30 Day Notice

When we moved into our apartment, we signed a six month lease in hopes of being done with the house a little before or right at the six month period. As that date was rapidly approaching we knew we wouldn't be ready to move out by January 13th and we decided to have a month-to-month rent agreement set up with our apartment complex and an extension set up with our mortgage company.

We found only two problems with going month-to-month. (1) Our monthly rent increased but only by about $30.00 and (2) You wouldn't receive a pro-rated amount for moving out in the middle of a month (like you would at the beginning or end of an actual term lease).

So when we decided we needed to stay through January, it was determined we would stay through the entirety of January to make it worth the rent.

As the electrician finished up, the plumbing was put in place and drywall was beginning, we determined we would need the apartment for the month of February as well. So after discussing the need for the extension with our mortgage company and being granted one, it was official. We would stay until February 28th. And while the end of February still seems a ways off, believe it or not, today, we gave our 30 Day Notice to the complex.

 

That means that we not only have 30 days to finish our project in it's entirety but we also have to pack and move. That means in 30 days, we will no longer be living in a one bedroom, 850 square foot apartment as a family of three.

I'm a mix of emotions about all of it. We've worked so hard and for so long that it will be so nice to actually live there. It will be nice to have a 15-20 minute daycare drop off and commute instead of a 40 minute one. It will be nice to eat dinner as a family and then have my husband actually be able to hang out with me after Addison goes to bed even if it just includes painting a china cabinet or hanging drapes, unpacking boxes and rearranging furniture. It will be nice to be able to do things together again.

But it'll be weird. Even though we've poured our blood, sweat and tears (quite literally on all three accounts) into this house, it doesn't feel like our house yet. I know it won't take long, but it'll feel like we're playing sleepover at first. And when you spend 7-8 months living somewhat separate lives, there's a re-adjustment period that is bound to occur. We're going to have to get used to eachother again.

My mom said a few months ago that I would miss the simplistic living of our one-bedroom. She's right. There is something very "old" and oddly familiar about living as a family in such a small space, the way it was done for years way back when in little villages or early California (ring any bells Nanny?). I've never lived in this close of quarters (other than my dorm room) with two other human beings and we've become very aware of eachother and I think our relationship has grown because of it.

But this little 8 month window of our lives is almost at a close and some days that is a good thing and some days it is not. I can only imagine that the state of mess that our little apartment seems to stay in is only going to magnify itself by 3 when we get to the house. That's a lot of square footage to clean people.

So, here it is, our 30 day notice. To our apartment complex, to you guys, to ourselves.

Insulation Part 2

You thought I was kidding when I said there were two parts to the insulation story?!

Oh, buddy, I don't kid around with these series posts (except the monthly updates of course). Especially ones about something as fascinating as insulation (no offense Jeff).

Well, if I can jog your memory, quickly, three months ago we hired Oklahoma Foam & Enersolve to take care of our Insulation/HVAC job. We were a beta test of sorts between those two companies and the inclusion of Floyd Mechanical.

Trey, from Enersolve, also a friend of ours now (seriously who wouldn't want to be a consultant on our job and then not want to be our friends?) came out with Jeff from the Insulation company and they started to analyze our house. Trey put together an entire list of items he would highly recommend we accomplish in order to create a more sealed, energy efficient home. As possible as that is for an 83 year old home at least. Those recommendations included everything from using weatherstripping, vapor barriers, CFL and LED light bulbs to the type and thickness of foam insulation, blown-in insulation and the type of mechanical system we should implement.

Then Oklahoma Foam came in and took care of spraying foam insulation everywhere that Trey had recommended, the type and thickness.

Next up was Fred. He is quite possibly one of the most unique people I have ever met. He is incredibly intelligent about HVAC systems and with input from Trey and the coordination with Jeff, he put in an incredible four zoned, central heat and air system for us. Two zones on the first floor, two zones on the second (one of which controls only our master suite - look whose living the high life now).

We received GROSSLY overestimated quotes from two other well known Oklahoma City HVAC companies before we had received Fred's quote. They weren't quoting nearly as efficient machines and they certainly were not quoting us four separate zones. He didn't gouge us on price, he did all of the work and did it all correctly. He asked us questions, he answered our questions, he came out when we needed him and was extremely responsive.

This three company partnership worked like a well-oiled machine and I couldn't be more thrilled with the outcome of their work.

While there is still final set up for Fred to complete at the very end of our project, we are down to the last portion of their work. The blown-in insulation.

If you'll recall, Paul cut a strip at the top of every exterior wall on both floors that were to receive the blown-in insulation. He used a skill saw to cut one or two lines, came back with a hammer and pounded out the plaster and then pulled out the metal lathe.

This was quite possibly one of the messiest things we did in the house. The amount of dust that the saw blade caused alone left me looking like I was 67 years old after only 3 hours of work. I'd aged 40 years in one morning and people stared at lunch. I was a hot mess.

Because, we knew that the studs under the windows could possibly be in a different place than the studs above the windows, Paul would find a spot to test, find a stud and then cut small round holes in the stud cavities for them to be able to insulate below the windows as well. (Ignore the orange tape, I needed a height reference for our headboard.)

 

 

Once they arrived, they were ready to fill the currently empty walls full of warm goodness.

 

For people who own new homes, I know you're thinking, "So what?". Please understand that you take the insulation in your walls for granted. Our last home was noticeably drafty. Without the extents of this renovation, this type of insulation would not have been possible. We have friends that their old houses stay in the 50-60 degree range and that is what the heat ON.

None of the interior walls are receiving insulation EXCEPT the new interior wall between our master closet and Addison's bedroom, as well as the wall between our master bath and the guest room. Other than the very obvious noise factor of a master bedroom (erm, relatively inappropriate blog content here) we just wanted there to be a comfortable noise barrier for regular talk. 

"Between your closet and a bedroom? Between your bathroom and the guest room?" Yes and yes. My closet backed up to my parent's bathroom. I never heard the "you-know-what" but I did hear them talking at night as they were getting ready to go to bed, or getting dressed in the morning. Nothing major (if there was, I have repressed it) but I do remember overhearing about a gift I was getting one year. I want to be able to talk to Paul without the concern of who can hear what, and nowhere is a better place than our master suite for that privacy.

I know this is going to be worth it in the summer and the winter to be comfortable and to have insanely lower energy bills. At least I'll keep reminding myself of that while I'm staring at my warm, empty (but quiet) rooms and blank walls over the next few years.  

I doubt any of you are worried about this type of thing since we're a tiny little blog, but we aren't getting compensated to say any of these things. Our realtor, insulation company, mechanical contractor and energy specialist seriously are worth looking into if you need any of these types of services. And being the pessimist that I am, I don't typically write glowing reviews.

In fact, I've left some not so great reviews off of this blog, because my mother (we'll assume it was her) taught me "If you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all." OK, OK, I know I don't always follow the rule, or rarely, but I'm trying here people.   

Finish Selection Stupor

Betcha didn't even know that was a thing, huh?

Well it is and I'm thinking it's a pretty serious condition and should have a proper name. Like "Designeritis" or "Ryckbost Disease".

Now that we are practically ready for drywall, I need to have all of my final selections made for finishes, fixtures, etc.

But I have been in a complete stupor.

I've been staring at paint colors since July and blank floorplans since August. Basically, what I concluded earlier this week was that I had no earthly idea what I wanted to do to this house. The cabinet color is selected and bought, the counter material as well. I've already bought the tile (floor and wall) and the wood floor is staying. Other than that, I've really not nailed any of the other selections down (paint, final bathroom fixtures, window coverings, the list goes on).

But it's time. It's time to make some decisions and to just go with it. Here are two things I am struggling with:

1) Most of you reading this blog know that I do this for a living. Which makes the next reason exist;
2) I haven't come to terms with the fact that I am going to make a mistake.

When we bought our first house, we bought it with the existing walls painted and when we decided to repaint, it only felt like we had painted once and only paid for the one paint job. Because I have to select the first paint (and a possibility of a second in some rooms if the color I pick isn't "right" or if I overlooked a weird condition) it feels like I am gluing a layer of dollar bills to the wall knowing the chances that a second layer will cover the first right up is a good one. I think that is the best visual aid I can give.

Plumbing, electrical, insulation. Those are all tiny little dollar bills wrapped up and placed in the walls, then covered up never to be seen again. Ouch. Same with picking the wrong paint colors. I know in the scheme of things, paint is cheap and the easiest thing to fix but I really don't want to have to do it twice (financially or physically). But it's about time that I resolve to make the mistakes and move on with my life.

And, there's a lot to consider. Not any more than I consider on a daily basis for projects but if you've never selected every single finish for a large space from the trillions of options, I recommend that you do not try. I have friends that have worked with builders who gave them four options for every surface. For types of cabinet colors, four types of wood floor, four counter options, etc. and I thought they we're going to have a minor stroke. This is that, times a lot. Paul and I also know too much about what is out there. We know what we want and that it is somewhere, we just have to find it and afford it.

So, last night while Paul was working at the house and Addison was asleep, I started laying out finishes, room by room. Purging paint samples, and the other millions of finishes I had laying around. Keeping used paints in one pile and all of the no-go samples in another.



 

This was for the master bath. Green vanity, gray walls, tile not shown, white quartz counter, some piece of walnut casework or seating, nickel light fixtures and hopefully a touch of gold or brass somewhere (being represented by my bracelet). That's right folks, my bracelet. I like to keep things very professional and serious over here.

Once I had walked through every room, I pulled out the "accent colors" and "accent finishes" that we're only on the table for a visual and found that I was really down to five core paint colors. Minus some fabrics, and the main floor tile, our house is going to look like this:

Isn't that the most impressive iPhone photo you've ever seen? Are you sick of my sarcasm yet? It looks slightly disjointed on the binder and not in context but it's a very muted palette of blues, greens and grays. Modern, but not. Historic, but not. Just enough of all the things I want it to be.

More color talk to come, but these decisions alone make it feel like we're working towards our "home" now and not just the "house".

A Glowing (Realtor) Recommendation

I've been slightly introspective about the house in the last 24 hours. First, about our realtor, then about how much money we've spent in the last six months (excuse me while I go have a panic attack). This post is not about the panic attack, and you're welcome.

There's a pretty long back story to why we moved and how we got the realtor we did. We had put our house on the market in the fall of 2011 in hopes of buying another home but our house sat and sat and sat on the market (and by that I'm talking about a measly 3 months, but other than a billion showings, nothing was happening). I blame the market, I blame the realtor, but mostly I thank God.

We decided to take the house off of the market and to give ourselves a deadline of May 1, 2012 to get it prepared and back onto the market with no agenda to move until it had sold. We were going to quickly be growing out of the house and wanted to make a move before the possibility of another pregnancy. So we prepped, fixed little things here and there, touched up paint, and then found another realtor.

Before we had gotten serious about selling in 2011, Paul requested a Property Value from Gary. Paul had been following (and been followed by) Gary on Twitter for awhile. He came out to our little bungalow one day, took a look around and threw out $135,000 as a safe Property Value for the house. He wasn't wrong, by any means, but I had secretly hoped for more.

When it came time to actually list the home, Paul was all for calling Gary up. I was skeptical (I don't think Gary even knows this part). I wanted to sell the house, it had become almost a personal necessity to know my house could sell. We'd tried using a small company to sell the previous fall and this time I wanted a guarantee of a sale. I wanted a Keller Williams, or a ReMax agent. I wanted someone to price my house higher and to have like a billion years of experience. I softly mumbled all of these concerns, not entirely sure what I really wanted and Paul moved forward with an appointment with Gary.

He came over to the house, walked through it once more and then sat down at the dining table with us. I remember he didn't ask the same kinds of questions that the previous realtor had done. The last realtor was not skilled at selling houses in historic and old neighborhoods. Things that botheredthe previous realtor and concerned him about our sale didn't even come across Gary's mind. Gary knew that a person or family wanting to live in this type of neighborhood knew that old house "charm" came with the territory.

I cautiously asked Gary if our previous asking price was too outrageous. We had listed the house for $147,000. I was prepared for the answer I thought I was going to receive. And if he truly believed it was listed too high, I was willing to come down (willing enough at least). He thought for a moment (he does that) and then cautiously said, "No, I don't think so." Even if he was lying, I believed him and shortly after our first meeting, professional photos had been taken, there was a sign in our yard and our house was officially on the market.

And the showing requests started pouring in. It was thrilling again, to have three showings on your second day and four scheduled for the day after and two for the next and so on. So much hope. But after the last go around, we knew not to get too excited. And then an offer came in. Not a real guarantee, the couple needed more financial assistance than all three of us were willing to bet on. Just as quickly as we had decided to turn that offer down, a second, much better, much more financially stable, offer came in.

What had I been so skeptical about?! Gary had this.

Within a week, we had accepted an offer for our house for more than our original asking price. Even after inspections and a quick re-negotiation for some repairs, we we're selling for only $1,000 less than our asking price.

Then we made Gary work for his money. He knew we we're fine with a project house, but I'm pretty positive we had him give us somewhere around 15 showings and only two houses were possible enough to really get our attention. Once we had settled on Six Twelve, I asked him if we were nuts and he smiled. HE SMILED.

(I know the guys reading this are probably thinking, "What? He smiled. Big deal." but I know you girls are thinking "Ouch. A smile. I know what that smile meant.")

Gary took care of everything, and followed up until the minute we we're signing papers for both houses. Then he took us to lunch and now that the deal was over, we we're talking about real stuff, you know other than market values and foreclosures and chickens in second floor bedrooms. I'm not kidding about that. We toured a house, in the heart of the City, with chickens and rabbits in cages in a 2nd floor bedroom, LARGE koi fish in a bucket in another. The woman was on her way to the country and apparently couldn't wait to get started on her farming skills. Woman be nuts.

We might have talked about the chicken lady at lunch but we talked about Gary's family, where his kids went to school, etc. It was a really good lunch.

Six months later, we're real life friends with Gary, his wife, kids and even more of Gary's friends. We've had dinner with them a couple of times over the last few months and we couldn't be more thankful for their good company.

I know that any other realtor probably would have been fine selling and finding us a house. But I can't give him enough credit for how well this worked out for us. He still smiles when we talk about the house, because he thinks were insane, but we we smile back thinking the exact same thing about ourselves anyways. And chances of us having a regular dinner with any other realtor probably wouldn't have happened.

If you're looking to buy or sell in OKC (especially the urban core), we can't recommend Verbode/Urban Living enough. We knew that not all selling and buying situations are ever the same and even a good realtor can have tough houses (not to mention the wrench that can get thrown in with lenders). So obviously I can not give you a guarantee on a quick sale or a smile from the realist that is Gary. I also can't guarantee he'll like you as much as he likes us and want to be your BFF. Man, am I in Junior High or what?!

Although, Paul just spoke to someone who was requesting references for working with Gary. She said Paul was the third person to tell her that they were now friends with him. So, who knows, maybe you really can be his next BFF.

But for real guys, if you're looking for someone who gets it (the urban OKC market and the people), this guy is for you.

An Update: Anxiously Waiting for Drywall

The pre-"we own this house" plan was to take the entire house down to the studs. We knew that plaster and lathe would be a lot of work, but it made the most sense. The walls had "skin cancer" as our neighbor once put it and we needed to get it all off. We assumed that meant that the plaster had received major water damage.

Well about three days into demolition that plan was out the window. This wasn't just any plaster and lathe, it was metal lathe and plaster made of kryptonite. The bubbled walls had nothing to do with the plaster. Hallelujah. At some point over the last 80 years, one of the home owners had done some upgrades, removing sconces, covering them up with small plates and then resurfacing every wall in the house with some type of canvas, skim coating over that and then wallpapering or painting (or even worse, both).  So, the majority of the plaster would stay, but at the least, the skim coat/canvas had to go. There's nothing that says "beautiful home" quite like holes in the wall or bubbled drywall mud, am I right?

Over the course of the demolition months, we worked on task by task making bigger holes there, removing entire walls there, framing back a closet wall which abutted an existing plaster wall. We started removing the skim coat on the second floor. The house was looking rough.

I knew that this job was going to be a drywall subcontractor's nightmare. And depending on the contractor I can fall into the nightmare client category. I say depending on the contractor because some of our subs have appreciated that we know our stuff. We know what not to accept in regards to shoddy work but we also know the limitation of products, labor and codes and don't throw fits when it isn't what we originally set out.

OK, so back to the job being a nightmare. Guys, there is nothing consistent about the house now that it is (almost) ready for drywall except for how inconsistent it is.

Plaster abutting bare studs. Brick abutting plaster. Window casings, door casings, the list goes on and on. Paul has already started the tedious process along with some of our weekend helpers of making final prep for the drywall crew. Adding strips to openings to level out for installation, and trimming back exposed metal lathe, demolishing small bits of plaster here and there. The list goes on. This isn't your standard, easy new construction job.

We have made few MAJOR changes to the house in my opinion. (1) We closed off one of the Jack & Jill bathrooms to become our master bathroom. (2) We put a closet back into the master bedroom, in the same location it was when the house was built. (3) We opened the wall between the breakfast nook and the small kitchen to create a larger kitchen. (4) We created an opening between the kitchen and the bonus room and enlarged the opening between the kitchen and the dining room.

I suppose the only purely aesthetic "structural" change we've made to the house is framing up/boxing out the fireplace in the master bedroom. The house is full of arches. It's prevalent in the doors and openings and over the bathtubs, but otherwise the house is very square. And our master bedroom is far from "curvy" or "soft". This fireplace has never made sense to me. It's the odd man out in the house (all of the other three fireplaces or faux fireplaces are boxy) and it has driven me nuts from the moment I saw it.

The curved mantle and hearth are not what I am having an issue with. It's the tapered faux stone top that makes me feel crazy. For one, it's slightly uneven and two, what am I supposed to do with that?! I asked very nicely for my contractor of a husband to frame that puppy out. "Let's hang a TV there," I said in hopes of it actually happening. Worked like a charm.

The curved mantle and floor stay, because again, those aren't bugging me but that odd taper is out. And, yes, hanging a TV there wouldn't be the worse thing in the world. I've always found myself on both sides of the debate about TVs in bedrooms. I can't say I would hate watching Downton, after Addison has gone to sleep across the hall, from the comfort of my bed while I ate bon bons and drank tea. And Paul and I have a relatively healthy relationship with the TV, we have it on when we want to watch something, otherwise, we don't.

Most new homes require 1/2" or 5/8" drywall everywhere except ceilings which require 1/2" ceiling board and tiled areas where they provide cement board or glass mat reinforced board. This is not that type of project. We knew we would have to have multiple bids on this job in order to keep them all in a competitive range. We also know we might lose our shirts on this one task.

So, I spent time (lots of it) reviewing a gypsum board specification (a legal document) and determining what I thought might be the best plan of action. At work, we tell the contractor what to provide and where. But that's not my money.

So on the first day of walking through the house with the potential drywall subs, my motto was, "We want it done right and we want it done cost effectively. You tell us how you are going to do that." Two subs in, I wasn't feeling confident. Not regarding their abilities but their price tags and the timeline. One guy quoted us five weeks to do the job.

FIVE WEEKS for drywall. I can give them two weeks. Three weeks - MAX.

We're starting to get other bids in for the job and they are much more reasonable financially and in regards to time. I'm glad I'm not insane and thinking that people can do things faster than they can and for cheaper than they say.

Once drywall is done, we're on the downward run. And we'll be running like crazy. Now that the mechanical rough in has been approved, our electrical rough in inspection has been APPROVED (woot woot!), some other plumbing work needs to happen and then the drywall, but we're talking as little as a week here.

And then....E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G else. 

An Update (on Time)

Have you noticed my monthly updates fell off the face of the earth?

That's what happens when you have too much to do and too little time to blog.

In case you've been keeping track, or in case you haven't, we have been owners of Six Twelve for six months. Half a year.

If I can jog your memory for a minute, we had six months to complete our re-model. Which, as of January 13, 2013, has now obviously come and gone.

We are now furiously trying to finish up. More on all of this later.

Electricity (The Rough In)

It is almost official.

We almost have legal electricity!

When we bought the house, very little of the light fixtures still had light bulbs and so there was little chance of us know what was working and what wasn't, but once we got around to really looking into the electrical system we realized just how big of a mess it really was.

It wasn't the old knob and tube wiring (let out a collective "whew") but it was still all canvas/fabric wrapped wire and the "breaker" box was a somewhat terrifying rendition of something Frankenstein would have used. At one point early on, we pulled every fuse from the box and somehow parts of the house were still live. That can be a little unnerving. Our HVAC installer gave himself a pretty good shock one day. Turns out, some of the wiring inside of the box had melted together. Yay.

We made due for awhile but once we we're past some necessary demolition it was time for an entirely new electrical system.

Our house is full of conduit. For a large expensive home in the 1930's I guess that wasn't all that uncommon. It's extremely uncommon now. No residential builder is putting conduit in anywhere. So, score one for us, erm I mean Six Twelve. We also decided to completely start fresh. Other than the existing service to the house, nothing about the electrical system is remaining.

 

The first thing our electrician did was to cut the existing power and to create a safe, temporary power source for us (and his crew) to use while working in the house. This little outlet has seen more action than any outlet in the entire house probably ever will.

Then his crew began pulling all the existing wire out of the conduit. They didn't expect this to go well and mentioned they were not going to break their backs over it. As it turned out, it all came out relatively easily. Boxes upon boxes of fabric wrapped wire were removed from the conduit. While this was going on, they uncovered 10 (T-E-N) covered sconce junction boxes between the living room and the dining room. The original owners of the house must have really liked sconces. That puts them in at a total of 14 for two rooms. Overkill.

We mentioned to the electrician that we were planning to drywall over the existing walls and they could remove the plaster and lathe necessary to do their work (as well as to meet inspection) and boy oh boy did they. I guess when you tell a guy, "have at it", you can't really be all that surprised when he does just that.

It was in their contract to broom clean the project at the end, but we were working in the house so much in the evenings it was just faster and safer if we kept up with the cleaning ourselves. Every Saturday morning since they'd been working at the house, we started by cleaning.

Also, this house had an absurd number of mismatched boxes/outlets. Some of them I have never even seen before. I can't even find them in Google Images, that is how unusual they were. We're talking at least four or five different types of outlet styles. Unfortunately, the previous owners of the home didn't leave any of what I really would have loved to keep (the old push buttons) but I really can't complain about something as silly as switches vs. push buttons.

The electricians are practically done for the rough-in inspection. That means that all new wiring has been run to the boxes where we will have outlets/switches/light fixtures. All can lights have been installed and are wired. The bath fans have been hooked up and all necessary prep for island power has been put into place above the ceiling and below the floor. Now we wait for the inspector to review (and approve) this bad boy.

Then I can finally write "Insulation Part 2" because I know you are all just anxiously awaiting the sequel.

Tile & a Vent Hood

Work is moving along but more on that part later. This is a post about more money spending! And who doesn't love reading about all this money I'm just throwing out of my pockets?

Remember when we won that gift certificate to a local appliance shop And we said "This is great, we have more appliances to buy. It'll definitely get used by the end of the year."? Well that proved to be a little more difficult than expected. We tried using it to purchase our refrigerator at the beginning of December when we got our Christmas bonuses. That sale ended up in Best Buy's pocket unfortunately (we prefer to buy local), but we just couldn't beat the deal and the local shop was trying to play "car salesman" with us. So a vent hood and microwave were all that was left to purchase. And I wasn't ready to commit to a microwave, or a hood really, but the decision on the hood had to be made quickly whether I was ready or not.

And as it turned out, we didn't buy any of the ones we posted about previously. Of course.

So on December 31, 2012 (the certificate's expiration date) we spent 30 minutes at the appliance store cashing in that gift certificate and more of our money to buy this baby:

It's flat (which I love) but has glass (which I don't). BUT it's got a respectable warranty and the reviews I have read seem to be pretty positive. So, "purchase vent hood" has been checked off that ever growing list.

Then last week, I dropped another big chunk of change on tile for the floors and walls. Can we talk about how good it is to be in my position though? I get contractor pricing on finishes because I am a specifier which has saved us a ton. For example, we ordered a 2x2 mosaic tile for the front entry and our shower floor that typically cost $19.20/sq foot (retail), $14.95/sq foot (with a contractor markup) and it only cost us $9.60/sq foot.

So here's what we got:

660 square feet of 12 x 24 tile for $2/sq foot for the kitchen, bonus room, bathroom floors and shower walls. Another 60 square feet of 2 x 2 mosaic of the same tile for the entry and shower floor. And bull nose trim pieces for the edge of the shower.

We ordered another 60 square feet of our favorite ceramic white subway tile.

The kid's bathtub/shower surround gets this super thin 1" x 1" glass tile which is also an amazing deal. Most 1" x 1" glass tiles run about $15/sq foot. This tile is closer to $11/sq foot because of it's insanely thin profile and we got it for $5.35/sq foot.

We also bought the most amazing invention ever last week. The Schluter Kerdi Shower System.

More on this baby later.

Permits? Permits? We don't need no stinking permits!

Well, actually, we do. Quite a few of them. The post below is a sort of primer for an Oklahoma City remodel permit process. I'm not always an expert at brevity, so please forgive me.

Home construction and remodeling is generally a well-regulated industry in cities. Unincorporated areas of counties can be a free-for-all, but generally most incorporated areas contain a variety of requirements and guidelines for all types of home issues.

When we started, we thought we generally knew the process and what would and wouldn't require permits. I emailed a past co-worker at the City to confirm that I did NOT need a Building Permit. The way we understand it, a Building Permit is only required when it's New Construction or if the remodel modifies or adds structural elements. Structural is the key word. Had we removed or added a load-bearing wall, we would have needed a permit. From our own analysis and evaluation of the house, we knew that what we were doing was not structural in nature. A Building Permit may also be required if the building roof is being replaced and it requires the deck to be replaced. We did not remove or replace our roof deck, so no permit was necessary for that work.

NOTE: The State of Oklahoma does NOT license general contractors; therefore, a Building Permit can be pulled by anyone. The City of Oklahoma City has a few guidelines about applying for that permit here: http://www.okc.gov/devservices/buildpermits/ To be safe, always bring a professional in to evaluate your home (be it a Professional Engineer and/or a framing contractor). And, if you use a framing contractor, get references, insurance and bonding information, and check their history. Since they are NOT regulated by the State, they don't all play by the same game.

Even though we didn't need a Building Permit, we knew we needed Electric, Plumbing and Mechanical permits. This is where things get dicey. In some cities, some work may be done by a homeowner and inspected by the City. Therefore, people can cut down on cost and still have the satisfaction of knowing that a professional reviewed and signed off on the work. The City of Oklahoma City, however, does NOT offer this and requires ALL work to be completed by a licensed professional. Only a licensed Plumbing, Mechanical or Electrical Contractor (note the word) can file for a permit. The Contractor will have Apprentices and Journeymen that may do most work, but only the Contractor can officially file for the permit.

Once a permit is applied for and initial plan review is done and approved, the permit is considered Issued. That means the Contractor can legally start work (doesn't mean most Contractors may get a small head start before full issuance... gasp!). After they get initial work done, they call for Rough inspections and then Final inspections. Rough inspections happen before walls are closed up, electric is actually on and the water meter is set (in our case, we have a water meter in place, but we've turned the water off at the street for safety). After Rough inspections are passed, we're free to drywall and finish up the house. Final inspections are done after the house is drywalled and lights, switches, sockets and plumbing fixtures are installed. In New Construction, the Finals would hopefully result in a Certificate of Occupancy. For a Remodel, at least without a Building Permit required, that's not the case.

Some special items require special permits and inspections - we didn't even know about these until far into the process. For instance, any time a gas service connection is reset or installed by ONG, the Plumber has to file for a Gas Meter Reset permit. If the gas lines internally are being replaced or extended, the Plumber also has to file for a Gas Extension permit. Both permits require pressure testing of the gas lines to ensure that they will not leak. In our case, the Plumber thought he only needed the Meter Reset permit, but the inspector rejected it and said he also needed a Gas Extension permit. Additionally, the plumbing inspector noted that the furnace needed inspection and permitting before he'd allow gas to be turned on. AND, he said that the City wouldn't allow this to go to ONG for new gas service until the water heater was removed because it was unsafe (which we knew, and hadn't gotten around to yet).

Another special item permit is called Construction Heat. The permit allows the furnace and mechanical system to be operated at a minimum level to keep the construction site at a reasonably comfortable temperature for the workers inside. Our Mechanical contractor applied for this permit, but the inspector rejected it saying he need a Rough Inspection first (which the City office had said he didn't need when he originally applied for the Construction Heat permit).

One interesting thing I learned this week - Electricians are required to include bathroom vent fans in their plans, but they are not required (or even allowed, maybe) to run the actual vent ducts. The Mechanical contractor, however, is required to run bathroom vent ducts, but does not install the fan. Therefore, if you ever want to legally install a new bathroom vent, you'll technically need two licensed contractors and two City permits.

We are still going through the process; Mechanical Rough and Construction Heat were both PASSED today. Next up is a re-inspection for the Gas permits, and hopefully that passes so we can get ONG in and turn the heat on before we drywall. The Electric Rough inspection should be done soon (the optimist in me hopes for Friday of this week), and then it's on to more Plumbing needs and then working towards the Final inspections.