Today was just a crazy day - more so than usual. I got up early, prepared for a long, busy day, and just as I got out to do all my errands, I got a call from Drew, the siding contractor, telling me his crew would be over in about an hour. Now he did call last week to tell me he would be here on "Tuesday...maybe Monday, possibly Wednesday, but probably Tuesday." Ok, so I was pretty sure after that call that there wouldn't be anyone here on Monday. Since when are contractors early? Normally I would have been happy to get started a day sooner, but I still hadn't put up the ledger board for my deck and you definitely want to install the siding around the deck and not the deck around the siding, if you know what I mean. So when he told me they were coming early, I scrambled to get some 16-foot 2x8s, which of course involved renting a truck since they wouldn't fit on my truck. Fortunately Jason was here to help me and we got the ledger board up and seconds later the siding guys were taking measurements, breaking aluminum, and installing a drip cap. You need that so water from the deck doesn't flow back against the house.

The guys who showed up were pretty impressive. They got right to work and knew exactly what they were doing. When they started pulling out all those ladders, scaffolding, aluminum breaks, and so on, I was happy about deciding to let someone else do this part of the renovation. I'm already exhausted and these guys definitely know what they're doing, so I'm more than happy to sit this one out and watch. In a few short hours this afternoon they installed a veneer of insulation around the existing siding. That existing siding has asbestos in it, so most contractors will not get involved with tearing that stuff out and disposing of it. This is a fine method as far as I'm concerned though because it increases the R-value of my home's exterior tremendously. That along with the new windows will make it much more quiet inside the house too.

In the pic from the backyard, you can also see the skylight I put in the kitchen. That wasn't very hard to do, but it was very stressful because when I started doing it there were rain clouds on the horizon. Of course since I grossly under-estimate the time it will take me to do any given job, I figured I'd be done with the outside stuff before it could start raining. So I cut a big ol' hole in my roof and then realize the two courses of shingles on the roof are going to create a big sunken area all around the skylight. The skylight needs to sit flush against the roof decking and caulked, so I had to take all those shingles out, build the shingles up around the skylight, then put the top course of shingles back. Fortunately it didn't rain, but I was working my ass off until about 10pm that night. No way I could sleep without closing the gaping hole in my roof. And again, I'm sure the neighbors just love me. Nothing like hammering away under the moonlight all evening to help them relax.

The kitchen is really starting to look like something now. At least it doesn't look so much like Jim the Tornado has been here. I got the wall closed up and the window in and a friend of a friend who's a plumber got the pipes moved for the sink. We had to install a new vent pipe and vent out through the roof though. For those not familiar with venting pipes in plumbing, they're a part of your drain system that allows waste water to...um...drain. Kinda like when you get some water in a straw and hold your thumb on the end - that would be a drain without venting. Remove your thumb and now it's vented. But where that pipe vents is stinky, so the roof is the best place for that to go.

As of today I've got 70% of the electric run and half the drywall up. I put up drywall as I finish the electric, which is very inefficient from a working standpoint, but I'm trying to create space as quickly as possible. I need space on my carport where all my new cabinets are sitting. Not to mention the fact that I don't want them exposed to the moisture and stuff. I should have the cabinets installed within the next week, then I'm going to have some guys come out to measure for the counter tops. Some of the best advice I've been given for this kitchen remodeling project: don't do the counters yourself. Get professionals to come out and measure and fabricate the countertop from their measurements. If they screw it up then they have to make a new one. If you screw it up, you have to buy another one.

Bodie (or as I call him now, Stinkass, because of his severe flatulence problem from all the construction debris, feces, and whatever else he eats), is doing well, as usual. Growing and getting into everything, every day. See that black stuff on his head? This morning he got under the grill on the back patio and was licking all the grease and grime off the bottom. Mmmmmmm. I didn't know that golden retrievers chew everything constantly. All puppies chew, but golden puppies are voracious chewers. And they have webbed feet. Or at least Stinkass does. I stuck my finger between his toes and I was all like, "hey...he has webbed feet." Maybe it's a birth defect because he is a little retarded, but it makes sense that golden's would have webbed feet because they're such good swimmers. That's something he hasn't done yet, but I'll be reporting on that hopefully in a few weeks.