Framing with new and old

It's a reality, the house is being built, and still no dumpster!

Blue Print into Foot Print

The winter blues are coming to an end and what started out as a conversation over a cup of cocoa, the REX Project is getting closer to completion as we step into spring time. The foot print of the house has been built and for the first time the house is at ground level. In just five days the sewer and water line have been installed. First floor HVAC and plumbing are complete and framing has begun.

If you have never had the experience of remodeling or building a house, for most, it can be extremely overwhelming and stressful. Who to hire? Can you trust their work? Are they going the drain the bank account? The REX Project is a once in a lifetime experience and I wanted to enjoy the process instead of gaining gray hairs. The secret to not losing sleep and going over budget is two fold. Hire the right company but more important hire the right people. Black Cat Plumbing and James Arnold, our house framer fit that bill. Strong communication, completing the job ahead of schedule and staying within the original bid is common practice for both Arnold and Black Cat Plumbing. Both are key to saving a ton of dough and guaranteeing the home owner plenty of zzzz’s. Their imprint on the REX Project will forever be embedded in great memories.

In my book nobody can fill their shoes.

Glenn My Hero

Just because it's a saturday doesn't mean it's a day off at the REX Project. We are in the framing stage of construction and its finally time to incorporate the old wood from the original house into the new home. Not so easy of a task. Nine hours later and rain showers throughout the day, my husband Glenn unloaded, sorted, and stacked the wood that we are going to use for structural purposes.

The lumber was all mixed up so Glenn had to organize it in a sequence of when and how it will be reused. The framing materials were seperated into units of 2"x4", 2"x6", 2"x8" and four inch pieces. These were left outside for immediate use. The one inch boards, sheetrock backing and floor boards will be used for trim, finish work and cabinetry had to be transfered back inside the container. I am looking forward to finding out how much money we will save by using our own wood.

I noticed that Glenn never complained about the physical labor, cruddy weather and giving up the weekend. I asked why and he replied "I like the smell of lumber." I stood there dumbfounded until I realized it's no different when I can lose an enitre day engulfed in planting fragrant flowers. I also think the hand delivered homemade brownies didn't hurt either.

Blue Print into Foot Print

The winter blues are coming to an end and what started out as a conversation over a cup of cocoa, the REX Project is getting closer to completion as we step into spring time. The foot print of the house has been built and for the first time the house is at ground level. In just five days the sewer and water line have been installed. First floor HVAC and plumbing are complete and framing has begun.

If you have never had the experience of remodeling or building a house, for most, it can be extremely overwhelming and stressful. Who to hire? Can you trust their work? Are they going the drain the bank account? The REX Project is a once in a lifetime experience and I wanted to enjoy the process instead of gaining gray hairs. The secret to not losing sleep and going over budget is two fold. Hire the right company but more important hire the right people. Black Cat Plumbing www.blackcatplumbing.com and James Arnold, our house framer fit that bill. Strong communication, completing the job ahead of schedule and staying within the original bid is common practice for both Arnold and Black Cat Plumbing. Both are key to saving a ton of dough and guaranteeing the home owner plenty of zzzz’s. Their imprint on the REX Project will forever be embedded in great memories.



In my book nobody can fill their shoes.

Scrap Happy

While deconstructing the REX house we had quite a few wanna-bee takers of our scrap metal. People would slowly drive by and ask us for our water heater, or politely offer to take all our gutters, flashing, air conditioner, and floors vents. My head cocked in puzzlement until Glenn, (the hubby) shared with me the value of metal these days. I started to panic. Are our materials going to grow legs and mysteriously walk away? Is the REX Project, the great attempt to reuse and recycle everything experiment going to disappear? I wasted no time gathering up my newly discovered monetary treasures and tucked them into the storage container.



Now what do I do? I have protected my belongings but it doesn’t do much good just having them sit there. Stephen Aiguier*cq my Project Mentor from Green Hammer Inc.*cq referred me to Keith Bailey*cq the owner of Taylor Metal Inc.*cq www.taylormetal.com*cq a roofing company. Taylor Metal Inc.*cq products are 100% recyclable and can increase my home’s energy efficiency by saving as much as 20% on summer utility bills. Oh, it gets better, the roof has a life span of 75 years. Keith and I met at the REX site and I showed him my metal stash. He pointed to it, plus all my broken sewer pipes and said these are what our roofs are made of. I have never been so happy about scraps.

Tresured Junk

While driving by the REX Project at 2030 SE Rex in the Westmoreland neighborhood, most would just see a house being built and two large containers sitting on the property. But if you slow down, and take a moment you will notice innovative building practices happening all over the place. Condtioned crawl space installed and old growth trees transplanted but look like they’ve been in the same spot for the past 50 years. And if you time it just right, you’ll catch me in one of the storage units unloading the old house parts and giving them to people who will help me incorporate them into the new home.

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure to speak at the Good Earth Home, Garden & Living Show*cq in Eugene and met an amazing artist Tim Boyden*cq. He has such an original talent creating functional furniture out of ordinary junk. In a blink of an eye he can change a bowling ball into a table lamp and his willow garden pieces are a knock out. I am so excited to have Tim part of our REX Project team. Recently, we met at the REX site and when I opened the container doors he acted like a kid in a candy store. In less then an hour Tim’s van was full of interior wall boards and various shapes and sizes of laurel wood branches. Next time I see him, the old Beast a.k.a. laurel will be beautiful benches, trellises and maybe even a side table. I can hardly wait.