1. Used appliances are hot.
Demo started last Monday, and one of the first things the crew removed was the old appliances. I had a stove, a microwave, a refrigerator, and a dishwasher which I needed to go away. Craigslist to the rescue. I took photos and posted ads on Sunday night, and within a hour, was receiving calls. One at 11:30pm! Oy. By 12noon the next day, I had at least 15 calls from folks who wanted them. And by 3pm that afternoon, a guy named Les and his son pulled out of my driveway with them loaded in their truck. Goodbye!
2. Lead-based paint is a bad thing.
And now with the new federal laws regarding removal of lead-based paint during home renovations, it's expensive. My contractor, who is one of the first in Denver to be certified to remove lead-based paint, has pretty much wrapped my entire house in plastic. They have encased all the areas of the house where they will be removing walls, with a maze-like entrance in the dining room. It's kinda creepy. My son wants to have a haunted house in there.
3. People surprise you.
Derrick is the project manager for our little job. The reason Derrick thinks our kitchen is a little job is because Derrick also builds houses. But Derrick sometimes builds those houses REALLY fast. He is locally famous for managing a recent Arvada renovation for the popular television show "Extreme Home Makeover," where the team built a new home in five days. Five days from demo of the existing house to completion of a brand-spankin'-new finished home. Jeez.
4. Major renovations are a pain in the &%@!
We are now living in the basement. Eating out a lot. And we spend half our time looking for stuff we need. Our home is not our home anymore, we're sharing it with a dozen strangers. They're nice enough, and they have their own portable toilet in the driveway. And a big dumpster in the street.
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