January, 2006

January 2, 2006 - First Construction of the New Year

It's almost a full year since we first saw the old house that, gradually, is becoming our dream house. Construction is quiet because many companies here in Bavaria take off this week between New Years and Epiphany (Drei Konigs Tag - Three Kings Day). Nevertheless, Mr. Kral is busy starting the kitchen floor. The process of planning where the little blue accents go was a reminder that nothing is as easy as it seems. Seeing another "final surface" is encouraging, however.

January 18-21, 2006 - Back Home and Inspecting

	I was gone from the area for almost two weeks and was anxious to see what was happening. On Wednesday, the day I arrived, I found Mr. Kral still working, this time cutting concrete blocks with a handsaw. This is the way Marianne's bathroom walls are being built and it is an interesting process. I just hope it makes a strong enough wall!
	Downstairs, the insulation of the living room floor was in and by Friday, wood underlayment had been completed. By now, we've seen a layer of plastic on top of the dirt, hard insulation on top of that, concrete on top of that, wires and plumbing on top of that, two layers of insulation on top of that, and, now, the underlayment. Any more stuff and we'd hit our heads on the ceiling.
	On Saturday, we had our normal decision-making with Axel. The main accomplishment was color selection, a decision I leave for Marianne and our architect.
	In the same bedroom with the coffee-colored walls, we were able to see the resurfaced old floor. It was wonderful, complete with the traditional cross pattern of darker wood and some boards that were at least a foot wide. Such old-growth boards are no longer available in Germany and, by now, probably not in the U.S. either.
	The old stairway was also looking promising. We had decided to keep it, although the restoration costs probably exceeded the cost of a brand new one, and now we are glad we did. It will be a perfect transition from the new floors on the ground level and the old ones upstairs.
	Our last stop was to see the locksmith who was restoring the seven old locks we will need inside. It turned out that the locks were anywhere from 50 to 230 years old. The goal has been to keep them all, even if it costs "just a little more". ("Just a little more" is the theme song of ANY remodel!)
	Oh, by the way, did I mention that the locksmith also restores old Bavarian painted furniture, like this early 19th Century crib? I have a feeling that this may be a REAL money pit, once it's time for authentic decorating. Just a little more.

ps: We also got a new schedule today: Move in on April Fools's Day, nine weeks from now. Right now, that seems like forever, but we'll see.

January 27 - Just a Quick Check

It had been another week, and, even still, there was just a few minutes to spare for a quick check. Opening the front door, I saw the terrazzo entrance was finished - almost. It still needed a wax polish, but we may not see that final surface for a month or two.

At the other end of the ground floor, the kitchen was getting its new paint. At first it seemed too orange but, later, it seemed too pale. When I sent this picture up to Marianne, she said she loved it so that just proved my inability to evaluate color.

Upstairs, there was not much visible difference. It was a time for patience, but that's never easy.

January, 2006