Those famous words "We always talk about remodeling the house, let's just do-it!" are not easy words to process. Michael left Ira in charge, being the creative one in the house. There were probably at least 100 drawings, color charts, building material catalogs and samples and finally when Ira was ready to pull the last few hairs out of his head, Michael said, "I like it!"
Preparing plans and filing for permits was the next stage. Naturally, the Department of Building and Safety like Father 'knows best!" Two months of engineering consultants, compromise, alterations and compliance and finally the plans were approved. There was only going to be one wall left standing, the North wall. Everything was new: plumbing, heating/air conditioning, electrical, gas, windows/doors, roof, kitchens/baths, garage, guesthouse, landscaping, and more.
A neighbor had suggested their general contractor who ended up being hired for the year long project. Ira and Michael would often say "A woman could never live through this mess!" That plus no privacy was almost impossible. One early Saturday morning, debris fell on the happy couple while sleeping. They both opened their eyes at the same moment, only to discover the roof was gone and one of the workman was waving hello. At this point, Ira moved his home office to a little space a mile away.
It was hardly worth it to take a shower. Both Ira and Michael would have to walk outside and go into the guesthouse bathroom (the only working bathroom). Walk through dirt and dust (or mud if it had been raining) and get dress looking worse than before the shower. Sheana didn't have it easy either. Her whole world was turned upside down.
But at the end, it was totally worth it. It was more than was expected. A great place for friends and family. The house could even accommodate 10 people for overnight including Ira and Michael. It was a great place to entertain and the guys had many opportunities to do so.
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