Centennial Plumbing, Heating & Electrical

Fortunately, this wasn’t us…

It doesn’t take a meteorologist to figure out that these aren’t the best conditions for building a new home. Just another reminder that despite your best laid plans, you have to be prepared to adapt your timelines to any eventuality.

Well, we’ve cleared away the old house to make room for the new, but it’s not as simple as just jumping right into framing. The next step is making sure that the area is excavated properly for the new house. Once again, we brought in the big machinery to do the heavy lifting for us.

Take a peek at our latest video that features our General Manager, Tom Firth, giving some tips about things to keep in mind when excavating in a residential area.

As mentioned in the video, it’s important to always keep an eye on the big picture. The heavy machinery going into and out of the site will likely chew up the sidewalk to the point where it will have to be replaced. We’ve made sure that equipment only enters and exits in one place – the same place that we’d have to redo anyway when we put in the new driveway. Just one more helpful hint!

When we looked at the old rental house at 1109 Temperance Street before knocking it down, we realized that it was full of items that still had value. Because we do our best to be environmentally friendly, we couldn’t just haul them off to the dump to sit for the next million years, so we called Habitat for Humanity.

If you’re not familiar, Habitat for Humanity is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing safe and affordable housing for those who may not otherwise be able to afford it. They accept donations of any reusable building materials, which can then be bought at a Habitat for Humanity ReStore as an inexpensive materials option (with the proceeds going to fund the various Habitat programs).

We were able to save 2 fridges, 2 stoves, a toilet, a dishwasher, assorted bathroom hardware, and yes, even the kitchen sink (2 sinks, in fact)! These items will now be available for resale at the ReStore, and not adding to the already enourmous piles at the dump.

If you’ve got some reusable building materials that you are looking to get rid of, or you’re in the process of getting ready to demolish an old house, we encourage you to check out Habitat for Humanity. Just follow the link to find out more, and stand with us as we work towards a better future for everyone.

1109 Temperance Street (before we got to it)

Over the coming months, we’ll be taking 1109 Temperance Street and transforming it from an older rental property into a brand new Centennial Custom Home.

Designer’s sketch of what the finished product will look like.

Bookmark this site and be sure to visit often as we’ll be posting frequently about everything from the challenges of demolishing an old house in an established area, to the latest green products we installed and why! Along the way we’ll be providing you with information on the how and why of what we’re doing, as well as interesting stories, pictures and videos.

If you’re considering having a home custom built, are currently in the midst of a build, or even just renovating a single room in your house, this blog will provide you with valuable information (or, at the very least, it will serve as a welcome distraction to all the hard work you’ve got ahead of you!)

Also, if you’re in the area, feel free to take a drive by and see the site for yourself. We’ve added google maps to the main page of this blog to make it easy for you to find.

See you soon!