Three weeks... three weeks!

Lots of work has been done this week. The interior trim has been painted, the walls have received their first coat of paint, the new HVAC compressor has been installed, the bathroom floor is in, and the basement has been cleaned out (the brick walls have been bleached too - they're pretty dirty after 80 years). Also, the fireplaces have been cleaned out and prepped for the coal basket inserts that are going in them. Tomorrow the floors will be sanded, and early next week they will be stained a walnut color. The basement will be pressure washed too.

Then after the floors are done, the cabinets will be installed, along with the light and bathroom fixtures. Once the inside of the house is done, the work will move to the outside where the trim will be repainted a creamy (and less dijonaise) color, the landscaping will be updated, and the driveway will be prepared with two spaces at the end for our cars. Check out our latest pics:
(By the way... you can click on a picture to view it larger.)

Bathroom - almost done! (and looking so sharp already)


Doors being painted in the living room.



Back bedroom... I was told it looks "handsome," and I agree.



Back bedroom


Kitchen painted...


Front Bedroom... I'm not in love with this color, but we'll see.

Front Bedroom - the color looks pretty good with the fireplace though.

Dining Room - it turned out great! The fireplace still needs to be painted though.

Dining Room looking into Living Room

Dining Room

Only Four More Weeks to Go!

We are getting excited! The renovation has been kicked in to high gear as we enter the final four weeks of the project (prior to closing date and the addition anyway). We had our meeting with the HRC people again today, and I am happy to say that we were approved for the addition plan!! We still have some minor details to work out, but we should be able to start on the addition as soon as we close on the house.

We spent some time over the weekend picking out paint colors and fixtures. The painters should be in there priming the whole place towards the end of this week, and they will paint everything at the beginning of next week. Then, the floors will finished. At some point over the next couple of weeks, the remaining insulation will be installed in the attic and floors, the HVAC unit and ducts will be updated/replaced as needed, and kitchen cabinets and counters will be installed. One issue that came up recently was that we had to fix the wall between the kitchen and dining room in order to more accurately preserve the historical character of the house and (hopefully) receive some historic tax credits from the state... The wall is still being fixed up. Check out some of our latest pictures:

The kitchen with some texture sprayed on the walls...

(The texture is good for hiding imperfections in the old plaster.)

Repaired wall in kitchen...(still a work in progress)

Family room - it's starting to shape up!

New closet in back bedroom...


Bathroom... notice the new built-in shelving on the wall to the right above the molding. (The shelf is located in the back of the closet in the front bedroom.)

Bonus room - starting to take shape.


The tile we picked out for the bathroom.


House existing floorplan...

Things are coming together...Only 6 weeks to go!

We went before the Historic Resource Commission two weeks ago, and they mostly were okay with our plans for the house addition. However, some items that we still need to submit to them include window specifications (no vinyl windows allowed in a historic district!), a landscaping plan for the yard, and a hipped roof plan (as opposed the the gable originally proposed). So, we are making all changes required and will go back to the HRC in another two weeks. We should be able to cruise right through that meeting (fingers crossed!).

All is still on schedule for us to close on October 8. New walls and ceilings have been installed where needed. Also, insulation guys came last week to blow in "Air Krete" environmetally-friendly insulation in all of the outside walls. Other people will be installing insulation in the attic and under the floors. The Air Krete has already made a noticeable difference in the house, according to the guy who is working on it. It's hard to believe that the walls had NO insulation before! Kitchen cabinets are scheduled to be delivered around September 8. A mold inspection was conducted and joists, etc. in the basement are going to be treated to remove existing mold and to prevent future mold growth.

Check out our latest pictures...

View of kitchen from dining room - holes in wall are for insulation.


Looking from kitchen to dining room.


New ceiling in family room.


New closet in back bedroom.

Strip Tease....

We are getting closer!!! Construction of the new wall in the kitchen will allow us to triple our closet space in the adjoining bedroom. The final layout in the guest bedroom will include 2 sets of 5-panel doors which will provide access to the closet space. They have also constructed the knee wall which will serve as a bar between the kitchen and dining room.....opening up the space quite a bit.

Stripping of all the old paint, wallpaper, dirt, etc. continues throughout the rest of the house. Apparently the original owners also wallpapered the ceiling...this must have seemed like a good idea at the time! A new subfloor has been installed in the bathroom. Following this phase, new plumbing will be reinstalled along with the clawfoot tub underneath the window. Several trees-of-heaven and a precariously leaning Norway spruce were also removed from the property. We are shooting for a closing date in early October....only 8 weeks to go!

Down to the bare walls in the kitchen......

Looking into the kitchen from the guest bedroom

bathroom (work in progress)

trim cleanup in the hall

Making Progress!

In the past week, the ceilings have come out of the kitchen and living room, which have exposed a roof/attic in very good shape. Also, the chimney has been torn out of the kitchen, the walls of the butler's pantry have been removed, and the doorway in the second bedroom has been moved (to prepare for the future addition). We have decided on a great layout for the addition that utilizes all available space of the existing house and minimizes wasted space in hallways. We'll even have a small laundry room on the main floor, which will be nice. We are going to turn in our application for the Historic Resource Commission on Tuesday, to get on the agenda for their August meeting - approval of addition plans are necessary since we are in the historic district. All is on track for the rehab to be done by October 1, with the addition to begin shortly thereafter...

Attic/roof above kitchen

Initial removal of chimney and butler's pantry walls

Chimney and walls are gone!

Wall between kitchen and dining room has

been opened up... A shorter wall/breakfast bar will be

added back in its place... (Looking towards kitchen)

The tear out continues.....

The crew continues the trash removal and demolition at the house. The latest casualty.....the back porch. This porch was closed in years ago years ago using cheap faux wood panelling and virtually zero insulation. It had to go....in its place will be new conditioned space that will serve as a mudroom in the rear of the house.

German siding and a beadboard ceiling was uncovered in the bonus room. The previous owners had nailed a heavy canvas fabric over the entire room. The beadboard will remain, but the siding will likely be removed and replace with drywall during the bathroom construction.

The backyard was also uncovered....My buddy Lee also identified several invasive species (Tree-of-heaven, etc.) that will be removed during the landscaping phase of the project.

beadboard in bonus room

back porch demolition

View of cleared backyard (tree of heaven in center)

Week #2 - Interior clean up Pt. 2

With all of the trash out of the house, this week was spent assessing the damage to the ceiling and walls within the house. Old flooring (asbestos tile) in both the kitchen and guest bedroom were pulled up and trashed. The original oak/pine flooring underneath was still in decent condition, but will require significant sanding and staining.

We will be meeting with our interior designer tomorrow to discuss the layout for the addition. Stay tuned for more information on that portion of the project!


wood floors in guest room


water damage in living room


wood floors in kitchen


old paneling in bonus room