June 25, 2008 (Day 150)

Escape Route

Today, work began on the egress window in the basement. A 2007 change to the Minneapolis building code requires that any remodel that increases the square footage in the basement by greater than 250 square feet requires the addition of an egress window -- major bummer! We knew from the beginning of construction that we would have to do this, but we had to wait until the ground was thawed before the hole could be dug for the window well. Then it was just a matter of time before the crew got around to tackling the installation of the window. Today was the day to begin the work. I expect it will be done by tomorrow.

Our master painter, Jerry, has certainly earned the respect of these homeowners! He has gone far and beyond our expectations and essentially restored all of the original woodwork in the home. Not only that, but he has pulled off the impressive task of seamlessly matching the existing woodwork with the new woodwork. A recent visitor to the job site could not tell the difference between the old and new. Bravo to Jerry and his crew!

The mysterious appearance of the stucco trailer apparently foreshadows the brown coating of the new stucco sometime in the near future. Stay tuned...