Spiralling

We are going over budget. Not a little, but A LOT over budget. I think once all is said and done we will be almost $10,000 over our initial cost. Of course we didn't plan for any of this, but we are just going to make it work somehow.

First surprise, the $1500 drain replacement. Not a surprise and not an option. I'm very glad about that one.

Second surprise, the living room walls. They're old and made of lath and plaster. They're also beginning to buckle. Peter called me to inform me about a crack that went from floor to ceiling and was talking about the cost of repair. As we were talking he began pushing on the wall and realized that it was all letting go. It has to be torn down and replaced with drywall - $880. Then we were going to be left with a room with 3 old walls and one new one. It wouldn't look as nice so we decided to just redo the whole goddamn room - $880 turned into $2360. He's also going to remove/redo a lot of trim and fix and insulate the bay window. We'll also be gaining 3 inches in the doorway. A noticeable improvement when finished.

Third surprise (not really a surprise but...), the columns in the basement. Originally I loved the brick columns in the basement. I thought that they would look great if left exposed once the renos were done. Since the new cement floor is finished(!!!!) Peter was able to chalk out the layout we had discussed. The living area is going to be L shaped and we've realized that the column is going to be smack dab in the middle, visually cutting the room in half. We can continue as we had planned and everything will be fine, or we can replace the main beam with a steel one, effectively removing the brick column from that spot and hiding the new supports in the walls. That will leave us with a very large, open area to work with. All that for only $1500. Sigh. We decided to go for it.

Now I don't want you to get the wrong impression of Peter. He's a great contractor with an amazing eye for detail. He's not out to suck more money from our pockets. When he points out changes he doesn't pressure us into doing them (except for the drain of course), and has made a point of telling me that they are only suggestions and not to feel that we have to do them in any way. His train of thought is that he'd rather give us all the options up front so that we don't have any regrets afterwards, thinking that we should have done things differently. The problem with Peter is that his suggestions and ideas are good ones. They make sense and make a difference. Bastard.

Hopefully more pictures on the weekend.