What it Became ~ Part Two

The process of transforming our home progressed slowly.
The initial phase involved the main living areas and created so much mess.
We tried our best to stay on top of things and keep a semblance of order.
However, chaos seemed to rule the day for the better part of eighteen months.

We did much of the work ourselves and contracted

out what we were unable to do on our own.

Through it all, my Dad was a huge blessing to us.  He has contributed

so much of his time and talents over the years to help us get to where we are today.

We really had no idea what the scope of the project was when we began.
At some points, it seemed as though we were in over our heads.
Sink or swim was our motto.  We did our best to swim.

Remember when I mentioned the suite was separated from us by a wall?
The photo above shows that wall coming down.  See the mess beyond?
It got worse before it got better.

The sewer pipe had to be laid in the trench that spanned the full depth

of our home from the front all the way through to the back.

Earth from under our foundation was dug up to allow for the proper slope

needed for flow.  All we had to work with was a one percent grade.

This was a slightly stressful time for my Sweetie and me.

We thrive on things being orderly and clean.  We don't like mess.

Our renovations most definitely were of the extra messy sort.

Here's my Dad graciously rebuilding stairs to my specifications.
A few things were done by trial and error and this was one of those.
He kept coming back to lend a hand and lead the way.
We are forever grateful.  Thanks, Dad.  :)

We tried to make the most of things and carried on as best we could.
The children were so adaptable.  Not much seemed to phase them.
Business-as-usual-with-more-dirt-than-normal was their motto.
What a blessing they were and are to us!

The neighbours had to endure looking at our mess from the outside.
I don't recall any of them complaining about it.  What a mercy!
Thankfully, not ALL the dirt came into the house.  Sometimes it felt like it would.
There is always something to be grateful for, isn't there?

In the photo below, the trench is visible from the side of our home.
The boys' bedroom window is directly above the sewer pipe at the bottom right.
This area posed a great challenge as it was previously a carport and
there was a cement retaining wall as well as stairs to be contended with.

It was so difficult to know what to do with this area
when it came time to put it all back together.

Howie rebuilt the wall from the inside and all the dirt was
removed down to the foundation on the exterior of the wall.
Then, everything was sealed back up and proper drainage was installed.

All that cement was not going anywhere, however!
We knew we didn't want to cover it all up with dirt and pavement.
The photo below shows some of the cement that had to be dealt with.

Here's how we fixed it!  We had a deck built over it all.
Ahhh....it was beginning to feel so much better.
As our home is approached from the front, the cement is no longer visible.

And, in the midst of it all, the babies continued to grow.
So much of Emma's second year of life is a blur to me.
It was such a busy time.  We sought to balance it all.

Did we do it perfectly?  No.

However, the Lord saw us through.
We are eternally grateful to Him for His grace and strength.
Truly, it is a moment by moment thing at times.

More to come....ready or not!
It's a bit of a saga, isn't it?
Thank you for coming along for the ride.

Many Blessings,
Camille

**For other posts in this series, click here for the introduction,
here for part one, here for part three, here for part four,
 here for part five, and here for the conclusion.