Ask me a question!
Are you really living there during
all of this?
Yes. What you haven't seen in the pictures are the
other two rooms. Down the hallway off the living room, the bathroom
is on the left, sitting room straight ahead, bedroom on the right.
I am crammed into two rooms, but it's been ok. The fridge and microwave
have been floating around the living room but are accessible. (9/6/04)
Really?
Yes, really.
How do you stay so calm while
the house is torn apart?
From my chair in the sitting room, I can't see out
into the rest of the house - this reduces stress significantly. I
think if I could see the wreckage all the time, I would have a lot
more anxiety. Little things push me over the edge, like when the fridge
is accidentally left unplugged, or the water heater is shut off. But
walls coming down? No problem. (9/6/04)
When the roof came off, were you
looking up at the sky?
No, there is a difference between the roof and the
ceiling. While there was no roof, there was still a ceiling in each
room. As I mentioned during that week, there were some small holes
that got punched in the ceiling (since fixed), and I could see daylight
around some of the edges. But I was not lying in bed looking up at
stars and trees. (9/6/04)
When will everything be done?
I expect it to be 95% complete by the end of October.
There may be a couple of loose ends to take care of, but I should
be all moved in by then. (9/6/04)
Without a kitchen, what do you
eat for dinner every night?
At least one night a week I go out with friends; sometimes
I have leftovers from that; some nights I have cold cuts, tuna or
peanut butter. I can't exactly say what I've been eating, but I'm
not starving and I'm not eating junk. Several friends and neighbors
have had me over for dinner more than once - for that I'm very grateful!
I am gladly accepting invitations
:) (9/6/04)
How many workmen have seen you
in clothes (or lack thereof) that you wish hadn't?
The count would include the carpenters, plasterers
and plumbers who showed up while I was still in my bathrobe. I have
definitely taken showers after the guys have arrived and started working
(made sure the door was closed and the windows covered). (9/12/04)
Where do you keep your food?
What little I have is in a plastic bin in the sitting
room, in the bottom of the microwave cart, or in the fridge. (10/3/04)
How did you come up with the design?
The construction company has
a designer on staff. I told him my ideas, he came up with preliminary
plans, and then we worked together to design the space to suit my
needs. He's incredibly talented and gets most of the credit for how
nice the house looks, especially the exterior. (10/18/04)
Are you going to put on a deck?
Are you going to landscape?
This year is the inside, next year is the outside.
With winter a-comin', there's no point in doing any of it now. Plus
I want to have at least a couple of months without construction! Come
spring, I will have a deck built and work on the lawn and flowerbeds.
(10/24/04)