Every remodeling effort needs to have a moment of crisis, and this was ours. A year ago, we signed with a contractor to finish the attic. It was due to be completed by October, last year.  Our newly-signed contractor never showed up for the job. After lies and delays, he admitted that he was no longer in the business and he wouldn’t be able to return our deposit.

We decided to take on the job ourselves. I should have been blogging about it, but there were so many times things didn’t go as planned that I just didn’t feel like blogging! I know I promised to be real, so here’s the long story, a little late.

Before:

The attic was a glorious space with vaulted ceilings, an arched window, a funky chimney, and pine floors. Our architectural plans were to turn it into a living area, library, and bedroom.

• 

• 

The Process

We wanted to insulate the attic before winter to help alleviate our heating bills. Since we chose spray foam insulation, we needed to complete the framing and electrical first prior to the foam being sprayed, as there would be no access afterwards.

Framing:

We hired Frank Barber to do the framing. Creating straight lines in an old home that has settled was a real challenge!

• 

• 

• 

I added to the challenge by insisting that we use the old free-standing closet somehow. I loved this closet, but it couldn’t remain in its original location. In fact, it was too big to use in any other spot in the attic. Frank’s idea was to cut off the front of the closet and use the doors as an entry to the utility closet, thereby hiding the air conditioning unit for the second floor. ( See A Cool Plan for the Upstairs.) I think it looks amazing!

• 

• 

• 

Electrical:

With the framing complete, David took on the electrical job. Earlier, we had an electrician place a new electrical sub-panel in the attic which made David’s job much simpler. (And yes, it passed inspection!)

• 

• 

• 

• 

Insulation:

By the first of November, our attic was insulated by Camoosa Insulation. It made such a difference in temperatures up there!

• 

• 

• 

Drywall:

With the framing complete and the insulation in place, we were ready for the drywall. <Insert ominous music here.> We knew this was a complex job and we were prepared to pay more for it. We interviewed three people on site to bid on the job. The bids were similar, so we went with the person we thought seemed more professional and had great online reviews. We signed the contract and paid our deposit. His team showed up on the day promised. And then it all went downhill. The first day was spent cutting the drywall pieces in half in order to get them up the stairwell. The next day, the crew didn’t show up.

Needless to say, after our earlier experience, we were concerned. But the main contractor sent two people to carry on in his absence. At the end of that day, our concerns mounted, as the work was quite shoddy. We took these photos to document the situation.

• 

• 

The owner promised to fix the problem. But, by mid-January, this is the mess we had:

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

He didn’t come back and we had to sue for our money (a case we won in court). I’ll leave you with this unfinished business, but don’t worry, the story doesn’t end here! To find out what happened, look for my next attic blog.