The end of Day Five brought the end of the true demolition phase of the project. Let's start rebuilding!

The new view from the front door. Looks like today's challenge was to prepare the holes/forms for pouring the new porch foundation supports. By the time I got home it looks like this task was completed and the inspector approved the work, so perhaps tomorrow they fill the holes?

In case any building inspectors are out there, look: we've got approval to continue!

Here is the "un-camouflaged" view of the six porch support holes from yesterday. The new porch will come out eight feet in the front and wrap around the right side of the house another eight feet...you can actually start to visualize it now!

Come on, how often do you get to take dumb pictures like this? :-)

Same pile of rubble, but now we have yellow construction tape marking the work site.

Great view from the front door today: all the footings were poured! Won't be long before the new porch starts really taking shape.

I guess I won't be using that basement window too much longer; this is where the porch wraps around the side of the house. The "stuff" on the left is a pile of the rebar they pulled from the original cement porch. (If I didn't make it clear earlier, the new porch will be ALL WOOD.)

Well, you have to use your imagination...

Not much change to the casual observer. Wait until next week!

(I'll go crazy if I have to keep counting work days!)

Word of the day: LUMBER! The only activity today was an important one: the delivery of new porch parts!

If you are very observant you will also notice the pile of bricks is smaller than it was on Friday (we'll document mom's new sidewalk another time.)

We have lumber! Ooh, looks like the porch floor!

But it sure looks good.

So far, so good. This porch has got one hell of a foundation!

Oh, and the wrough iron post that used to hold up the front corner of the house!

Cover that dirt!

Nice big porch!

Trying to decide whether to move the electric box & wires from the street. (There are too many decisions!)

Perhaps the glider will go here.

The wood floor will make a similar pattern in this corner of the porch.

A last look at what will remain "buried" for quite some time!

Not the beach, just the dirt that "was" my old porch!

Ahh, the sweet sight of progress!

Here comes the porch floor!

Just giving his dad's stamp of approval to the project.

No wonder so many neighbors are stopping to see what's going on!

My mini lumber yard. Guess I'll be parking in the street for a few days.

I'm lovin' it so far!

It's a porch! (sort of)

Word of the day: STEPS!

A little patch to test a whole lot of paint removal!

We're not ready to use these yet!

The lumber yard

Another great week!

Out with the old, in with the new....porch roof!

Hey, every porch roof has to start somewhere.

Sorry, Sal...I'm switching back to a straight roof line instead of a sloping corner over the door.

Did you know roof shingles came in so many different colors? (I chose the one closest to the color of the existing slate roof)

Help! I must narrow my search for the perfect paint color(s). I don't know if you can really tell from this shot, but the paint stripping test revealed an original mustard yellow/gold color on the house. Can you picture that?

Can't wait for tomorrow! I did my homework (picked the roof shingles, the roof line and the porch columns), so now the enemy is the stormy forecast for the next few days.

Mission #1: Prepare for the porch roof.

Busy work site again today!

Looks more like an old rollercoaster track than a porch roof.

Looking very porch-like.

The steps!
Tricky phenomenon at my house: all the cement pathways lean to the left! I have the same bottom step "pattern" at the back of the house. Let's just say it adds to the charm of an old house.

It just keeps getting better.

Continuing on the porch roof today

They had to duck for cover once from a thunderstorm, but we're back in business after that (notice all the extension cords criss-crossing the stairs and sidewalk!).

The perfect wraparound

Roof shingles go on top, beadboard goes on the "bottom."

Wow, what a difference! Tomorrow I must pick out the railings and balusters. Decisions, decisions!

One last demolition job. The pile of rubble contains the bits of the old porch roof that needed to come down (the roof that was exposed after the nasty drop ceiling was torn down). Good riddance!

Looks like the new porch roof is ready for phase two
(hmm, what is phase two?!)

Wow, it really is looking like a porch now. But I have to decide if this is the style I want...

(or confusion), here is a "small" and "large" scale sample. And here I thought choosing square posts and rails would be easy!

Well, it started storming like crazy before the day really ended, so this is just the last "big picture" look we could capture for the day. That's dad on the steps checking out the action.

Only one picture today. Activities today included getting the beadboard for the porch ceiling delivered and sharing a sample of lattice for the front.

Monday will see the porch roof go on and possibly the porch posts, too.

It's a roof! (Well, it's the start.) Actually, a very early start (6:45 a.m.) to beat the heat.

These are the shingles that looked most like the old slate roof on the house.

The roof is done. And is that Hank posing on the porch? Sal is going to be making porch parts at his workshop, and the rest of the porch should be "assembled" starting on Tuesday.

Leftovers. Today was a surprise work day...I came home to find this leftover beadboard neatly stacked.

And this porch ceiling beautifully installed! I don't even know who was here today (if only Hank could talk).

Looks like a porch roof on steroids from this angle. But what a lovely ceiling!

This weekend we go shopping for light fixtures and the all-important porch rockers.

Looks like we're entering the final phases of remodeling.
Click here for Chapter 4: The Home Stretch.