Chapter 1 - Our Remodeling Project

Our first attempt to add an addition to our house was a disaster. The end result of that first try includes; a set of plans that can only be used as basic guidelines for the number and size of rooms; many problems with connections between the original house and the new addition; electrical circuits that do not energize; furnace ducting that runs willy-nilly in the crawlspace; and a newfound respect for attorneys (thank you Bruce!).

Our 1912 Oakland home was built between Piedmont and Trestle Glen on former pasture land named 'slippery hill' by the locals. The house survived a landslide in 1926 by moving with the slide mass about seven feet from its original location. The city of Oakland corrected the slide problem in 1927 (we hope it is still corrected) by installing a series of drains at a depth of 30 feet below the surface of hillside. Since that time the house has been very stable albeit a little tilted.

The condition of the house when we purchased it in 1996 was pretty obvious, there was a distinct lean to the house (we have since had the lean measured at six inches across 35 feet) which was a result of the landslide. Other than that, we knew that the house was not bolted to the foundation, it wasn't well insulated, much of the electrical wiring was the original knob and tube, and there was only one bathroom (on the second floor). All-in-all not atypical for a house of this vintage. Of all the issues, the size of the kitchen was a sore point. It was a very small poorly organized space. When we purchased the house, we knew that the kitchen would eventually need to be expanded, probably into the back yard. And when we did that, we would bolt the house to the foundation and insulate where it was practical. Maybe, just maybe, we would be able to squeeze in a second bathroom to make entertaining easier.

After living in the house for five years and saving up our pennies, we decided to embark on the journey to improve our home. The primary goal has always been to expand the kitchen and add a bathroom on the first floor. Along the way, the basement was converted to a habitable space so we could live in the house during the remodel (what a joy that's been!). Overall our goal seemed simple enough, add space to our 1912 Oakland prairie-style home so that the house would been a better for entertaining.

Then
It can be said that our first experience with a contractor was not great. There were many red flags that we either chose to ignore or simply did not see until the entire project was into the second year. At that point all we were able to see was red. The contractor was the designer and builder. Because of the settlement agreement we reached with them, I can only say that we parted ways.

Now
It is time for a new beginning. The litigation is over, and we've found a new contractor, Rockridge Builders. Bill Hinkamp of Rockridge Builders has helped us in many ways over the course of the last two years before and during the litigation and has taken on the unknowable task of fixing and completing the work that was started by the first contractor. His approach to our situation is to start with fixing the problems (that we know about) from the ground up.

The project has begun and we are in it for the long haul. I'll be blogging this experience as things progress (with pictures for those of you that need to see it as we go along).