Ooops!

Bit of a misstep with the dog door. It looked like it was installed sideways. Thankfully it seems that pulling down a wall before the mortar sets is not a big deal. To me it appeared to be a daunting task but the masons completed it in no time and the dog door opening was soon changed from 13 by 10 to be 13 by 18. Amazing!

Remodeling Pictures

Several people have inquired about pictures of the remodel as it progresses. I have loaded them into Flickr.

They can be viewed at http://www.flickr.com/photos/45645965@N03/sets/ (or simply click on the title for this post).

Creatures of Habit

While I always knew dogs were creatures of habit, I did not realize how much they were creatures of habit until the porch was being removed. The screens, kick panels, and door were removed first leaving the roof, foundation, corner supports, and for no apparent reason the dog door with it's flap.

We took the kids out to potty. You guessed it they ran out, took a hard left and ran through the dog door rather than going straight out into the yard or even through the open doorway. Business completed all three of them ran back to the dog door politely waiting as the dog in front of them went through the door until everyone was back on the porch.

Hmmm. I wondered. With them watching me I walked through the now non-existent east wall. I called them. Yep, all three of them did an about face, ran through the dog door, out into the yard, and around to where I was standing.

Exterior Remodel Begins

We have officially started. Boy do things move fast. Yesterday the contractor was taking soil samples and walking subcontractors around the house. This morning except for some disturbed dirt everything was normal when we left for work.

When we came home at lunch, it was not so normal. A large construction dumpster was taking up two thirds of the driveway. Our screened-in porch (10x15) was missing. A green port-a-potty sat in our new neighbor's front yard. Ooops!

What a difference a few hours away from home makes.

On the not so good part, we have learned that our dogs are used to being able to go when they feel the need. We learned this last week, hence the quick trip home for lunch. It is either a quick bite at home or a slow mop later in the day. Oh well. This is why we have ceramic tile. :-)