Gearing up...

So, its really going to happen.

Jo-Elle and I have been working on this project for a year now. But, really, we have known we would have to do it pretty much since we bought the house. To set the scene, we are fixing a lot of things that are wrong---no light in the kitchen, oddly placed and probably unsafe stairs, an unsound porch that is precariously perched at the back of the house, and that weed patch that is our back yard... Wow... That's a lot for our first large project, eh? Plus, we will be trying to do this as green as our budget will allow---but it takes green to be green, so we are already looking at compromises. Speaking of which, while researching online, I ran into an interesting blog from a guy trying to GC his own green gut rehab project. He has not posted much---but I love the idea and am officially stealing it. Check out Green Grumbles to see where I am coming from (and hopefully, not where I am going---his stuff sounds like a nightmare!).

Anyway, we have been working with an architect since last year. It has been a fun, albeit slow, process. Going from vision to plans has been a bit painful at times and we are not really done. Still making tweeks and figuring out finishes at the 11th hour. But we are pleased to be at the precipace---a starting date is looming. Though we do not have permits in hand, the hoops have all been jumped through---and there are a lot of hoops in Chicago. It is one of the only cities in America with its own unique and quirky building code, but we've somehow navigated the zoning commission, the Alderperson, the bank, and the permit office. Everyone is signed off and we will have the actual permits in-hand next week.

Then the real fun starts.

We will be ripping that porch off before the end of the month (call me if you want to help). A wall will soon separate our living area from the kitchen. New stairs will stretch into the basement like strangler fig roots. And the coffers will be drained... Tune in to see if I can keep my sanity over the next 3 to 6 months (put your money on 8). In the coming weeks, I'll post before photos and link to a cool conceptual blow-through animation so you can see our grand vision.

J