Other times, progress is a bit more elusive. The house has really made great strides - the plumbing has come a long way and there is new electric run throughout the house. But these improvements are subtle. You can get to the house at the end of the day and wander around the house for quite a while before finally realizing that there is a bunch of new wiring run in a room. It isn't sexy or exciting but it is progress. We'll take it!
The other funny thing about progress is that it can actually be destructive. Frankly, LeeMichael and I knew that progress on demolition was supposed to involve chaos in order to achieve order. However, we had no idea how holy progress could be...
Here are just a few of the examples of destructive progress:
1.) Not only did I return to the house one day to find that our front porch was missing, but then I discovered that in order to replace it, the contractor first had to dig four foot deep holes in order to accommodate footings for the support column. These are some impressive holes of progress.
2.) It's funny - the majority of the walls in the house have been removed, but there were a couple of walls that had managed to remain intact. One room in which all of the original plaster had remained in place was the living room. We are not exactly sure why we were keeping the plaster, but it had almost become a matter of pride to have a couple of rooms intact.
Then one day, we returned home to find that in order to support our new dormer, the contractor had to reinforce the columns supporting the dormer from the attic all the way to the basement. One of those columns ran right through our living room. The result:
3.) But never fear. The good news is that once the plaster is corrupted, there is no longer any reason to protect it. Hey LeeMichael, maybe we should think about putting in the gas fireplace in the living room now instead of waiting. After all, it's already pretty dusty in here...
HA!!!!4.) The attic progress is perhaps the most difficult to comprehend. This area has been completely changed. We have added a dormer with windows, taken out walls and added a new stair. There is a new HVAC system installed inside the knee wall. But despite all of this, this floor is a patchwork of holiness.
5.) And then, of course, there are the errors. I guess progress comes with a price. No one is perfect after all. And our contractor's crew LOVES to remind us of this. It is one thing to understand dropping a heavy steel pipe through the floor...
... but it is entirely another thing to step through the ceiling. Seriously - don't we already have enough to fix in this place???
The face of progress is complicated and it seems messy. But, they keep telling us its progress. We are going to take their word on it.
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