My home, my problems

2012-02-07T17:57:00.000-05:00

Some photos of the new work being done, we are cleaning the paint off the back staircase..this stair leads from the kitchen up to the second floor.

2012-01-20T07:37:00.003-05:00

Well, I finally was able to make a visit to the house, the weather was agreeable to the extent, there was no snow, but it was COLD.. left work at 12:30 am got home, packed up, and headed north. We arrived at the house between 5 and 5:30am to find ourselves in minus 22f degree weather..ouch! I went around snapping some pictures, trying to capture a different view of things, but when it comes down to it, its the same old photos I have been showing, but I will post them anyway.

Now in this photo, I'm standing right at the front door.. to the right, is the parlor, straight ahead is the living room, then into the kitchen. If you click on the photo, you can see why I want to replace the floor.. or just cover it over, replacing it is my preference, but not being a wood floor expert.. I just can't be sure which to choose.

Here is a view of the kitchen I don't believe I have shown in a while.. if you look far in the right rear corner, it's the little kitchen nook.. we placed the corner china cabinet that came with the house there, it's open to the mud room which is hidden behind that yellow wall.. where the half bath, and small closet is.

To the left where the old fridge is, is where my credenza will be going. I'm not sure how to spell it, but that's what I was told it was called . My credenza, is a cabinet, which holds a table, constructed of a bunch of leaves.. you can draw it out as far as you like, and just add another leaf, which comes all contained with in.

That will be used as our dining room table, if ever needed, but it can stay tucked away inside the cabinet while not in use.

Here is a photo of the masterbedroom, still undergoing some trim application, I believe it needs one more window of woodwork added, and then the closet can be finished.

Overall, I was very pleased as to what has been done, I don't have a chance to visit too often, it was so nice to see all the work done.. and now it is easier to decide what is next on my list of things to do. I may have more photos after this weekend.. it's snow storm time..every trip is conditional now.

2012-01-09T00:37:00.000-05:00

Two Views of the Kitchen with the new appliances

2011-12-20T14:02:00.001-05:00

The shower stall.........

New heater in one of the bedrooms.........

New Heater in a bath......

New Heater in other bath.........

The thermostat and sink faucets installed....

the tub faucets are in and installed, with only a minor problem .... leak fixed hahaha

2011-12-20T13:53:00.000-05:00

Just managed to put up the pics of the sink installed, oops? I have pictures of the shower stall... looking will add them in a few if I can find them.

2011-11-08T18:07:00.000-05:00

First I want to say, RIP Robert.. you are and will be missed. We appreciate all your help on the renovation of our home, every day spent in the house, will bring back memories of our time together.

Here are some new photos of the master bathroom remodel.. The wainscot was all painted.. the walls were given a coat of paint, and a chair rail was added. All photos are clickable, if desired.

2011-10-10T08:53:00.001-04:00

here is a photo of the tub installed.. not done, but all set in place

Here is the toilet, lol, not installed, but set in place, to make sure there was enough space behind the tank for the wainscotting

2011-09-21T09:32:00.000-04:00

The Storm windows are in the process of being made.. nothing real special, just something to keep out the cold

Here are some pics of how the tiling is going on the tub.. yes I know the brown is dark, but there will be lots of white in the room, I think it should just pop out at you. ( I hope )

The tub is just placed there, still wrapped in plastic some..but it was to get a view at the end result.

2011-09-14T07:52:00.001-04:00

The Porch needed a spruce up before the harsh winter set in, what was left, was not too secure. Looks good now!(All photos are clickable to be seen larger)

Not too easy to see the old, I will have to dig out a closer photo, but it really had to go, we were afraid someone would step on it, and go through.

We did not do the steps yet, they are secure for now, we will get to them shortly, one thing at a time.

Here is a before picture, so happy it's being restructured!

2011-09-06T00:17:00.000-04:00

Just a photo of the bedroom window frames, two more were installed.. moving along nicely..

the tile around the tub was put up.. just need a bull nose around the edge of the tub, then it can be grouted.

2011-08-22T15:54:00.001-04:00

The Master Bathroom was tiled

Window Frames were hung

2011-07-24T21:34:00.003-04:00

A new photo of the stairs, the color looks wonderful, and not one creek going up or down them ha ha

A second window trim was added, two more to go...

I washed all the first floor windows, inside and out, and hung some curtains.

Not bad for a partial day of working.. cleaning the windows seemed so menial, but in the end it has to get done.. besides they harbored so much sheetrock dust

Back in time.... I knew it was mine...

2011-07-12T20:23:00.011-04:00

2011-07-04T21:48:00.003-04:00

Well I have to say.. it's about time! The stairs for all intents and purposes.. is complete.

I still need to choose a color for the walls.. and the framing around the cubby, and closet have to be installed.. but the main stairs are done.

The Next project.. omg..was supposed to be the rear set of stairs, that lead into the kitchen, however.. it has to be put on hold for now.

I have to pull up a picture of the front exterior porch.. the winters were hard on it, and it needs repairs, so since it's summer time, it's time to do some repairs outside.

2011-06-13T14:54:00.004-04:00

All images are clickable to make larger!

This is a before and after shot of the newly repaired window.. I couldn' t find a better old photo to show.

This is the wall on he staircase.. before it just had plaster, but we took the detail from around the stairs and continued it.. it needs still one coat of paint, it's only primed.

The spindles have been painted, and are hanging to dry.

Here is a photo of the hand railing.. it was stripped of all the finish, and lightly stained the color of the stairs, so it would be close in color, considering it was different wood. The stain is still wet.. but should dry darker.

A photo of the two hand railings drying.

Hoping next trip up the stairs can be finished.. and the hand railing installed!

2011-05-15T21:24:00.003-04:00

Here is a picture of the stairs.. all stained and varnished ..

Also got the window in the kitchen put back together.. but the camera died before pics.. so next time !

Steps Stained

2011-05-01T20:01:00.000-04:00

2011-04-19T09:15:00.003-04:00

Now that the steps are underway.. there is a question about the top landing .. and the foyer floors.. here are two pictures of the landing at the top of the stairs..

As you can see.. the floor needs something.. this second picture shows there is a different floor at the top of the stairs, than along the side. It needs something lol

2011-04-11T23:21:00.001-04:00

Stairs are all cut and in place, just need to be sanded, and pilot holes drilled, then stained if we can find the right color.

2011-03-29T12:20:00.002-04:00

Here is a photo of how the foyer looks at this point

In this photo, it is all painted with a final coat of paint waiting for the stair treads and the railing

Here is before the details were painted.. the were stripped off all the old paint, patched up and replaced.

Little time left over.. the bedroom #2 door was framed out, here is inside the room..

Here is outside

One more thing got painted.. the wood work around the kitchen window.

2011-03-14T19:44:00.002-04:00

A photo of the remaining snow

Just a couple of photos of the work on the stairs, the wall trim was removed, sanded and reinstalled.

The Post has been reinstalled, and everything primer coat of paint

Just an idea of what it will look like with the stair treads

Bedroom #3 has had the door hung, but not trimmed..view of the inside...

View from the outside...

Next time more work on the stairs, can't wait to see them done.

2011-02-28T00:22:00.002-05:00

First two days in a row it snowed about 6 inches each night.. will spring ever come?

Now, the STAIRS... what a sight, so glad their time has come.

taken apart... paint being stripped, being reinstalled.

Nail holes filled with putty.. all sanded... one final sanding then repaint..

.. just to sand, paint, size and cut stair treads.. then finishing..

Not taking as long as I thought.. as for the finish on the stairs.. research again !

2011-02-17T23:42:00.000-05:00

Here is a photo of the stairs.. the next project

2011-02-16T00:10:00.004-05:00

Been a long time since I posted... hadn't been able to visit the house.. but, I finally got there..just for a day.. we left 5am Sunday, got home 9 pm Sunday, was a long tiring day.. but I enjoyed it.

Here is the picture I took of the kitchen.. no different but I got to snap it.

Here is the reason for the trip.. see the gully in the roof? It was full of snow, an ready to fall on the lower sunporch roof. We had to remove what we could, to keep all that additional weight off the lower roof.

And finally here is just an example of the amount of snow we had up there.. had a hell of a time keeping the kitchen floor clean..

next trip, maybe the front stairs an be started ,, it is sorely needed.. I'll post a pic tomorrow.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-02T19:10:00.001-05:00

Daughter making use of the kitchen!

The tiles all grouted.

A closeup view of the grouted tiles.

2010-12-19T18:29:00.002-05:00

Just a few views of the kitchen backsplash... ran short on the glass tile border, 4 inches..oh well... close

The sink is in place, but not mounted.

something hiding in the cabinets... hmmm

Christmas present... we are rooster fanatics, can you tell?

the tiles won't look so choppy once they are grouted.

Have to buy one more glass tile, ran short 4 inches on the right.. the local Lowes did not have that color in stock.. next time, then can grout.

12-12-10

2010-12-12T19:37:00.002-05:00

Well, some wall tile got done, but not finished.. here is he center behind he sink...

Here is a distance view.. can't wait to have it all done, and grouted.

a mid sized shot... the camera was placed on the Island for this shot.

Next trip up, the remainder of the tile can be installed.. then maybe the grout???

2010-11-27T21:08:00.010-05:00

First, a pic of some newly fallen SNOW! The winter season is starting.

There are so many pictures today, some are from last weekend, some from this, I won't go into a lot of blabber about them, so I'll just explain what they are:

This of course is a ceiling fan installed in the Parlor.

Here is a ceiling fan for the upstairs Master Bedroom.

The fan in the living room was just installed.

Here is the pic of the kitchen from last weekend...

Now here is a picture of the kitchen from this weekend... the bar stools are in place, the corner china cabinet is layed in place in the rear of the kitchen, as with the glass table and chairs...

The half bath door got a coat of primer...

Last weekend, one bedroom door was framed and installed.. here is a view from the hall...

Here is a view from inside the room...

The Foyer got it's light reinstalled, it was an original to the house, I couldn't see getting anything different, it looked so charming there...

This picture is hard to see, may have to click on it to enlarge it, the blue swag lamps are put up... it's a little dark..

OK, different view of the swags, not a great view, but you can see the color of them...you can see the refinished window panes on the floor, the window frame needs attending, before they can be put back up... unfortunately, it's friggin cold there now!

Anyhow, nothing major was completed, a lot of little things, all necessary things that needed to get done, yet, always put off.

New Photos

2010-11-07T21:57:00.002-05:00

It was just a try-and-finish-up weekend! There are so many things just started and not finished... finally got the remainder of the cabinet doors installed..

Here is the Island face ( photos are clickable to enlarge)

This is the under cabinet garbage can finally installed! The other cabinet door will hide the garbage disposal, and it has a fake drawer front.

Here is a view of the Cabinet doors, and Pantry doors all installed!

The Pantry Cabinet!

Just a closer up view with the upper doors all installed!

Still a lot of stuff waiting to be finished.. but every one completed makes it that much closer. Besides the kitchen Cabinets being finished, the 1/2 bath door was framed out on the inside, we still have to make the moldings for the outside facing the mud room... we have to match the rest of the woodwork in the kitchen.

The Bathroom on the second floor got it's molding put up facing the hallway, but the interior has to be made. The original moldings were not saved due to the outside molding was cut short for the doorway, which we removed.. and the inside had the tub real close to the door, and they cut off the molding to allow it to fit.. so they have to be recreated. Another time!

more done

2010-10-25T23:13:00.003-04:00

Not alot I can show you except this pic shows the window frame back on.. not painted yet.. it's starting to all come together :)

A better view of the moldings ( photos are click-able to enlarge)

The bathroom in the mud room got a door! The moldings are still being stripped, but it's looking up too!
Maybe next trip some more painting will get finished.. still have ceilings to do in the livingroom, parlor, and foyer..and of course walls, but first things first.

Kitchen Photos!

2010-10-11T21:03:00.004-04:00

Still not finished... things just take time, but after a 3 day weekend, progress happened! The counter tops are made, they are sitting there, just not attached yet.. some things need be done first .

The light over the island was installed..

Hmmm just a closer up picture of the sink area.The stove goes on the left in that empty space, and the dishwasher goes on the right.

Just a different view. There is something above the cabinets on the wall.. I will explain in a few.

this is a drawing of the proposed back splash.It will be white subway tiles, with glass tiles for an accent. This was just thrown up to give me a quick peek to make up my mind of where to put the glass tiles... glad it was, cos now I've made up my mind. One block farther down suits me fine !

Now for that thing on the wall above the cabinets... We stole the design from the front staircase.. I wanted to carry the design into the kitchen.. we already used it on the island, on the counter supports... we took one small section and carved it into the supports.. not that anyone will see them anyway! (visible on two pics above, click on it to enlarge)

But now...I love the way cabinets look with crown molding above it. Sooo... I bought a piece, and had it tacked up in two places so I could have a look see... IN this pic, the crown molding is directly above the cabinets, ( a little too close for me) then the design will be above it.

In this picture, the crown molding is above the design near the ceiling.. it looks okay to me, but...it makes the design not look so good... what to do?

Well, as for the hinges and door knobs, well... I ordered them, and they came in in plenty of time to make it up to the house... only.... &%@@#$! I ordered the wrong ones! The knobs are fine, but the hinge won't work...I couldn't understand, I copied the order numbers from the last time I got some. Hmmmm. kept wondering how I made that mistake, and then... (light bulb goes on) NOW I remember, the first time I ordered them, I also ordered the wrong ones, and had to send them back for new! &%$#~! I had forgotten, I must have copied the wrong order sheet... ok back to the drawing board. ha ha ha next time!.

2010-09-12T20:32:00.002-04:00

More cabinets done.. however..found out we are short some hinges and door knobs.. not sure why.. I did buy enough, they were all counted.. but I guess no sense complaining, I have to order more..

This sink, is an original... it was up in the main bath when we bought the house. I love it, and couldn't go with out using it somewhere, so I thought it would be perfect for the half bath in the mud room!

Here is the light/exhaust fan I bought for the half bath.. I think it looks great! It works too!! lol

Another trip.. more to do!

2010-08-29T23:10:00.002-04:00

Just a few photos of the cabinets now. The chimney sweeper came, and took care of business.. seems we had a bird try to nest in the chimney. Now when I ordered the stove, I asked for a cap to keep the lil critters out.. and in all the commotion, with not being able to line it... and I had to call in someone who could line it right... they put the wrong cap on. I mean, why do you put a cap on a chimney? I always thought it was to keep the birds and squirrels out.. geesh! SO they gave us a cap with out the screening on it..

While he was cleaning the flu for the furnace, he determined we have to have that lined also.. so, sometime around November December he can get to that... and cost me about $1800 .

Anyway... here are pics of how the cabinets are coming, wish there was time to finsih them.. but I like what I see.. all photos are clickable to make them larger.

still paint in progress

2010-08-15T22:57:00.004-04:00

Well.. lots of painting was done on the cabinets.. all the doors got a finish coat of paint

The drawers are all painted

These are the mounting frames for the glass doors, all painted

the cabinet frame, got patched, and a finished coat of paint

Maybe the next visit, the doors can get mounted.. *fingers crossed* It won't be till two weeks, have to make a trip up having the chimney sweeper come.. maybe after seeing how it's done, we can do it ourselves next time *chuckles*

The Kitchen is starting to take shape

2010-08-01T20:36:00.003-04:00

Kitchen Cabinets are started!

The tub is caulked! I promised a photo..

A productive weekend

2010-07-18T20:09:00.004-04:00

First... one of the chores I took on to complete..I washed windows... and since they are now clean, I decided to mount the mini blinds.. not that they had to be put up now, but it gives the house a more lived in look from the outside... which I will show in a bit..
This is one bedroom ,,,,with mini blinds installed....
Here is the other bedroom....
Here is a close up on one of the windows in the last 1/2 bedroom ha ha ha ...

Now for a look at the effect from the outside... it looks more like a home, doesn't it?

This one was a rough one to complete.. but the floor is all sealed.. has three coats of sealer on it..
the "first time do it yourselfers didn't know to seal the slate before grouting, so the grout sorta soaked into the slate in some places.. had to scrub it out each tile individually.. best that could be.. it's liveable now.. and looks darn good all sealed.

inbetween coats of sealant drying, we managed to get the tub completed.. the water is all hooked up, and the faucets are installed.. the walls are caulked,, ready for a shower! Bout time!

Hmm I forgot to snap a pic of it all caulked... *smacks hands* ohh well.. next trip .

yes work was done... but....

2010-07-07T18:29:00.002-04:00

Nothing to show. It was a discouraging trip.. came home early... seems being newbies to tiling, we didn't know when you install slate tiles, they should be sealed before you install, so the grout mixture doesn't absorb into the tile... arghhh... there are some cleaning options we will try, but it was very disappointing to clean up, and still have it look undone.

Not gonna tell ya... how upsetting this made us.. that's the reason for the quick trip home.. next time .. I hope.

Summer is here.....sigh.... no wheres near done

2010-06-28T23:52:00.004-04:00

Well.. while waiting for the sealant to dry on the grout in the kitchen, it was a good time to put some more lights up. These were originally in the master bedroom.. we decided they weren't needed there, and put them in the hall.. I plan on putting only 25 wattt bulbs in them, to make them night-lights.. we have the bright recessed lights in the hall.. but this can be left on at night to travel back and forth to the bathroom. There is a light switch for them between the kids rooms.

Here they are all mounted... I like em.. and I got to keep some more original from the house.. a little old, a little new!

Here is the kitchen floor.. it's all grouted, and all the grout was sealed! Hopefully, it will make it easier to maintain. When we purchased these tiles over a year ago, we paid $.77 each.. geesh, if they don't go for $.56 each now! Grrrr oh well.. they aren't the most expensive to begin with, but I think they look nice.. and it isn't linoleum! (regular 12 x 12 inch tiles run around $2.49 each.)

What I had no pics of yet, were the cabinets.. they got very dusty waiting to be installed.. so he spent some time cleaning them up so they can be painted.. trying to get them all done so he can get them put up.

Busy Weekend

2010-06-20T21:31:00.004-04:00

First a look at the rewired old ceiling light fixture.. it isn't spectacular, but it's original to the house, so we kept it, and it fit just nicely at the top of the stairs. It had no lens cover, so we made one out of a piece of plastic for a recessed light... it does the job, and obscures the light bulbs from view. The Frame got a good clean, and repaint.. and all the colored glass was thoroughly cleaned and reinstalled. All the wiring and sockets were replaced and rewired..

Now just a few different views of the kitchen floor.. both surfaces were grouted.. they still need a bit of a clean-up.. was just too much in so little time.. but it looks real nice. The grout for the beige tiles, was supposed to be almond, yet it looks white.. not sure if another wash will brighten it up bit more. The slate tiles need to be polished off to remove residue in the cracks and seams.. then they have to be sealed. All photos are clickable to enlarge them!

the open rectangle in the center of the floor is going to be under the island.. it's for the drain and water pipes...
Well, that was about all that was done this weekend, except the lawn was mowed..

Just a note...

2010-05-19T09:30:00.003-04:00

The wall sconce at the bottom of the rear staircase, was hanging on the wall, with some really dumb plastic globe on it.. it's cast iron..and I thought it needed something a little more.. um.. well.. old looking...

While cleaning the rooms, I remembered an old globe for something, maybe a ceiling light, sitting on the windowsill upstairs.. so I washed it up, and it fit nicely! That's why maybe that wall sconce has a weird look to it.. ha ha ha.. it looked fine to me!

Little this..... little that

2010-05-16T22:11:00.002-04:00

Well, this weekend, was moving day for cousin and sis in law. Not much time to do a lot of work on the house, but every little thing done, is one more thing finished. Too tired to work on the floor tiles, lights went up instead.

Here is the ceiling fan that will hang over the kitchen table. The hole in the ceiling is for the smoke detector.

Here is one of the old wall sconces we rescued and rewired. Apparently, the new building codes, weren't applicable to the old lights.. we had to create a back plate to cover the new box for the wires... we tried everything we could to cover them nicely.. and this was our best idea.. he traced the wall sconces on plywood.. and smoothed out the curves.. and panted them the color of the walls.. so they could blend in ... the picture look good.. have to see them in person.

here is just a long view of the ceiling fan...and the wall sconce by the bottom of the rear staircase.

We tried so hard to include a lot of the old in our design..it is an old house, I didn't want it to look real modern.. but I wanted some of the modern conveniences. I sure hope it all works together and looks appealing!

still tiling

2010-05-02T23:20:00.005-04:00

A few more tiles were added to the field of cream tiles.. then the slate tiles went down..

He stopped tiling the remainder of the kitchen to get the tiles by the door done.. it's tough not being able to come and go!

Installation of kitchen tile floor started

2010-04-25T19:31:00.003-04:00

Just a few photos of the new tile floor for the kitchen.. now it's not finished yet..if he wanted to leave the house, or continue to work inside, he had to leave some areas unfinished till the next time.

The Half Bath

2010-04-12T10:42:00.003-04:00

Last thought, I forgot to add a photo of the half bath I painted.. the color may not be as vibrant as in real life, but it's a good close match.

The trip back home

2010-04-11T22:47:00.002-04:00

Just some photos of the nice trip home.. the road wasn't terribly busy till we neared New Jersey of course... always lotsa congestion in that area..

PAINT

2010-04-11T21:32:00.002-04:00

A view of the kitchen with the paint.... from 2 sides.. not my first choice in color.. but it will be ok.. I think >giggling< just wait till you see the other colors ... hahahahahaha

I actually did all the painting with the roller.. almost passed out from fumes near the end.. it was a low fume paint, but with the woodstove cranking, and the windows all closed it was sickening.

March 21, 2010..

2010-03-21T18:05:00.004-04:00

I wanted to show you some before and after photos, I find it nice to see the improvements side by side...I didn't have the exact angle to show, so I used two after photos from different sides. For a larger view of the photos, they are click-able.. then hit back on the browser to return to the blog.

Here is the rear landing area.. I was lucky the photos are almost exactly in the same viewpoint! You can see in the after photo, the actual doorway was removed, I found it unnecessary to have a door there.

Here is the kitchen floor view..with the cement backer board set in place.. almost half installed .. then tiles to go! We played with the tile settings, not sure which way I like them best.. I will post them soon!

Ever so Ever ...

2010-03-07T18:37:00.004-05:00

The color I chose for the hallway...and the rear landing.. this is closer to actual color..

This is another view of the wall.. due to the camera focused on the window.. the room looks darker.. but I can imagine it with the crisp white woodwork.

Here is a pic of the hard worker... with the counter supports he made. We saw something similar at Lowes, a little smaller, and they wanted $99 a piece, cost us $30 and a week of hell to make all 4 ... chuckles.

Some remnants of snow..

Choices

2010-01-24T20:31:00.001-05:00

OK, soo many choices.. but so far this one wins.. due to finances, best counter we can do right now would be a laminate.. so we chose those samples of laminates in the photo, with those tiles for a backsplash.. things may change.. one never knows

Slow and steady .....ugh

2010-01-17T20:34:00.005-05:00

OK, we got a few lights up this weekend..seeing as how ceilings are painted..this one is at the top of the front stairs, on the landing. Click on it to enlarge.. (my eyes need it ) but I chose one that resembles an older style, so it would fit in the house...

We put some covers over the recessed lights in the hallway..

Here is a quick photo of the bathroom light and mirror in place...unfortunately, over the year and a half since I bought them, one of the globes broke on the light, and I need to replace it.. but this would give an idea of what it looks like...

Anyway, some work was also done strengthening the kitchen floor joists, but no pics to show there.. so a little progress..

First floor primed!

2010-01-03T19:35:00.006-05:00

Just a few pics of the first floor with primer..

Parlor...

Parlor...

Mud room.....

Livingroom....

Livingroom...

Kitchen...

Kitchen...

Kitchen....

Kitchen...

Kitchen...

Front foyer...

front foyer

Ceilings next...

More paint!!

2009-12-20T18:06:00.003-05:00

Well, as redundant as the photos seem, I can say, I am really happy with progress... all the ceilings on the second floor are finish painted!!!

First here is a quick shot of the master bathroom ceiling...

Now a shot of the master bedroom......after....paint...the bathroom is visible in the rear of the photo...

Here, is a picture of the front stairs landing.. minus all the spindles and handrail..

NOW.. here is a picture of the tin ceiling in the master bedroom, paint in progress.. you can really see the difference...

And, here is the finished ceiling..... it might have a second coat yet, this was the only room that had no primer put on.. it was washed before painting, 3 times.. and it does look nicer, will have to wait to see how it dried before determining a second coat is needed or not.

Just another view .. giggling

Now this is the upstairs long hallway... looks soo good with the ceiling paint! Nice and bright!

I have all the wall colors chosen.. maybe next time, if not, maybe some of the ceiling fans will be installed.

More work!

2009-12-13T23:52:00.006-05:00

Well, I have to say, it was a very long weekend! The start out, wasn't so bad.. it was just cold and dark.. we left early.. no traffic to speak of on the road.. We were afraid of driving into blizzard conditions, but we were lucky the snow stopped before we got there.. just a mess to clean up, a little more work.

We raked some snow off the roof.. and cleaned the walks....

Although this wasn't us, it was a good clue as to the work ahead.. I snapped this photo on the way ....

As well as this scene.. my first look of snow for the season...

But all said and done, we got the bathroom ceiling and two bedrooms ceiling painted, then some paint on the bathroom walls.. all ready to replace the sink and toilet, finish off the tub and it's done.. (check one off the list he he )

So, to wrap it all up, we stacked the wood, shoveled snow, painted, vacuumed all the white dust of all the floors, sorted out some tools, measured stuff,

PRIMER!

2009-11-29T20:56:00.003-05:00

It's finally looking like something! What a difference a little primer makes.. This is the rear stairs landing...

Another view of the rear stairs landing ... facing the laundry room.

3rd bedroom with a coat of primer..

2nd bedroom with a coat of primer!

Main bath with primer!

The Hallway with primer!

Well, all that priming took 5 gallons of primer... still have a lot to go.. but what I didn't show is all the rooms are sanded vacuumed and washed down.. so it's paint paint paint time! My girls are still trying to decide what colors they want in their rooms, I have to hustle on that a bit they keep changing their minds.

Garbage work

2009-10-25T22:00:00.004-04:00

I had a dumpster delivered.. almost filled it clearing all the construction debris that was stored in the garage/carriage house. But just look how neat it is!

Now this circle thing.. made by the Altlanta stove works co. We have no clue what it is.... do you? The only thing we can even imagine it can be used for, is hung upside down, to hang pots and utensils from... good imagination? Could be.

Other than that, little clean-up in the house, got rid of the vinyl runner in the upstairs hallway, and the sheet of linoleum in the master bedroom.. not a very productive weekend as far as construction, but for a one man job, not too bad, he worked hard.

A change in plans

2009-10-04T22:20:00.004-04:00

Due to the on coming winter, we decided to change course on what what was being done.. but first, the windows were replaced.. after a stripping, and re glazing, and a painting, they were put back up before the weekend was over. IT's an old huge photo, but here is a before pic

Here is the before and after of the stair case to the cellar. We decided to get some insulation in the wall, so we removed the pantry cabinets that were there, which will be replaced.. to insulate, in the second half of that photo, you can see the mouse nest..on one of the beams.

This is the upper wall area.. first the pantry cabinets, then removed, and the bead board wall boards.. to the bare sheathing behind...

ANd so while it was all open, the door sill, was in need of repair also..the cellar has it's own entry door, as well as a door to the mud room. It's a little messy looking, it was all caulked up, but it all gets a coat of paint one day soon, I hope.

As long as the Van was going up.. I decided it needed to be filled a little, so I had my glider and cafe table set sent up to make a place to sit on the back porch.. I LOVE the way my glider fits there.. that was a Mother's day present for me two years ago.. I bought the plans, and my husband made it for me!

There is only one area left with out insulation, and that is the rear stairway to the second floor.. it also has bead board walls, maybe next trip that can be removed, and insulated, and replaced.. so it looks original, yet is energy efficent.

Upstairs sanding 99.9 % complete!

2009-09-21T11:20:00.002-04:00

I'll just post these pics to show the process.. the sanding is just about finished upstairs two ceilings left to work on.. they needed touch ups. The walls need a quick washdown inorder to paint now.. omg, I can't believe it... getting there! ( All pics are clickable to be made larger)

Before Pictures

2009-09-19T08:44:00.001-04:00

I don't really recall if I posted them here yet, but to refresh my memory, I loaded some before pictures of the house in my photo album there were just too many to list them here.

getting done slowly

2009-08-23T20:39:00.002-04:00

Well, it seems so simple, yet everything takes time. This is the bathroom that was in working order, in order to Spackle and paint, the toilet and sink had to come out, which in itself took some time. He then remembered to cover the tub and wall surround so they could stay fairly clean.

Now, this is what used to be the fourth bedroom, which is now the new laundry room, (far right) and sitting room. ( or may be still a fourth bedroom) He took pictures, to show me he had replaced the wood work around the windows! They really look nice, it now seems more like a room. In the ceiling in the center of the room, is the pull down stairs for the attic.

This photo is just showing the detail in the wood work. It isn't fancy, but it also isn't plain.. I am real happy it was all saved, stripped and reused. ( any photos can be clicked on to make larger)

Looking outside the window, you can see my carriage house.. I tried to avoid letting the outside be shown, it's in such poor shape, it needs a lot of siding repair, and paint!

I can't wait till it's all sanded, and painted, I bought all new ceiling fans, for most of the rooms, and I have some original ceiling lights and wall sconces I have been repairing, rewiring, to reuse in certain places, I can't wait to seee them installed!

Should I keep?

2009-08-19T11:20:00.003-04:00

Look at this Swag Lamp:

The left was before being washed, and the right is after. It's a two lamp set, they are wired together..I planned on using it in the kitchen over the pull out table I have.. I thought it would be perfect. The contractor on the other hand says trash it... but I love the colors.. if you click on it, it should be larger.

The carriage house

2009-08-17T22:59:00.001-04:00

Just wanted to show a photo of the exterior of the carriage house. It's kinda like a garage..only it used to hold horses and buggies in he past.

New Photos!

2009-08-16T19:46:00.008-04:00

I wanted to share photos of the top of the carriage house, it's enormous! For starters, we hope to make it a work shop and if you look, we have the wood moldings that we have to strip lined up there.

Here is facing the back of the yard:

A picture facing the front:

Two photos letting you see the span along the walls.. it is quite large!

Now a new photos of the kitchen.. those are the walls where the cabinets will be.. we have the soffits all set, we plan on decorating them with the pattern from the front staircase..to make it all belong.

Here is the view opposite the kitchen cabinets. You can barely see it, but there is the rear staircase on the right. The left takes you into the living room.

Now a view facing the back door (mud room) the rear staircase is more visible.

To the right of the back door, is where the small kitchen table will be. We have the old built in China Cabinet that should fit into the right corner. (click link to see cabinet )

Now the view of the living room. The carboard box is covering the wood stove to protect it from plaster.

The living room, facing the Sun Porch.

I think hubby was just showing off all the plaster on the walls for this.. it's the wall on the kitchen side.

And last for this week, is a photo of the living room facing the arch to the parlor, and the foyer.

Going slow ....

2009-08-09T20:44:00.005-04:00

Seems like things take forever.. but I realize how much effort is put into it. I look around, and can see the makings of a house.. it's so cool! When we bought it, it looked like a house, but then we did all the demolition, and I lost that perspective in the work process.

Here is a photo looking toward the front door. The doorbell was hung in place, just to get it off the floor.. I know, it isn't new, but I didn't want a new one.. this is original to the house, and I am trying to preserve that as much as I can. All we did was relocate it. It originally hung on the wall in the foyer, near the door.

As you could see by the picture above, the parlor is loaded with "stuff" we had to empty the sunporch, so we could hang the left over sheet rock to get it out of the way. Emptying the porch, was a major job.. it was loaded up with furniture, the kitchen cabinets, the corner china cabinet that came with the house...and my little refrigerator.

The next two pictures are of the sunporch, with the sheet rock hung on the ceiling. It was just short of completion.. we didn't realize what was left would go so far! Hubby figures he needs another 20 sheets, 4 x 8 to finish.. ~sigh~ so close yet so far!

Facing the back of the house:

Facing the front of the house:

These photos (below) were taken just so I can appreciate the green grass growing! Last trip there, there was snow on the ground. This is my back yard (postage stamp) As you can see the carriage house has some issues.. but we are hoping to help it out in the spring time.

Here is a view out my closet windows (second floor). I love the house across the street.. it has a lot of fancy woodwork on it, I am not sure if the photo shows it enough, you may have to click the photo to see it enlarged. The biggest problem with that house, is the space between it and the neighbors! OMG I could not be that close.. I am close enough.

Anyway, this trip, hubby came home with a little bit of a chip on his shoulder. Apparently sis-in-law had some things to say to him, that she really had no knowledge of, and angered him. Thank God it's his sister, not mine! It centered around me, yeah I know, I am in the middle again.. always me.. my fault.. but, he was able to put it aside for now.. but if she ever brings it up again, I know she will be sorry.... he won't hear it again. I don't want ill feeling, I am hoping to make this my home, and I want peace with my family members in the area.

First floor..work is started!

2009-07-12T20:32:00.003-04:00

I know, more pictures of sheetrock.. but now it's the first floor! Here is one of three shots of the parlor.

Second view of the parlor facing the living room..

Third view, facing the foyer..

Here is the old kitchen section, off the new kitchen..

A view facing the back door, the bathroom, and a closet, and the door in the back is the basement door.

Standing near the basement door...

This photo is of the new kitchen area.. getting set up to start applying spackle.

So far, the rooms have only one coat of spackle, and it needs two.. so a little more left to do, and a second coat can be applied.

Putting it back together.. slowly

2009-07-10T19:34:00.002-04:00

It's nice to see things going back together.. here is one window frame all back, and looking real good! It was stripped, and all the imperfections were filled, and put back up.. it's really starting to loook like something!

OK another photo of the same window, but it looked so nice, I couldn't decide which photo to use..

I just thought maybe seeing it in different views would show off the details of it more, it's actually a nice frame..

There was a lot of stripping involved, but he did a lovely job, we have a lot more stripped, except he forgot to bring home the sills and window stops.. so this trip this weekend, he will gather them up, so they can be cleaned up also, and reinstalled. I should have more pics Sunday, if things go right :)

Spackle, spackle, spackle...

2009-06-21T18:51:00.008-04:00

Well, I didn't think I was gonna put up photos, but it's looking so nice, I decided to. First a look at my peony... nice to see something bloom.

Now a closeup of one flower...

Well, of course I messed up the loading of the pics, so they are out of order, but here is bedroom #2 looking out toward the hallway.. almost all the rooms upstairs, have a first coat of Spackle on them.

Here is a view of Bedroom # 3 ...

The hallway, looking toward the rear of the house....and the rear stairs.

Now a look from the rear stair landing facing the front of the house.

Bedroom #4 facing the steps.. it' snot actually a bedroom anymore it will be a sitting room, unless needed.

Same room, facing the laundry room.. you can see the access stairs for the attic in the ceiling.

Here are photos of the master bathroom. The Father-in-law came over to help Spackle, so some may not look so pretty but he did help (argh) He enjoyed working on the house, so who can argue?

Different view of same bathroom.

Once the Spackle is done, and all the sanding, the tub enclosure can be made, and then the floor can be laid. then the doors for the shower stall can be put on.

more work!

2009-06-07T18:55:00.001-04:00

Well, a couple of views of the parlor.. this one faces the foyer, and on the far right, the living room.

And then this view is of the front of the house.. he only had a small strip on the bottom to finsh all the way around.

Here is a view of the living room hubby straightened out the far wall, took away the bump out behind the fireplace, he thought it would look nicer level, besides the wall by the left window was messed up.

Two views of the wall one by each window. The holes above the fireplace are for wall sconces, and in the center an outlet so "I can decorate for the holidays" The contractor insisted I needed it.

Well, that's all for this week, he insulated and sheetrocked the downstairs bath also, but I didn't put those pics up, as well as the small closet next to the bath.. he did get a lot done by himself.

Tues May 26th, 2009

2009-05-26T15:49:00.003-04:00

Memorial Day:

Lots of work was done on Foyer, and Parlor. I wanted to put all 6 photos on, but they seem to be redundant... so I decided to add them to my Photo Album As to not bore everyone :-) Click the link if you wish to see.

This however is a brand new photo of the front of the house, the porch is getting pretty shabby, and insecure, it will need some restructuring soon.

more work!

2009-05-17T19:04:00.008-04:00

Since I showed some photos of the kitchen drywall two weekends ago, I thought I would just continue on with it, so here is a different view of the kitchen.

The next one shows leading into the living room from the new Kitchen area.

This one is the living room wall, facing the kitchen...

Same wall..facing the other way..you can see into the kitchen this way..

Now here is the wall facing the Parlor...

Same wall by the parlor, showing more to the doorway for the Front Foyer...and the little piece of doorway showing on the right, is for the sunporch entry..

Then finally the door for the sunporch off the living room!

Another view of the wall by the parlor, and foyer entry..

Well, he did a lot this weekend..the wall shown above, was very out of line, it seemed to "lean" so he had to restructure the wall before he cover it..he will have to do the same on the reverse when he gets in the parlor..might have been cheaper, and easier to just put all new 2 x 6 studs in..but alas hindsight :)

OH my looking good!

2009-05-03T20:29:00.004-04:00

You may remember the way it was looking before, ...

Here is the same room, different look! Niceeee isn't it??

Now here is a photo of the rear staircase....

One last look of the kitchen, looking in from the old kitchen area, now the mud room.

It's getting there...looking great!

I can see the light at the end of the tunnel...

2009-04-26T20:03:00.008-04:00

This weekend, brought a small amount of completion, but it really does make a difference. I am pretty sure, I showed this photo before,, with a small change, the beams on the ceiling, well, last time they were very cooked, and I remember commenting on how forgiving the plaster must have been, however it seems it was just hubby's eye at the time, he looked at it this weekend, and said, "what was I thinking?"

Obviously, it was just his thinking at the time, for he corrected his work today. He had to remove the beams he added, and re-level them. (shown below)

Now, for the photo, after drywall!

It's definitely looking up! Don't you think?

Now, here is just a photo of the first floor half bath ceiling. He had already installed the ceiling fan, but he had to run all the pipes for it, before enclosing it.

Basically, all ceilings are up, except he has to finish the parlor ceiling, the main pieces are up, he just has to cut some smaller pieces, and was waiting to see if there was any off cuts from the other rooms, which there wasn't. Last to be done, will be the sun porch, which we are storing all our kitchen cabinets and such in, so after we get the floor set in the kitchen, we can start evacuating the room.

More Ceilings

2009-04-19T18:41:00.005-04:00

These may seem redundant, it's sheet rock, and more sheet rock, but it's progress all the same. Here is a view of the new kitchen area looking toward the front of the house.

This is another view of the kitchen, facing the side of the house, that's the wall the oven will be located on.

Here is the area by the back door, looking off into the new kitchen. This is where the old kitchen was.

Now here is another view of the room, facing the side of the house.

And now the other side facing the back door, and basement stairs. The larger bump out will be a 1/2 bath, and the smaller one will be a new coat closet.

I know I didn't put up photos last time, I sort of forgot to pack the camera. I think everything was pretty much covered as to what he managed to get finished on the weekend. Hubby spent Sunday, replacing a bathroom sink and vanity for his sister, as long as he was up there. It took away some work time on the house, but she feeds him super every other Saturday, so he was happy to do it for her.

No house photos

2009-04-15T20:24:00.001-04:00

BUT I have a photo of the new pantry cabinet. Just finished, well unpainted, but just put together! It was too tall for a nice look at it, cause I had to keep it in the garage, it was dark out by the time the hardware was installed.

So here is a photo of the whole pantry...

And here is a close-up photo of just the top half.

Work, and views

2009-04-05T18:20:00.011-04:00

I was gonna show off the work process first, but, I seemed to have loaded the photos in backwards, sooo...

Here is a view of the town from the Cemetery on top of the hill.

Here is another view, but on this one, if you click on it, you can see my house! I placed and arrow to show it off...sweet!

Here is just another view of the Cemetery, with some background of the town..it's a huge hill to climb, not keen on walking it. Luckily the road was just opened from the snow. They don't plow it..the Cemetery closes in the snow weather..

Now, here is a photo of the front stairs, with all the spindles removed. It was a big process to remove them. We stripped all the spindles that rest on the top landing, now we just have to strip the remainder. Seems there are 6 missing, we have to fabricate.

This is the second bedroom, Spackling is started, looking up!

Well, so much for now, I do have a photo of what's left of the snow, but I think you can see in the Cemetery, there isn't much left. It's a shame the sun wasn't shining today, the photos would have been gorgeous! Next week!

second floor complete

2009-03-29T17:54:00.004-04:00

All the drywall was installed on the second floor! It still needs spackling, but at least it's all hung. Have some corner protectors to install yet, but that's quick. Here is a pic of the finished hallway, facing the front of the house.

And here is the hallway, facing the back of the house! Looks the same huh? Well almost.

And the final photo is of one of the closets. The photo is deceiving, it looks tiny, but it isn't.

Now for just a little bit of plumbing left, and on to drywall for the first floor! However, I believe, the phone and cable lines are to be installed first! it's starting to look like a house again!

no work in the house this weekend

2009-03-20T20:47:00.003-04:00

Hubby isn't feeling well....

So this weekend, while he moans and groans about how sick he is, he'll probably work in the garage, finishing that pantry cabinet. It's been started, but still a lot to do on it. I'll post pics when I can.

More next weekend then!

more sheet rock

2009-03-15T19:26:00.003-04:00

Oh my..sheetrock! The hall is looking so good now..I know it's not done..but a big improvement.

Here's another photo of the hall...the sheet rock gun died..so he had to stop. Brought the gun home to repair.. but it's looking good!

Yes, the wall is a purple shade..it's the bathroom..which has a mold resistant, water resistant paper. Looks good doesn't it?

an I helped...................

2009-03-08T19:49:00.009-04:00

Frist some photos of the remaining snow.... this one is out my front parlor window....

Here is a photo from the rear of the house looking toward the sun porch....

Here is a view off to the neighbors yard..you can see there is still a lot hanging around, even with the rain we had this weekend!

Now..we got a new delivery of sheet rock for the first floor..not yet ready to install it, have to finish upstairs first, but now that we finished the upstairs plumbing, and the tub and shower surrounds are in, that can be done! These are the 8 footers, and ten footers (sheet rock)

Here is a photo of the living room...it's our work station, only because the wood stove is in the room :) We had to adhere the wood support strips to the tub surround, before applying it to the wall, so it's sitting there drying a bit..

Ahh yes, the 16 foot sheet rock boards :) they don't look like much sitting there, but they are heavy! We had to split up the rooms to store the stuuff, so there was no great load in one spot.

Here is a photo of the installed shower stall..only needs the glass and door installed..but that can wait till after the walls are insulated, and sheetrocked, this had to be applied direct to studs.

Same with the tub surround..direct to studs..this one was a bit harder to install, something somewhere was not completely level, so we had to trim the bottom of the wall panels a bit..came out nice though..you can't see the trimmed area.

So...I spent my evening playing go-for gal..and instruction reader..I believe I helped quite a it though...I am pretty good at problem solving.....I was also able to check things over, and make sure all the places I want towels holders in the baths, had supports for the screws to install them..once the walls go up..it's too late to change my mind..so I had to put my seal of approval on everything.

suppose a kitchen?

2009-02-22T18:21:00.003-05:00

I know..it isn't ready to be a kitchen, but hubby had to adjust the slanted rear wall in the corner, so he had to attach some cabinets to see what's what. I didn't want any plumbing in an exterior wall...so it will go up through the corner..and adjustments had to be made.

The corner cabinet, will be a bit small, it's supposed to be just for knick knacks...but if you can see, there will be a small gap inbetween..on both sides..so we will add shelving there.

Hubby didn't feel like he accomplished much..but he worked on plumbing, (nothing to show there) and put some supports in between the studs to accept towel holders and such. Everything he gets done, makes him one step closer to a finish!

Woohoo more walls!

2009-02-15T18:08:00.004-05:00

I know, this must be getting boring for ya'll..but I'm really excited! Looky more walls! Here is a photo looking out the Master bedroom into the front stair landing.

Don't worry, the wire sticking out of the wall isn't electrical it's the cable line..not hooked up yet..just strung there. The wall to the right, the one that is still just beams, belongs to the bathroom..and further back is the master bathroom.

This next photo is the Master bedroom also..and it shows a view facing the front of the house..and the Master Closet is on the far right. Yeah I know it has windows also..I can work around that..it's large enough.

This is also the master bedroom..but facing the front left side..Just behind the camera man..is the Master Bathroom.

Next two photos of the master closet..one higher than the other ;) The beam in the corner is left exposed for now..they were 4x4 posts I believe.

Hubby isn't sure if he should box it in, leave it exposed...or just paint it white. another last minute decision!

More walls!

2009-02-09T10:54:00.002-05:00

I know, it gets redundant, seeing just sheetrock upon sheetrock..but I can see the overall..it's getting done!

Here is a photo, showing out the door of the laundry room.

Now, a photo of the laundry room, looking in!

And this angled wall completes, the rear landing area...Next weekend, he moves on to the master bedroom, but he has to stop half way, and work on some more plumbing.. then the master bedroom closet...then.....

Just the longgg hallway..and the two baths..and upstairs is ready for some spackle..ugh..not my favorite job..but I think it became my job.....but at least I can free him up from the minimal work, so he can continue with all the important stuff...like the whole downstairs!!! ha ha ha

I had been reluctant to venture up for the weekend..four weekends in a row, we had trouble here on the home front..so I am pretty skiddish about leaving the kids alone...sometimes, it's better I am here. We'll see

A couple more complete

2009-02-05T10:43:00.001-05:00

Just wanted to share the finish of two more upper cabinets.

Hubby has the makings of two more ready to put together..at the moment, there will be no priming or painting, they will go up to the house this way..it's too cold in the garage to paint, and not safe with the propane heater.

We decided to wait on installing the chicken wire..he can do that anytime in the future...he saved all the old windows, it can be done anytime.

Choices...hmmmm

2009-02-04T09:15:00.002-05:00

OK...we bought some chicken wire, just to be able to take a look at what the result would be. It's not mounted in permanently..it's laid in there, so it won't be 100%

Here is the before photo, as I posted last week..cabinet

Well......?

sheetrock...

2009-02-02T10:39:00.002-05:00

But first..a look at the weather...

Can you see the icicle?

Now for the work that was done..hubby got far this weekend..these photos are dark, but this is a pic of the rear stair landing..it will also be a sitting room..and the walls are done!

Here is the front stairs landing, also finished!

Now in the front landing at the top of the stairs, is a beam, from the original house construction. It looks like, hubby would like to let it be exposed..I would have to see it in person before deciding..but he said it can go either way..I'm not sure...hmmm

And now, here is a pic of the second bedroom finished...I know they are dark, hubby has a habit of focusing on the windows...

another step forward

2009-01-29T11:22:00.002-05:00

Here is a quick shot of the over the fridge cabinet. It's not done yet, I have to pick up the chicken wire today...still considering that idea at this time, but we'll see.

Just a coat of primer, and some paint, and it'll be ready for installation.

Finally looking like something!

2009-01-26T08:29:00.003-05:00

That's all I can say, it's been a long year, almost ;) BUT first, I wanted to show those of you who only get 6 or so inches of snow a year..what happens when it lingers around for a while! (AND you know who you are!) ;)

OKAY on to the work! Hubby was busy trying to get some more sheet rock hung..the old beams were a trial, as they originally had plaster on them, and the unevenness of the hand made 2 x 4 beams didn't matter..but when applying sheet rock, it certainly does! Hubby had to build out some of the beams as he went to make it more even.

I have to admit though, I looked at bare beams for so long, it really looks strange to me to see them covered!

This room is pretty much complete..it needs the closet doors put in, as you can see below, that empty area is where the 4 foot wide bi-fold doors will be for the closet. I wanted to be able to have total availability for what's hidden in the closet..my children aren't much for dragging everything out to get to the bottom of things, so they won't have to now.

Oh yeah, you can probably see what appears to be two outlets real close to one another..but it isn't really.. one is an outlet, the other is for cable/phone lines. We placed the cable lines on both sides of the room, not knowing what the set up of each room would be, this way there wouldn't be lines running all around the room.

He started on the next room...which I don't have a photo of posted here..it isn't much to see...but I am pleased with the progress so far..

Hubby had some last minute plumbing to install behind the walls for the laundry room, and the vent pipes for the downstairs bathroom..he wants to have them in before he closes up the walls..so he's trying to do it as he goes..might have been better to just do all the piping first, but he wanted to feel like he accomplished something for a change..and having all that sheet rock hanging around, just seems to get in his way!

I'll have more photos next week!

Cold weather work!

2009-01-18T19:21:00.002-05:00

Well..as you can see by this photo, there is snow..I tried to alter the photo to make it clearer, but I don't think it worked well. All the snow photos came out with a blue hue...the sun wasn't shining!

Now for some photos of the indoor work being done! More ceilings were put up..this one shows the upstairs hallway...

Which leads to the landing at the top of the front steps...

Only the two bathroom ceiling, the laundry room and the Master bedroom closet have to be done, then on to walls! The Master bedroom has the original tin ceiling still..and I hope to keep it that way!

more work

2009-01-11T18:14:00.002-05:00

OK..I see work done...Hubby doesn't think he did a lot. First a photo of the downstairs..looking from one end to the other.

Next a photo of the first room with a ceiling! Sheetrock was hung..and it took a while, but I'm sure you'll agree with me, you can see work was done!

Here is a view of a couple of rooms put up!

And now a close up view..I am happy with it...it may have taken a while..but it's starting to look like something!

Almost a year!

2009-01-05T09:39:00.003-05:00

Yup, we closed on the house January 18th..although the shock of the condition of the house, didn't calm down till around March, so even though we have had the house almost a year, it hasn't been a year of construction (de struction)

Now just a couple of photos..(Love pics myself)..of the insulation in the "old" kitchen area. Hubby took photos of other places, but they are truly too dark to see..he aims towards the windows..and he gets dark photos.

Here is a photo of the front staircase. He had to level them after the radiator fell..the new stair treads aren't on yet, but in order to put the insulation in properly, he had to do the shimming.

I am pleased with the progress, he sees not much done in 5 days, but it really is a big house, and there is always a "but first!"

Now he can concentrate on the upstairs sheetrock...oh, "but first" he has to finish the plumbing, he has to run some vent lines in through the wall leading upstairs to the roof!

Soon?

MORE SNOW!

2008-12-31T10:05:00.002-05:00

Hubby has to travel North again this evening..what a wonderful white world! This is the view out my front door..it seems like more than just a flurry..huh?

One photo to share

2008-12-29T11:35:00.002-05:00

Ok, I went through all the photos again...I found only one I can even think of posting..

As you can see it is a touch blurry..but not as bad as most ;) It's a photo of the wall the kitchen cabinets will go on...he wanted to add nailing surfaces for mounting the cabinets..and I am sure you might have noticed the yellow papers..that's his notes for the electrician..since chances are he won't be there when the guy shows up tp work, he likes to be clear on his additions! It worked well for the upstairs...hopefully things are still clear enough for the first floor.

(Smile)

2008-12-29T10:43:00.002-05:00

I had a camera full of photos, I would have loved to share, but they were sorely out of focus!

Unfortunately, I had used the camera in manual mode..and forgot to change it back..and hubby not knowing the difference (aim and shoot) took loads of out of focus shots.

He went up alone this weekend, but he had an extra day at it..so he accomplished what he needed to. He got the house cleaned up...(all tools packed away)everything removed from around the circumference of the rooms, so the electrician can do his thing.

The electrician stopped in, and mentioned he could be at the house to run his wires this week..so we can start putting in the insulation next weekend!

Hubby went around and marked all the special wiring instructions where they need to be.

He thinks he will go up to the house a bit earlier this weekend, since he's off on the 1rst.. if the electric is done by then, I told him there are loads of things he can do..after all I already bought the new stair treads..they are sitting there waiting for their turn, and there is loads of sheet rock that can be worked on, that's there also!

The only reason it wasn't done yet, is because he was busy trying to get the downstairs prepped for the electric...which is ready..now he can start other things that need to be done.

I'll look through the photos again, and see if any of them are clear enough to post..till then!

moving closer

2008-12-17T10:44:00.003-05:00

Well, I made a few changes. There was a closet under the front steps, but the door for it was in the livingroom. I thought it best, to have the closet open into the foyer, so hubby changed it around, and he had to rebuild the wall for under the stairs, to secure it some. He still has to replace the steps he broke when he dropped the radiator, but he needs to reinforce that side of the steps in some way first.

While he was at it, he straightened out a nailing surface for the sheetrock..I can't believe how much forgiveness is allowed by using plaster on the walls!

Here again, the last thing hubby got around to, was repairing the floor damage under an old leaky radiator! It's been covered over with plywood, so he could put the radiator back on to keep the house warm, but we aren't sure which way we want to go next..gotta keep plugging on getting ready for electric, so we can insulate!

The work continues

2008-12-12T11:32:00.002-05:00

The work continues, even when not at the house! Here I have two photos to share, of the island cabinet, before priming. As shown in the second pic, the garbage can is on the right, but on the left, will be a small work sink, and garbage disposal.

Hubby at the auction!

2008-12-05T15:04:00.003-05:00

Here is the highlight of his trip! We saw this picture in the auction listings, and we both liked it, so I told him to go for it. He picked it up for $17.50.

When he called me, he told me, they called it a print..so I said it was nice anyway..

When he brought it home, I inspected it..it's not a print, it's an original watercolor!

It's not a famous painter, but he has had loads of pictures out at auction. It's by George M Hathaway..I looked him up, didn't find a lot of info, except he lived 1853-1903. So it's old..and it fits right in my new old house!

Hubby did well!

More complete!

2008-12-01T09:55:00.003-05:00

Well, hubby insulated the sun porch..it was the only room downstairs that was able to have insulation at this point, but cold air was pouring in from there, and it needed to be done.

In order to insulate the porch, Hubby had to empty the room, so he laid out all the cabinets in the soon to be kitchen, to have a look see...

Then he built the soffits above the top cabinet areas... looking good!

It's getting closer! I'm excited.

every weekend is exciting!

2008-11-23T22:42:00.003-05:00

Hubby works on the house, and comes home disappointed not much was finished..but he doesn't see the large picture..it's getting closer..each and every time!

This weekend..there wasn't a huge variety of stuff completed..but one major job was done..he managed to put back the ceiling beams in the living room..had to remove them to do the plumbing, without cutting any...and instead of the 2 x 12 beams that were there, he replaced them with 2x4's..seeing they are only there to hang the ceiling sheet rock on..that gives us a higher ceiling height. not a huge change, but it makes it almost 8 foot..and I'm happy with that.

Then, he finished repairing the ceiling beams in the kitchen...five of them were bits put together to make a long piece, and hubby wanted to be sure it was strong, so he replaced some, with a larger over lap, so it would have some strength.

Next weekend, he plans on insulating the sun porch..and trying to put the firring strips on the outer walls, so the electrician can come back..then we can insulate the downstairs! Let's hope having an extra day next weekend, he can get more done, would love to not have to have the furnace sucking so much oil down!

It seems we went in a complete circle..bought the house, there was snow on the ground..and it's back again! Almost a year.....

Work was done

2008-11-17T10:18:00.003-05:00

Lot's was done, just no real photos to share. Most of the work was plumbing..and a photo of just pipes, isn't very exciting!

It was work that had to be done, for the progression of things. Hubby seems very disappointed, he feels nothing much was accomplished..but he did well!I have to keep reminding him, in due time. He had to finish the plumbing, so he can put the ceiling beams back up..and that has to be done, before the electric goes in..which has to be done, before we can insulate. And so on, and so on.......

I do have one photo I can share..I will put it up in just a bit..just thought of it.

The house looks so barren...but after this trip up, I do hope that changes a bit!

Somethings being done!

2008-11-10T10:29:00.002-05:00

Here is a photo of where the new kitchen will be, showing the side of the house side. We plan to keep that window for now, it's different..and I like it. It has storms (some) on it..and we have to decide how to fix them..but it can be done later.

Now..here is a photo of the same view I posted earlier. It's been cleaned up a bit..and the floors still aren't the same height..but we have some more demoing to do yet!

An finally hubby started framing out the wall for the new 1/2 bath..It's going to be located in the mud room..(previously the old kitchen) It's not large..but it doesn't need to be. Next to the bath, we are planning to put in a small closet for those coats and boots/ shoes..it's been a long time since I had one..and I can't wait for it!

Just a note, Hubby's hernia didn't act up at all this weekend, so even though he was alone, he did do quite a lot. Besides the reconstruction..he fixed a pipe attached to the hot water heater..and he stuffed the basement windows with some insulation. Now I know that seems like a funny thing to do, but there really isn't any windows there. They rotted away, and were replaced by a sheet of plywood..one day, we will get them replaced, but for now..it's warmer down there!

My home, my problems

Back in time.... I knew it was mine...

Steps Stained

Happy New Year!

12-12-10

New Photos

more done

Kitchen Photos!

still paint in progress

The Kitchen is starting to take shape

A productive weekend

yes work was done... but....

Summer is here.....sigh.... no wheres near done

Busy Weekend

Just a note...

Little this..... little that

still tiling

Installation of kitchen tile floor started

The Half Bath

The trip back home

PAINT

March 21, 2010..

Ever so Ever ...

Choices

Slow and steady .....ugh

More spindles ready to go

First floor primed!

More paint!!

More work!

PRIMER!

Garbage work

A change in plans

Upstairs sanding 99.9 % complete!

Before Pictures

getting done slowly

Should I keep?

The carriage house

New Photos!

Going slow ....

First floor..work is started!

Putting it back together.. slowly

Spackle, spackle, spackle...

more work!

Tues May 26th, 2009

more work!

OH my looking good!

I can see the light at the end of the tunnel...

More Ceilings

No house photos

Work, and views

second floor complete

no work in the house this weekend

more sheet rock

an I helped...................

suppose a kitchen?

Woohoo more walls!

More walls!

A couple more complete

Choices...hmmmm

sheetrock...

another step forward

Finally looking like something!

Cold weather work!

more work

Almost a year!

MORE SNOW!

One photo to share

(Smile)

moving closer

The work continues

Hubby at the auction!

More complete!

every weekend is exciting!

Work was done

Somethings being done!