Side of the House

Compared to the back and front of the house, the side of the house didn't undergo that many changes - the outside look at least. In creating two bedrooms, we moved the existing bathroom and enclosed the front carport. Each of the two bedrooms have one 8 x 3 feet window with a view of Manoa Valley and maybe even the tip of Diamond Head...I'll check to make sure.

Here is a photo with the large windows and new siding in each bedroom. Hopefully the low-e function of the windows is at 100% efficiency because this side of the house gets quite hot sometimes. The window upstairs is the kitchen.

Transforming the Back of the House

It's actually good that I waited until almost the end of the project to post. This way, I can describe the transformation from the old house to the new. Let's begin with the renovation of the back of the house. This is how the house originally looked. I was standing in the covered carport taking this photo. The big window was in the family room and the smaller one was in the laundry room. Wires were everywhere and not to mention the ugly sewer pipe.

This side of the house had the most changes, mostly because we wanted to open up more windows to brighten the room and also to create a back entry. Turned out that most of this wall had termite damage so we couldn't save any of the wood. Starting from the left is the bedroom, then the bathroom (2 windows), the open laundry area, and then the back entry. Just a little secret - the bathroom is the only room with a double-hung window. How cool is that!

We had a little controversy with the back entry stairway. We had wanted a stairway that allows us to enter straight in the door or at an angle. The only way to do that is with a triangle staircase. Since that wasn't "to-code" and we didn't want our neighbors to report us, we decided to go the "legal" way and build a normal looking stairway. Tyvek is used to block out moisture from damaging the drywall. The windows were being installed.

Viola! All the windows are framed and the siding are nailed in. All that is left is painting.

Booo! Tricked ya :) I am not posting photos that reveal the color of the house until later. Save the best for last!

Our House Friends

I don't think I will ever catch up to the present day renovation status. There is just so many details, so many stories to tell. Before showing more photos of our soon-to-be beautiful home, I want to dedicate this post to introducing our house friends who have been keeping us company all this time.

Let's introduce our mama green gecko. She hangs around the front of the house as well as the lanai, playing in my plants. (I think she is a plant enthusiast too!) Sometimes, she is with her baby green gecko inside the house around the lanai sliding doors. Since I planted my epi orchid on the palm tree next to my front door, mama gecko has been hanging around there more often.

Here is our silly window gecko. Bryan tells me geckos like the window surface because it is smooth and gecko feet can hold on to glass better than walls. He also discovered that this gecko comes around our den window at about the same time everyday, between 8:30 to 10PM. I didn't believe him so I started my little investigation. After dinner, I would poke my head in the den and there he was, stuck to the glass in the weirdest position possible. Bryan and I have so much fun just looking at him. When we began painting the exterior, this gecko stopped coming and we missed our little friend so much. Once the painting was complete (at least for that side of the house), he came back that same night!

How about this little guy, the bathroom baby gecko. One day, Bryan came out of the bathroom blushing and said, "he is violating my privacy." I looked in and saw this baby gecko hanging by the toilet seat cover. He has taken residence in my bathroom fern plant. However, I have been seeing him in my kitchen orchids. I think I need to make him a "I've Moved" card.

Finally, the friend that we will always remember. We first discovered him outside the bathroom on the carpet. He was the size of a nickel, very tiny. Not only did he move slow, sometimes he didn't move at all. That was how I took this photo. For a couple nights in a row, he was moving about at the same place. We would walk in the room very cautiously so we don't step on him. Then one day, his skin color changed from a light green to a dark brown. I got down on my knees and looked at him. Ants were all over him. We were depressed the whole day. I buried him next to my mamaki plant in the backyard. One lesson I learned: When geckos don't climb walls, something is definitely wrong.

Problem Drain

Renovation is only beautiful at the end ... the rest is a total nightmare. The truth is, you won't know what's wrong with the house until you open it up. Two out of the four walls had extensive termite damaged. We ended up having to replace all the framing.

If not termite eaten wood, it was wood rot. The drywall in the living room was also screwed up. Luckily, the mold wasn't present in other areas of the house.

If there is one thing that we learned throughout the house buying process, it would be this: Home Inspectors are useless. The Home Inspector never noticed anything that would point to all the termite and water damage. We wrote to him, asking how he neglected to point out that the master bedroom addition was not secured (with three bolts) to one of the pillers. He responded that he did not notice the missing bolts when he did the inspection. So what, we purposely put our lives in danger and took out the bolts so we can sue his okole? Only a dum dum would do that!

We had a bigger problem. During demo, we noticed that the floor boards were all wet. Then our contractors touched the hollow tile wall and it was wet, and paint was peeling off the walls. Turned out that water was seeping through the wall from the left side of the house.

We decided it was an exterior drainage problem so we began our investigation into the mystery leak. As much as we hate to, we did it the old fashion way - we dug behind the house to search for the so-called "French Drain" that the previous owners assured us was functional. We dug five feet from the top all the way down to the foundation and found nothing. Simple formula - no drain, water ponds, water go in house. The slope in the back wasn't helping the water drain either because the ground slopes toward the house and not away from the house. During big rains, our house could potentially flood when we are not even in a freakin' flood zone! This drain ordeal pushed our renovation schedule back by at least 2 weeks. It is Thanksgiving and renovation is still going. Grrr! Our contractor had to do a million things to remedy the situation and put in a new drainage system. After excavation, our contractor laid concrete to level the slope away from the house. To waterproof the wall, he applied two coats of super think sealant and attached GreenGuard waterproofing boards. We helped backfill the trench with new dry gravel.

Not only did we have to dig the left side of the house, we had to create a groove in the front so that water continues to flow downhill and not into the house via the carport. The carport is sloped in a way that water can pond in one corner and possibly seep into the house.

We are frustrated and angry that the previous owners would leave us such a mess. We are currently seeking a formal response from them about this non-disclosure issue as we have proof that they attested to the presence of a French Drain during sale of the house. If they refuse to take responsibility, we may hire lawyers to deal with them.

Demolition

This photo signifies the beginning of a beautiful nightmare. You have seen the upstairs of our home in the previous post. With the existing floor plan, we enter the house from the front carport, turn left to go up the stairway that is positioned in the front of the house. Compared to upstairs, the first story is weird. The space is divided into two areas with narrow hallways and no bedrooms. There is an existing full bath and 3 storage areas: one below the staircase, another converted from an old spiral staircase, and the third converted from an exterior entryway and can be accessed from outside. Overall, the area is dark and didn't flow well. So, we made the biggest decision in our lives (in addition to buying a house) - renovate. We had all these ideas but couldn't quite organize them in our heads. First, we wanted to bring back the spiral staircase because it is cool and unique! We also wanted the main entry to be upstairs because of the cathedral ceilings. Then we wanted to create two bedrooms, a laundry area, a bigger full bath, and a gigantic family room downstairs. We realized we couldn't possibly have enough room to make 2 medium sized bedrooms so we decided to partly enclose the front carport. We managed to get a home design program and Bryan worked on what is becoming a awesome floor plan. He is quite the architect :)

Our very first demo work was done in the bathroom. Before Bryan came home from work, I picked up a hammer and began busting the walls. Lucky guess, the first wall I hammered was one with an electrical panel and the electricity went out [poof]! Oooops, so I hammered another wall. Lucky guess again because the water line was behind the wall. Good thing I neva bust the pipes. With two close calls, I gave up and waited until my contractor came to teach me Demo 101.

Next is the stairway demo. This was easy because drywall was only on one side of the wall (the other side was the closet and the beams were exposed). If done correctly, you could take out the drywall in large single pieces to reduce the amount of drywall dust.

Here is what we did to the upstairs wall that borders the stairway. Scary in the early morning when I go work without falling in the puka.

That's it for now. Stay tuned for the story on the infamous French Drain.

Our Beautiful House!

Ooops, I lied. Instead of coming back from a hiatus, I went straight back in. I have good reasons for my 3-month hide-out. [side note ~ ew, never put wheat germ in your chocolate milk, yucky plahh!] For one, I bought a HOUSE! It's probably old news for many of you but I am still getting used to calling myself a homeowner. Let's take a look...

This is a 2 story cottage-style house that sits on top of a 10 degree slope in one of the shortest dead end streets in Manoa. I have wanted to live in Manoa Valley since I moved to Hawaii. People say "everything grows in Manoa" because the Koolau Mountains that border one side of the valley bring with them rain and trade-winds, which make perfect weather for plants. Certainly, plant enthusiasts such as I are attracted to the lush green environment of Manoa. During the summer, Bryan and I run this valley because of the cooler weather.

The houses in Manoa are very distinct - an eclectic collection of victorian, cottage, swiss chalet, roman, american, japanese, chinese, and island style homes. It is quite difficult to find two of the same style of houses in the entire valley. The streets are filled with color, from warm tones of yellow and orange to bold red and black homes. White houses look majestic, yet the aqua blue and orange trim house that sits atop the mountain tells a different story. Manoa has character and that is why I love it.

This is the living-dining room area. We fell in love with the cathedral ceilings the moment we stepped into the house. The ceilings are 15-20 feet high and the space is so open. The wood laminate floors are relatively new because they still shine. Our furniture and decorative elements match with the feel of the home :)

The lanai gives a view of Diamond Head, the ocean, and the Koolau Mountains. What more can I ask for!

Guess why I love the kitchen? It's GREEN! My red Le Creuset spatula set look fabulous in the green kitchen. Oh and all the windows have a view of the mountains. I have never enjoyed washing dishes so much! The layout of the kitchen is a bit weird but nothing we can't fix.

I love my house...well, the 2nd story at least. Stay tuned for a peak of the 1st story of the house and what we are doing to make it awesome.