plan! The top cabinets and appliances were to be removed to an undisclosed location to keep them safe and the bottom cabinets/island and its granite counter-top, were to be covered by custom ‘boxes’ designed to protect from weather or flying debris.

The wood floors needed to be protected too. I’m trying my best to save and reuse the original narrow plank red oak flooring from 1955.

First and last selfie in that mirror!

Elm Tree Removal

 I knew my elm was old and there would come a time when elm tree removal was necessary. Planted in 1955, my elm came with the house. For 60+ years it grew, gave shelter to critters and shade to the house. It was a play structure and a bridge to the other trees and I enjoyed nothing more than coaxing squirrels down the tree with nuts, hand feeding them and watching them scamper back up. As cute as they were though, those squirrels had done a number on some of the branches – stripping them of their bark and rendering them vulnerable to storms and high winds. With every change of season, a branch or two landed on the roof or in the yard and I knew the clock was ticking.

One day in mid 2016, as I hiked along N 83rd St in Niwot, I noticed a giant elm, not unlike my own, had come down. And by come down, I mean it shattered at the thickest part of the trunk, smashed through the fenced yard that contained it and fell all the way across the road and through the opposing neighbors fence too. After being sawed into chunks it was removed from the road but the evidence was still clear. 

The trunk – warty in appearance on the outside, was lacking structure on the inside. Kind of resembling dry-rot. In an instant I understood that despite the green leaves, my warty looking tree was suffering and a potential threat to my house and tenant. After professional consultation, I agreed it was time to remove the elm from the back yard of 285 Martin Dr.  It was a big decision and I’m riddled with guilt over the loss of critter habitat and saddened by the removal of a tree that was part of so many good memories too. 🙁

Most of you are reading this and wondering a couple of things:

• Who did the removal and do I recommend them?
• How much did it cost?

I used and have only ever used, Reinholt Tree Care. Chris Reinholt is my go-to tree guy. He is skilled, personable and reasonably priced.  When he arrives, there is a team with him. They are clad in hard hats and goggles, secured by lines to the tree and have always respected the neighbors property and safety. I trust them to do a good job, as quickly as possible and as unbelievable as it sounds, they are almost “leave no trace” type workers. If it weren’t for the small pile of saw dust, you’d never know that 12 hours earlier, a mighty old elm stood there.  Need his number? Contact me. 

The cost. Yeah, I’m no fool and budget is always on my mind too. I got a second opinion of course… but at the end of the day, like always, I was comfortable paying Reinholt. The cost of the tree removal and stump grinding was $2,250.  What happens if i don’t pay to have the tree professionally removed? The deductible on my home owners insurance is $1000 and cost of replacing my dog, my partner or myself is priceless. You do the math!

And so it began… the first steps have been taken to prepare 285 Martin Drive for its transformation!

Next: Removal of the things we want to keep/recycle/protect from construction efforts.

City of Boulder Building Permit: Martin Acres Pop-Top

 If you have ever built in Boulder, lived in Boulder, traveled through Boulder or known anyone from Boulder CO, you have probably got your own frustrating City of Boulder Building Permit story!

I promised you an honest account of the process, the good and the bad and here it is. With less than a week to go before the project is due to start and quite a few weeks after the City  received my application and plans, they informed my builder that some changes had to be agreed to before the permit could be granted. Sweet! Not at all like blackmail.

1. The garage needed to be precisely 19″ longer.
2. I had to add a “street tree”
3. The existing main water line from the city to the house needed to be 3/4″ in diameter – therefore needs to be replaced.

OK, the existing garage is a tad on the small side. It fits a car, but apparently the City needs it to fit an extra long car. I understand. I am even fine with paying the $1000 it will cost to move the wall to the mud room that is currently there. Whatever. No argument on this one.

What the heck is a “street tree” you ask?  (As did I.) Well that is a tree that I am now required to plant on the property, near the street. Hmmm… how arbitrary!  My neighbor two doors down was not required to fulfill this requirement when they built 6 months ago and nor was anyone that I know of. Even better, my front yard is xeriscaped so that it hasn’t got a lawn and is full of water-wise, Colorado native and climate tested plants. Designed purposefully to reduce water usage, since the City of Boulder frowns on high water use, I now find myself in need of an irrigation system too.

Oh, it gets better. Not only will I be required to water such a tree, but also to prune it. We wouldn’t want a child walking to school, to poke an eye out, right? Seems like the second good reason not to plant a tree near the sidewalk! Need a third? How about the tree roots lifting the sidewalk and causing a tripping hazard?  And a fourth… The shade on the side walk  from the tree means the snow will not melt in the same way as the side walk in the sun. But who cares if it’s slippery and dangerous? 

I wonder if my neighbor had not cut down her 60+ year old elm last year, whether I’d need to plant a tree out front this year? 

I’m over the tree. Let’s talk about the 3/4″ water pipe.

According to City plans, my house features a water pipe that is 5/8″ in diameter. While this brings enough water to the house to take care of all the faucets I have planned and then some, the NEW rule is that my house (again, not the neighbor who just built) needs a precisely 1/8″ bigger pipe!  Who knows, maybe they are right. After all, I now have a tree to water too. 

For all of you out there who think this is no big deal, I speculate that’s because you are not familiar with the cost of such minor changes and you have not done a big project – or small, but permitted project, before. The cost of the slightly larger water pipe is estimated to be $7,000-14,000 because I may have to dig up the city street! Seriously, the City has just found a way to have individuals update the infrastructure that might have fallen under their responsibility, haven’t they?!  No pipe = no permit.

I earn my money the old fashioned way – hard work, day in and day out. I have always and will continue to abide by the rules of the City and do it all by the book, like a good girl.  But I don’t have to like this turn of events! My 1955 house desperately needed updating and making more energy efficient but work hasn’t even begun yet and I feel like the powers that be at the City are going out of their way to make my life a bit more challenging and a lot more expensive, just because they can!

Getting a City of Boulder building permit is like brushing, flossing, rinsing and then… Having your teeth pulled out with no sedation & rusty old pliers. 

Boo!

285 Martin Drive : Before Pictures

 Hot on the heels of announcing my pop-top plans, I thought I’d take a moment to walk down Memory Lane; revisiting the projects, improvements and changes that 285 Martin Dr has undergone in the last 60+ years. 

285 Martin Drive was built in 1955 and the owners paid all of $12,975 for it. Check out the information they mulled over, when planning to purchase:  

• Taxes and Insurance = $18/month
• $10,000 mortgage would cost $55.60/month over 25 years or $71.20/month over 15 years. 

In 1959, they splurged and had the builder tack on a room off the rear of the ranch. It was rumored to cost a whopping $3000. Instead of walking out a sliding glass door to a patio, you now stepped into a living room. The sliding glass door remained, as did the red brick inside that room (the back of the original house) and the exterior light! The room didn’t have a foundation poured, but instead a concrete slab was laid on top of the original concrete patio and up it went from there. The new “back room” floor was first linoleum, then later carpeted. It featured contemporary (for the 60’s) wood paneling on the walls and a drop-tile ceiling. There was one light bulb in the middle of the room but I’m not sure why they bothered!

In 2000 the house went for sale for the first time since it was built. A sweet lady named Alisa purchased it for $252,000. Remember when Boulder real estate sold at a discount to list price? This house was listed for $255,000 so I’m thinking Alisa was not a bad negotiator.

In 2000, your Realtor basically took a picture with a camera (or sent the MLS staff out to do it), developed the film and sent the picture to the MLS to be added. Only seeing the front of the house was typical. Being blurry? Well, that was kinda typical too. As you can tell, nobody was too concerned about the lot size but it was important to yell it in all CAPS that there was new PLUBING in ’99! Alisa was the one I can thank for removing the junipers from the front of the house. I think she also updated the bathroom and put in the jetted tub. Well done, lady. Well done.

In 2005, we walked by just in time to see Alisa hammering a “For Rent” sign into the front yard. A week or two later, my husband and I were living in this house and with us, our 1 year old golden retriever and his new best friend. Smokey Joe was a 3 month old feral kitten who had been hanging out at the Humane Society until just the day before. It was July and the temperature seemed to stick around 95 degrees even at 1 am – which is about the time I chose to paint each night. I had painted all 3 bedrooms in short order and the dog-cat friendship had been firmly forged behind the glass door in the back room by now.

Time flies and before you know it, we had signed another lease. I was in my third year selling real estate when Alisa announced that I could either sell 285 Martin Drive or buy it from her. We purchased it in August 2007 for $347,000. It was a princely sum and I believe the interest rate on our mortgage was 6 or 7%. We wondered if we had overpaid for this house, but several of the neighbors were making similar deals with their landlords and we’d all started to become nicely acquainted and it was a smooth transition from renters to owners. 

In the time between 2007 and 2010, I was busy in this house. The main sewer line got replaced, dead trees removed and the front yard xeriscaped. Insulation was blown into the walls – which had none…NONE! Two of the 3 bedrooms had complete make-overs into very nice offices and the back room met its match in 2009, when I stripped the flooring, paneling and dropped ceiling from the room. After new lighting, insulation, drywall and flooring, it seemed only right to cover the old yellow brick that made up the fireplace, with some charcoal colored slate and finish off the room with a custom mantel.

For 3 years, I had been working on a master plan to renovate the kitchen and in the fall of 2010, my vision became a reality.  I think that was the year the roof was replaced too!

2012 was the year of the divorce and in 2013, 285 Martin Dr became home to Dallice, solo. Marley the golden was a half-time resident and his sidekick, Smokey Joe, was my only full time companion. All of a sudden the house seemed different. Cleaner, of course. Bigger too. And mentally, I felt like all the things I had voiced and not voiced in regards to improving this home, were mine to do. Sure, divorce is hard, but it was also a wonderfully freeing time and to this day, the memories of making this house all mine have a touch of magic attached to them.

In late 2013, 285 Martin Dr got new windows and a tankless (on-demand) hot water heater. For the first time in forever, I could fill the bathtub with hot water and wallow in it like a hippo for an hour, sipping a glass of wine and watching Friends on the ipad. The house was a whole bunch warmer, less drafty and OMG… Quieter too.

I turned my thoughts to the back yard around this time and with the help of Pinterest, found inspiration and sweated out the digging of a dry creek bed. My neighbors were never too far away and I have benefited from their help many times over the years. Painting, rock moving, digging holes for trees, taking down cabinets and more.

This brings us to 2015, the last year I lived full time at 285 Martin Dr. It was my home, my office and my part time job. My side-gig doing Airbnb with my guest room was a fun and lucrative way to earn pocket money. In 2015 I hosted guests from all over the US and indeed all over the world. I even sent one of them to stay with family in New Zealand, where-upon my parents and siblings adopted him and all his charm, thereby completing the replacement of the daughter who went traveling and never came home.  

That same year Mark and I began talking about moving in together and who hasn’t heard that story already? I moved to Longmont and started making plans to make 285 Martin Drive a home for both of us… yada, yada, yada. Read the last pop-top post for more info. 🙂