Steadying My Breath and Being Patient

Still waiting for bids. There are a lot of elements to this foundation repair. Excavation, concrete pouring, stump removal, the assurance that once the stumps are pulled the foundation wall will collapse so that needs to be shored up before anything starts, backhoes, diggers, grading. It goes on and on.
Here is the basement. It's right out of The Silence of the Lambs but it will be much nicer once we've done the foundation repair and HVAC work.

And here's a photo that made me realize that this sh*t was DEEP.

This is a boulder in my crawlspace that came loose from the mother rock because water had built up behind it and the pressure propelled it towards the foundation wall where it is nudging against. Someone has to get in there and break it up. I wouldn't get into the crawlspace with a full on hazmat suit so this one goes to the best bid and person for the job. I meet with two other foundation repair people this weekend and then wait for the bids and hope for the best.

In the meantime, I do what I can:

I removed the "Koi Pond Surround" (aptly named by Deb Parker) underneath the wood stove. I really love the sledgehammer and I enjoyed seeing the brick go. It seems much more seamless now.

I removed years of brush and dead leaves from the front of the house and discovered a nice slate sidewalk and a little stone wall that could use some help. I will work on uncovering the rest of the side walk this weekend.

Mike Veeder, my HVAC guy, removed the old furnace, tanks and baseboard. We asked him to leave us the copper tubing so we can make a little money scrapping it. Every bit helps.

I finally set up a little space with an aerobed so I can start staying there next week. I am very much looking forward to living there while we renovate (knowing I have a few places to run to when I can't take it anymore!)

Coming up this weekend: my architect, William Vincent, will be paying his first site visit. We should receive our first foundation repair bid and I should be freaking out. Everything is happening right on schedule.

And finally, this sweet little number is for sale right up the street from me. C'mon up and be my neighbor!!!!