Welcome to the 3rd installment of our lake house fixer upper series. Okay, I am finished complaining about my fixer upper.  Yes there were a lot of unexpected problems and yes it is going to push us over our original budget but the reality is…we knew it was going to be a lot of work and in the end it will be exactly what we have always wanted.  When you get overwhelmed just remember, every day you wake up is a new day with new challenges and its up to you on how you react to them.

lake post 9After weeks of demo (ie…removing carpet, paneling, drywall, warped subfloor, old electrical and plumbing), we are finally clearing it all out.  By the time is was said and done, we had filled twelve 40-yard dumpsters and that doesn’t include the wood that we burned.

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The bobcat has been delivered so now it’s time to do some outside work. Sure it’s cold outside but after dealing with all that dust I am ready for some fresh air.

Time for some lake house demolition, Diva style!
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Travis Trosper, our excavator called and said they were taking off the back part of house today and I said “Umm…can I help? lol”

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so they showed me a few tricks and let me get things started.  That was so exciting.  I could “literally” move mountains with that thing.

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It took me a minute to get the hang of it but then I went to town and…yes this was as awesome as it looks.

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Voila…back deck and balcony are gone.  Let’s hope the rest of the project goes this smooth.

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Now it was time for the professionals to get in there and do their thing…

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You will probably remember that the garage was on the lake side of the house.  The views are just too amazing to waste it on car storage so we are building a new garage on the street side and putting an addition on the lake side.  We had to remove the existing driveway that was along the backside of the house to make room for the new addition.

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I can’t wait to see how amazing this is going to be when done. This room I am standing in to take this picture will soon be gone. This is currently the bedroom above the family room (where the upper back deck was). It is going bye bye so we can vault the ceiling in the family room. It will be the grand entrance to the lake house! So long bedroom with pieced together sheetrock walls.

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I’m feeling good about the work we were able to get done today. I feel like the Diva of the concrete mountain!

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All the driveway is gone and it’s ready for the new foundation to be excavated, framed and poured.

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Why does this lake house have to rain on my parade?

When I showed up the next day to see how the framing of the addition was going I found my framer working on the roof. As soon as I got out of my truck he is telling me to come up on the roof because I am not going to believe what he has found. I’m thinking great, so much for yesterdays smooth sailing.

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This is where the deck was above the garage. This is where they had parties and entertained their friends. It’s a good thing we are making changes because this deck was a disaster waiting to happen.

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The deck was sitting on top of a flat room with plywood nailed on 2x8s. That hole I showed you was under the plywood so any water that got in had no where to go but drain into that hole and into the house. Well here is one of the 16 plus leaks in the walls of our dream lake house.

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Hasta la vista observation deck a.k.a. the plywood deathtrap.

 

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How many roofs are on this house? Seriously, there were 3 different roof lines. Each line was just another place for a leak to happen.

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We call this job “raise the roof” around here. I guess that is appropriate since we are actually raising 3 roofs technically. I am glad we knew we were changing the roof line.  Otherwise, I might have hit panic-mode again.  Basically what I am saying is “at least that was already in the budget because you know where all the extra building money comes from, my interior budget”! Ugh! Well we’ve had some ups and some downs this time but my outlook continues to be bright. I can’t wait to get the demolition part done so we can start with building of our dream lake house!

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Each and everyone of you inspire me and I LOVE to see the work that you’ve created. Feel free to share with me on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook. And as always, be sure to follow Diva Of DIY on Pinterest and sign up for our FREE Newsletter to receive the latest projects delivered straight to your inbox!

If you missed out first two updates check them out:

lake house front
How to Remodel the Home of Your Dreams
What I found wrong with our remodel is shocking
Buyer Beware: What I Found Wrong with out Remodel is Shocking