a new project

yep. a new basement floor, a new staircase, a new mudroom, and a second bathroom. it all sounds so nice! but for those of you that know us well (i think that makes both of you, dear blog readers), you'll know we've been talking forever and ever about what we should do with this house--sell it? put in another bathroom? bump out the back? burn the whole thing down? so it doesn't feel like a new project to you, because we've been talking about this for so so so long.

the project has finally started, and it's exciting, and it's gross.

check out this permit: "bathroom remodel." it sounds so benign. it's not.


yesterday they tore out the stairs, busted up a bit of floor, and poured a new footing for a load bearing beam.




and the kids had fun perching on the landing at the edge. that ladder is precarious.


but today, they brought a dumpster,


and busted up the whole floor. water came bubbling up. this is no surprise. the footing is all soggy and shot, so they pulled it out and have to come up with a new solution for concrete to cure for a footing in that nasty subterranean swamp. check out this puddle of nastiness where that footing is supposed to be.


truckload of basement floor carried out today...


and this is how it looks now, sucking up the thawing ground water and today's rain. bad timing, mother nature.