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Ok, we are into week 2 of the renovation now. A time I like to call problem-solving time. We've run into a few surprises and mix-ups that have slowed us down and cost us more money. We always account for a little of both, so the key is getting things back on track. So what are we working through this week?

(1) Electrical: Due to some blown wires with the baseboard heaters that required new wiring to be run from the panel and some scheduling issues, the electrical work took 4 days instead of 2. The extra work also resulted in a significant amount of additional drywall cutting that now needs to be repaired. Total delay = 2 extra days. Total additional costs = $2200.

(2) Fireplace: Rather than chipping off all the stone from the original fireplace, we planned on 'boxing out' the wall and effectively drywalling over it. While this is still happening, we had a few issues with the framing pertaining to the depth of the fireplace and ensuring that the wall was properly fire-proofed. Tack on another day and another $1400 here.

(3) Tile: All our tile had been picked out mid-December and was in stock at the time. When I went to pick it up, I was told that the floor tile was in Toronto and wouldn't be out for 2 weeks. An extra $160 for rush delivery was needed as tile work starts this weekend. Worse, the backsplash we had picked for the kitchen (almost always one of the most difficult decisions for some reason) has been discontinued due to quality defects and frequent cracking. Ultimately it is better for us to know about the quality issues in advance, but now we are back to the drawing board finding new backsplash tiles that match the other materials.

(4) Interior doors: This one was more of an oversight on my part. We are replacing all the interior doors with new solid-core woods doors. This was always in the budget. Problem is that all the doors in the home are custom sizes. And I didn't bother to measure that in advance. No time delays here, but an extra $700 in custom cuts. Silly budgeting mistake.

So, all in all, nothing traumatic. A couple of extra days and an extra $5000 doesn't put major stress on the project. As long as we can keep it to that! The good news is the bulk of the 'surprise' phase of the reno is past us. This is that phase when you start opening walls and seeing all the things you were guessing about prior to starting. With everything exposed and being put back together, it is usually a little easier to keep the budget on track from here on out. We have also paid out about 70% of the budget so far, so the upcoming expenses are less substantial.

I've got no photos from the past few days and the stucco ceiling was being scraped and re-mudded to be flat. If you haven't done this, it is a MESSY process. Should have some new photos shortly though. For the rest of the week, we've got the drywall repair being mostly finished and the upstairs bathroom being drywalled and tub coated.

Happy renovating!