March 25, 2007

making rounded fence pickets

Two weeks after planting the fence posts, we pulled in an actual skilled carpenter and made a bunch of rounded-top fence pickets.

Continue reading "making rounded fence pickets"

Posted by john m at 12:49 PM | Comments (6)

March 6, 2007

this year's house plan

The first little tastes of spring are in the air and we're planning our next steps of working on the house.

Continue reading "this year's house plan"

Posted by john m at 3:56 PM | Comments (2)

February 24, 2007

Staunton, Virginia

I visited Staunton, Virginia, for school this weekend. Staunton has a *great* little downtown and some great older houses...

Continue reading "Staunton, Virginia"

Posted by john m at 6:57 PM | Comments (3)

February 10, 2007

making a dining room

The last room downstairs gets a light and furniture, though we still need to paint...

Continue reading "making a dining room"

Posted by john m at 3:04 PM | Comments (9)

January 4, 2007

towards refinancing the house

Now that we're able to live in the entire house, we're considering refinancing the house to clear some house-related debt and free up some money for some future projects.

Continue reading "towards refinancing the house"

Posted by john m at 9:35 PM | Comments (4)

December 2, 2006

the ugliest house that I have ever seen

We saw a house in Newport News, Virginia, today and had to go around the block to get a picture...

Continue reading "the ugliest house that I have ever seen"

Posted by john m at 5:52 PM | Comments (7)

November 17, 2006

refinished floors

In what was the last hurdle to actually being able to live downstairs, the floors downstairs have been de-painted, unsplintered, sanded, and refinished. And they are bee-yoo-tee-full!

Continue reading "refinished floors"

Posted by john m at 6:01 PM | Comments (7)

January 8, 2006

two new carpentry words

In researching an upcoming project, we learned two new words: cripple stud and king stud.

Continue reading "two new carpentry words"

Posted by john m at 12:39 PM | Comments (0)

October 3, 2005

examples of special interior design

When it is time to decorate the rooms of that vintage house, keep in mind the important lessons that one might draw from EUROBAD '74, "an exhibition of Europe's worst interiors of 1974".

Posted by john m at 9:09 PM | Comments (7)

September 29, 2005

An Open Letter to the Squirrel Trying to Chew Its Way Through My Roof

If you have squirrels and old roof, you might get a real kick out of William Sawalich's An Open Letter to the Squirrel Trying to Chew Its Way Through My Roof over at McSweeney's. We had some creature living in the ceiling our first winter in the house and it about drove us mad.

Posted by john m at 11:00 PM | Comments (4)

September 11, 2005

Wilmington, North Carolina

We went to a wedding in Wrightsville Beach, N.C., this past weekend. Like moths to a flame, we were drawn to the nearby historic downtown and houses of Wilmington...

Continue reading "Wilmington, North Carolina"

Posted by john m at 5:45 PM | Comments (8)

September 9, 2005

time suck

Summer is over and suddenly our free time is just gone. Grad school and the new teaching job started this past week, so it looks like the house will be on hold for a little while.

Posted by john m at 6:03 AM | Comments (1)

August 22, 2005

it is like having a new door

We have 6 doors to the outside word, 4 of which are downstairs. A legacy of the house's history as unsavory rental property, half of the doors were completely inoperable when we got the house. This weekend we opened one of these for the first time...

Continue reading "it is like having a new door"

Posted by john m at 9:01 PM | Comments (3)

August 20, 2005

an amazing stripper

Having recently pulled down a mantle, we've spent a few days experimenting with removing the paint.

Continue reading "an amazing stripper"

Posted by john m at 8:20 PM | Comments (11)

August 19, 2005

prepping a fireplace

We pulled the mantle off of the 3rd fireplace downstairs and gave everything a good cleaning.

Continue reading "prepping a fireplace"

Posted by john m at 8:54 AM | Comments (2)

August 18, 2005

drywall estimates

We're starting the process of getting estimates on drywalling most of the downstairs. We really want to get this going again.

Continue reading "drywall estimates"

Posted by john m at 11:52 AM | Comments (4)

August 14, 2005

cleaning up

Having pulled a bunch of shingles off of the house and been banned from the dump, we've created something of a refuse problem.

Continue reading "cleaning up"

Posted by john m at 4:40 PM | Comments (0)

July 19, 2005

siding!

After the termite repair, we replaced the siding that had been pulled down.

Continue reading "siding!"

Posted by john m at 10:40 AM | Comments (7)

fixing termite damage

We finally fixed the termite damage that has vexed us for so long.

Continue reading "fixing termite damage"

Posted by john m at 10:24 AM | Comments (2)

July 9, 2005

a big freakin' spider

We found our first black widow of the year yesterday, and she was huge.

Continue reading "a big freakin' spider"

Posted by john m at 9:08 AM | Comments (8)

July 6, 2005

the last shingles for a while

Almost one year after we started, we've finally finished pulling off the awful shingles that covered most of the house.

Continue reading "the last shingles for a while"

Posted by john m at 3:19 PM | Comments (9)

July 1, 2005

gentle cooling breezes

We have central air now.

Continue reading "gentle cooling breezes"

Posted by john m at 3:55 PM | Comments (6)

June 30, 2005

folk victorian

We knew from the first that our house was sort of Victorian. When we began to research the architecture of the time, we kept finding information about Queen Anne or Stick style Victorian houses, but neither seemed to fit.

Continue reading "folk victorian"

Posted by john m at 7:27 AM | Comments (2)

June 25, 2005

bathroom floor demo

I've spent the last few days pulling up the downstairs bathroom floor.

Continue reading "bathroom floor demo"

Posted by john m at 8:30 AM | Comments (9)

June 10, 2005

checking out the tin roof

I recently had a reason to use the newish hatch to the roof from the back porch. The hatch is good.

Continue reading "checking out the tin roof"

Posted by john m at 6:56 PM | Comments (3)

May 16, 2005

unfinished painting still feels good

All of last week we worked to prep the back porch for painting this past weekend. We didn't finish painting, but we accomplished enough to change the whole feel of the downstairs porch.

Continue reading "unfinished painting still feels good"

Posted by john m at 4:32 PM | Comments (3)

mitsu returns!

Last summer, a three-legged cat became part of our outside herd. Sometime in the early winter he stopped coming around and we assumed the worst. This afternoon, though, Mitsu was seen chillin' in the new grass.

Continue reading "mitsu returns!"

Posted by john m at 4:23 PM | Comments (2)

May 12, 2005

painting ceilings is not fun

I've spent the last few afternoons after work making the back porch ready to be painted, puttying egregious nail holes and priming priming priming.

Continue reading "painting ceilings is not fun"

Posted by john m at 5:27 PM | Comments (0)

May 10, 2005

more about the porch

Now that it's warm, we've been prepping the new porch to finish painting. We've decided that the screen was probably installed backwards.

Continue reading "more about the porch"

Posted by john m at 8:54 PM | Comments (6)

May 8, 2005

new grass, trees, roses

We planted two trees, have been watching grass grow, and had some roses sneak up on us.

Continue reading "new grass, trees, roses"

Posted by john m at 9:12 AM | Comments (6)

May 6, 2005

a new member of the team

Somehow we got to thinking that the 4 cats inside and the colony around the house weren't enough small animals to take care of.

Continue reading "a new member of the team"

Posted by john m at 7:22 AM | Comments (8)

May 5, 2005

why restore (part 1)

Living on Earth is a weekly environmental news and information program "featuring news, features, interviews and commentary on a broad range of ecological issues". Last week they looked into some of the ecological effects of trends towards large new homes and green building resources.

Continue reading "why restore (part 1)"

Posted by john m at 4:24 PM | Comments (3)

April 20, 2005

fun with a tiller

The semester is almost over and I can almost see having free time again. We're looking forward to what I've started thinking of as 'house season'.

Continue reading "fun with a tiller"

Posted by john m at 9:31 AM | Comments (0)

April 18, 2005

fake history

If you live in a big, old, decrepit house and have no idea of its backstory, you may want to rent Grey Gardens and try to imagine that it happened in your house.

Continue reading "fake history"

Posted by john m at 7:21 AM | Comments (0)

April 8, 2005

floor plans changes

An architect looked at our plans and had some good suggestions. We might actually have closets one day.

Continue reading "floor plans changes"

Posted by john m at 4:35 PM | Comments (4)

March 13, 2005

but we're cat people!

This Old House Magazine is looking for Victorian houses in Richmond. The magazine will choose a house and then will commission a dog house built in the same style. The homes will be featured on the cover of the June edition. Homeowners who are interested can simply email a digital photo (.jpg) of the exterior of their homes to Eileen Smith. The deadline is the evening of Monday, March 14.

Continue reading "but we're cat people!"

Posted by john m at 10:09 AM | Comments (1)

February 21, 2005

stair dust corners

Part of this whole process has been learning how to speak the language of a house. We've learned words like dentil, soffet, and knob&tube. There are things, though, that we don't know the real names for, which can make them difficult to learn more about.

Continue reading "stair dust corners"

Posted by john m at 9:00 AM | Comments (4)

January 30, 2005

the house work is stalled

We haven't really gotten anything accomplished in a few weeks, and it will probably be spring before we're back on track with this...

Continue reading "the house work is stalled"

Posted by john m at 3:28 PM | Comments (4)

January 21, 2005

menace! (updated)

Our new porch was being menaced by a fairly large piece of a dead tree.

Continue reading "menace! (updated)"

Posted by john m at 1:12 PM | Comments (1)

January 17, 2005

continuing electrical work

The electricians continue rewiring downstairs.

Continue reading "continuing electrical work"

Posted by john m at 9:03 AM | Comments (1)

January 16, 2005

yard fantasies

We met with a landscape architect (because we could).

Continue reading "yard fantasies"

Posted by john m at 8:48 AM | Comments (1)

January 4, 2005

more demo; a new doorway

Since last week when we took that wall down in the hallway, we've pulled down the plaster and lathe in that section towards being able to insulate. We've also opened another door that had been screwed shut all of this time.

Continue reading "more demo; a new doorway"

Posted by john m at 5:14 PM | Comments (6)

December 28, 2004

2 great books

We received a great idea book and a great how-to book for xmas.

Continue reading "2 great books"

Posted by john m at 10:19 AM | Comments (1)

December 26, 2004

the last extra wall

We pulled down another wall this weekend. This was was the last of the walls that had been added when the house was rudely duplexed back in the day, and was something that we'd been looking forward to getting down for a while. Company was coming over, so we figured that this might be a fun activity to share - how often does the opportunity to knock out a wall come up for most people?

Continue reading "the last extra wall"

Posted by john m at 7:45 PM | Comments (7)

December 23, 2004

recent contractor overload

We recently paid other people to do things for us that we could not do ourselves. While they did great work, the worrying about the final product and the money spent and just having so many people in and out of the house stressed us out.

Continue reading "recent contractor overload"

Posted by john m at 9:09 AM | Comments (0)

December 22, 2004

some insulation

We've been insulating the downstairs recently. This isn't very exciting, but has been rewarding as the walls start to look more like walls. Also, it was a year ago today that we closed on the house.

Continue reading "some insulation"

Posted by john m at 7:24 AM | Comments (0)

December 20, 2004

frozen water pipes

It's freakin' 12 degrees right now and our hot water isn't working. Most of our cold water taps aren't working either. This is one of the reasons that I'd moved to New Orleans* all those years ago.

Continue reading "frozen water pipes"

Posted by john m at 8:36 AM | Comments (15)

December 3, 2004

A Finished Porch

The guys are finished rebuilding the porch!

Continue reading "A Finished Porch"

Posted by john m at 7:53 PM | Comments (9)

November 16, 2004

cats good; pigeons bad

A goal of ours since the beginning has been to get the &%$! pigeons out and off of our house. Since the last update, the guys working on rebuilding the back porch have made great progress, including starting the structure for the porch roof and blocking off the remaining pigeon access point.

Continue reading "cats good; pigeons bad"

Posted by john m at 4:58 AM | Comments (1)

Rehabilitation Tax Credits

Armed with info from last Saturday's adventure, we're in the process of applying for tax credits worth 25% of our rehab expenses. Like the Real Estate Tax Abatement Program, the Federal and Virginia Rehabilitation Tax�� Credits are something that we probably should've been working on for a while, but we just didn't know.

Continue reading "Rehabilitation Tax Credits"

Posted by john m at 4:23 AM | Comments (2)

November 10, 2004

second level started!

It's so cool to have good things happen to the house while we're at work.

Continue reading "second level started!"

Posted by john m at 4:33 AM | Comments (0)

November 3, 2004

porches

Work on the rebuilding the back porch continues; a temporary fix to the front porch.

Continue reading "porches"

Posted by john m at 5:27 AM | Comments (3)

October 30, 2004

victorian fun! (updated)

Inspired by some of the wonderful and over-the-top Victorians of Savannah, Ga., we've photoshopped what the house might look like in a few years.

Continue reading "victorian fun! (updated)"

Posted by john m at 3:22 AM | Comments (7)

October 28, 2004

the porch is totally gone

Day two and everything has been taken down.

Continue reading "the porch is totally gone"

Posted by john m at 10:18 AM | Comments (1)

October 27, 2004

the porch is getting fixed!

Despite initial setbacks, we found financing for our porch repair just in time!

Continue reading "the porch is getting fixed!"

Posted by john m at 4:27 AM | Comments (1)

October 26, 2004

fixing more siding

We fix a large section of the siding that we have to get to before we can insulate.

Continue reading "fixing more siding"

Posted by john m at 3:31 AM | Comments (1)

October 19, 2004

If we can't get a pizza delivered...

So we were contacted last week about being part of a tv show about people restoring houses. It turns out that this isn't going to happen. It's ok, we know how it is -- a lot of people won't come up this side of M Street : )

Posted by john m at 4:05 AM | Comments (1)

October 16, 2004

still following the termites; stuff in the works maybe

Arranging to get things accomplished; a surprising email; termites still suck.

Continue reading "still following the termites; stuff in the works maybe"

Posted by john m at 8:17 AM | Comments (0)

October 9, 2004

appraisal adventure

We're still in the process of arranging financing to get our porch fixed. One of the usually minor steps is getting the house appraised. The condition of our house has complicated that, though.

Continue reading "appraisal adventure"

Posted by john m at 8:42 AM | Comments (2)

September 30, 2004

towards having a nice porch

Based on a comment posted to our site and on having noticed their work around the neighborhood, we contacted Restoration Builders of Virginia (RBVa) about working on our back porch.

Continue reading "towards having a nice porch"

Posted by john m at 4:14 AM | Comments (1)

September 26, 2004

a small repair

When we pulled the plaster in the second room, we discovered that one of the studs that runs alongside one of the windows appeared to have water or termite damage. As this was under one of our leaks, this wasn't suprising. We hadn't really had time to look at it too closely, having been focussed on the obviously larger issue at the front corner of the house. Yesterday we took care of the smaller area and now at least one small portion of our house is solid.

Continue reading "a small repair"

Posted by john m at 8:35 AM | Comments (0)

September 19, 2004

more about what the termites did

We've been finding that the termites did more damage than we originally thought.

Continue reading "more about what the termites did"

Posted by john m at 4:37 AM | Comments (4)

September 12, 2004

invasion!

There are a few places upstairs and down where there are passageways to the outside world. Last night a bat came in upstairs through a hole left behind from the removal of the rotted dentil. It was exciting for a few moments, for us and the cats. Downstairs, we've seen evidence that one of the outside cats has been coming into the demo space.

Posted by john m at 7:25 AM | Comments (1)

September 8, 2004

seeking decent ductwork

We're looking to get some of our ductwork replaced. So far it has been difficult to find someone to do the work. The first company that came out did gave us quote, but the guys that would be doing the work actually said that they'd prefer not to do it and gave us the number of another guy "that loves working on the old houses". This guy, Bruce, didn't return our calls and eventually told us that he won't do work in our neighborhood "because it's gross". His response feels like thinly-veiled racism to me, and all we can really do is be sort of pissed and keep looking for a decent contractor.

Posted by john m at 5:38 AM | Comments (3)

September 7, 2004

down stairs demo complete!

This long weekend we've finally found the energy and focus to finish the demolition of the downstairs rooms that we started a while back.

Continue reading "down stairs demo complete!"

Posted by john m at 8:41 AM | Comments (0)

September 6, 2004

house inspectors

Today's local paper has an article, 'Giving a house a physical', about the job that house inspectors do.

Continue reading "house inspectors"

Posted by john m at 8:55 AM | Comments (1)

September 4, 2004

just over a year

In which we recap some accomplishments towards building further enthusiasm.

Continue reading "just over a year"

Posted by john m at 7:45 AM | Comments (1)

September 1, 2004

some raining

So Monday we got some crazy rain, between 10-12 inches I've heard. It rained and rained for hours and then our power and water went out.

Continue reading "some raining"

Posted by john m at 6:08 AM | Comments (1)

August 23, 2004

back to it

So we finally made it back to work (a little). Our loose plan has been to get the downstairs demoed, instaluted, rewired, and in a livable condition before winter hits ths year. I've been getting nervous about not getting anything donedown there these past weeks, especially with the feeling that autumn is right around the corner. Last winter was so cold and there is still so much to do...

Continue reading "back to it"

Posted by john m at 1:13 AM | Comments (6)

July 26, 2004

living in it

It's been raining for days and there is too much else to do; it'll be at least the weekend before we can get make any more progress on the house. Right now we are just living in it.

Continue reading "living in it"

Posted by john m at 9:16 AM | Comments (3)

July 20, 2004

another day pulling shingles

I'm spending today pulling the asphalt shingles that cover the original wooden siding.

Continue reading "another day pulling shingles"

Posted by john m at 12:54 PM | Comments (7)

July 13, 2004

proof

It is important that a three-legged cat is not allowed to become obese because he has fewer limbs on which to distribute his weight.*.

Continue reading "proof"

Posted by john m at 11:51 AM | Comments (11)

July 12, 2004

casa de esqueletos

We're working on two parts of the house right now, both of which have turned up small surprises.

Continue reading "casa de esqueletos"

Posted by john m at 11:25 AM | Comments (4)

July 9, 2004

bondo-fu

'Bondo' to me always evokes the image of a primer Camaro. We've been using the stuff to fix window sills, though.

Continue reading "bondo-fu"

Posted by john m at 12:02 PM | Comments (1)

July 8, 2004

on learning

When the house restoration thing comes up, one of the common questions is about what kind of prior applicable experience we had when we started this. The answer is that we had no experience at all, or even just a lifetime of negative indicators (like that time that I was just checking the valve clearance on my motorcycle and ended up making it inoperable, or the fact that none of my sculptures ever really stood up long enough to make it to crit, or even just how wonky the stretchers were for all of the paintings that I ever made)(and I could go on...).

Continue reading "on learning"

Posted by john m at 11:03 AM | Comments (2)

June 29, 2004

demo continues

We have a few projects going now, though our main focus right now is getting the downstairs clear of plaster and lathe. If all goes well, this should be finished by week's end.

Continue reading "demo continues"

Posted by john m at 3:38 AM | Comments (0)

June 26, 2004

good electricians; other

We have electricians (Advanced Electrical Systems, Inc.) here today rewiring most of the downstairs. They've put up all of the blue boxes for the future outlets and are now acting on how/where they've decided to run the lines. They are quick and professional, a completely different experience than we had last time with those other sucky electicians. The idea of a grounded outlet is almost inconceivable, this will take some time to absorb.

We also saw a 3-legged cat in the backyard just now.

Posted by john m at 10:14 AM | Comments (0)

June 20, 2004

siewers, our new best friend

We learn where we can get the siding and other stuff made out of wood that we will need.

Continue reading "siewers, our new best friend"

Posted by john m at 10:54 AM | Comments (0)

June 16, 2004

leak == fixed

We were both working last night when the big rain came, anxiously barista-ing and wondering about how the house was doing. Ronni got home first and called to let me know that our work had made the difference.

Continue reading "leak == fixed"

Posted by john m at 1:14 AM | Comments (0)

June 14, 2004

another typical day

The house next door is officially condemned; we continue to frantically work on fixing where the leak is/was before the rain comes.

Continue reading "another typical day"

Posted by john m at 6:57 AM | Comments (0)

June 13, 2004

leak emergency!

We've discovered that an old leak has returned and we've been busy trying to get it fixed before the rain comes again tomorrow.

Continue reading "leak emergency!"

Posted by john m at 2:59 AM | Comments (0)

June 11, 2004

Do Not Try This At Home

We got a mention in an article called 'Web forums, blogs offer wealth of DIY knowledge' in the North East Independent out of Rhode Island. We're not really mentioned in any 'wealth of knowledge' kind of way, more of a 'damn glad that's not me' kind of way -- reading our site "will make you feel so much better about the projects on the list at your house". The article quotes the entry about the mummified rats.

Posted by john m at 10:45 AM | Comments (0)

June 7, 2004

to kill termites

So we had found some termite damage a few weeks ago while pulling down the plaster downstairs, right? Today our friendly Orkin man Kim came out today and told us about termites and how to make them go away.

Continue reading "to kill termites"

Posted by john m at 2:09 AM | Comments (7)

May 20, 2004

Some Treasures and Small Progress

The things that we have found; small progress is made downstairs and on the porch.

Continue reading "Some Treasures and Small Progress"

Posted by john m at 9:45 AM | Comments (0)

April 20, 2004

a littany of excuses

A cat is sick; we're still getting quotes; some freelance work; spring. All of these are some of the reasons that we have not been working on the house...

Continue reading "a littany of excuses"

Posted by john m at 9:48 AM | Comments (0)

March 25, 2004

Less Tires, Stumps, Walls

A neighborhood clean-up; a service is provided; more walls come down.

Continue reading "Less Tires, Stumps, Walls"

Posted by john m at 9:55 AM | Comments (0)

March 1, 2004

a few warm days

It was unseasonably warm this past week; a neighorhood in bloom; a fence is removed.

Continue reading "a few warm days"

Posted by john m at 9:57 AM | Comments (0)

February 20, 2004

fixing things...

We've been pulling down old plaster and trapping the feral kittens living under the house.

Continue reading "fixing things..."

Posted by john m at 10:01 AM | Comments (0)

February 5, 2004

More Porch

Yesterday wasn't completely freezing, so we decided to finish removing old window parts that were on the upstairs back porch from when we replaced the windows. After doing that, we rather spontaneously decided to start pulling off the beadboard that had been used to enclose the upstairs porch. This had been 'something to get to later' for a while... The upstairs porch, while still rickety and crooked, is now open and will be a little easier to work on. It is also a little easier to see how nice it will be out there one day.

Continue reading "More Porch"

Posted by john m at 6:27 AM | Comments (0)

January 19, 2004

an old photo of a house almost exactly like ours

When the city assessor came out in October to set the value of the house for the Real Estate Tax Abatement Program, we noticed that he had an old file with him. This file had an abundance of info about the house, including an older, undated photo and assessment info going back to 1956.

Continue reading "an old photo of a house almost exactly like ours"

Posted by john m at 6:21 AM | Comments (0)

January 11, 2004

A Kitchen!

We moved in here on Oct.13. Since then, we have been eating cold sandwhiches, microwaved food, and take-out because we had no kitchen to speak of. The kitchens (yes, plural)(as a former duplex) were nasty rooms with disgusting appliances and just had to be completely torn out. This has been a 4+ month process that, while not complete, is to a point where everything else that remains is essentially decorative. We can now cook and eat food in our house like normal people do.

Continue reading "A Kitchen!"

Posted by john m at 6:09 AM | Comments (0)

December 31, 2003

xmas

Simply this: 5 trees, 5 colors. And for the first time in my life I live in a neighborhood served by a black Santa.

Continue reading "xmas"

Posted by john m at 6:01 AM | Comments (0)

December 29, 2003

quickie yard fixes

The front yard is starting to become more open and lose the weedy, vacant feel

Continue reading "quickie yard fixes"

Posted by john m at 8:33 AM | Comments (0)

December 28, 2003

some house history

According to the city, our house was built in 1900. We've heard from a few people, though, that 1900 is often given as an approximate date when actual date is unknown, and that our house could've been built anytime before or around then. We've been intending to look into this, and yesterday we got a chance to spend a little time at city hall and at the Library of Virginia.

Continue reading "some house history"

Posted by john m at 8:36 AM | Comments (0)

December 12, 2003

A Kitchen in Progress

As was previously described, the kitchen used to be a gross room.

Continue reading "A Kitchen in Progress"

Posted by john m at 5:55 AM | Comments (0)

December 11, 2003

Some Really, Really Sucky Electricians

It pains me to write this -- I'd like to put it all behind me, but I feel that the story needs to be out there to protect the innocent, electrician-needing public. We had a horrendous ordeal, an almost biblical trial, last week when we had the electricians over. What follows is actually the short, sanitized version...

Continue reading "Some Really, Really Sucky Electricians"

Posted by john m at 5:52 AM | Comments (12)

November 25, 2003

Ongoing: roof, kitchen

Nothing new was started this week -- we've just been plugging away at getting some stuff finished. Sometimes it seems as nothing will ever be finished...

Continue reading "Ongoing: roof, kitchen"

Posted by john m at 5:48 AM | Comments (0)

November 15, 2003

Cold, then rainy, and some other stuff

Sorry about the delay! We're still getting setup from the move and the projects have lost some of the clearly defined stop+start of the earlier stuff.

Continue reading "Cold, then rainy, and some other stuff"

Posted by john m at 5:45 AM | Comments (1)

October 25, 2003

We Live Here!

We moved in last week and we've been unpacking and working on getting things clean. We've got more stuff than livable rooms just yet, including all of the kitchen stuff that is boxed until there is a kitchen to put stuff into.

Continue reading "We Live Here!"

Posted by john m at 5:43 AM | Comments (0)

October 7, 2003

The Final Push

Five days left until the move and the house is almost ready enough.

Continue reading "The Final Push"

Posted by john m at 5:35 AM | Comments (4)

September 20, 2003

Isabel Happened

So there was that hurricane last week, right? The good news is that there is no bad news -- everything came through the storm ok. We were expecting that at best there would be a few blown out windows, but it seems that Church Hill didn't really get hit that badly. One tree did get blown down, but it was a little ugly pine tree that I'd tried unsuccessfully to saw through a few weeks back. That tree is now gone but (as you can see in the photo) that hoopty car is still there...

Continue reading "Isabel Happened"

Posted by john m at 3:30 AM | Comments (2)

September 15, 2003

Moving Forward

We've been working on finishing stuff that we'd already started, and moving forward with lining up contractors to do some of the work. There is a lot going on and there is a hectic, unfinished quality to everything.

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Posted by john m at 3:29 AM | Comments (0)

September 10, 2003

Restoration In Progress

A mountainous pile of refuse and a really nasty refrigerator; a kitchen is born; there is one less wall in the house.

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Posted by john m at 3:24 AM | Comments (1)

September 7, 2003

Labor Day Weekend

We began the weekend with a house that showed a lot of potential and ended the weekend with a house that we could almost live in.

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Posted by john m at 2:58 AM | Comments (0)

August 12, 2003

in the beginning

A few more photos from a week into the project. We've managed to clear out some of the yard and the house is starting to show through.

Posted by john m at 2:56 AM | Comments (1)

August 5, 2003

This Decrepit Victorian House

44 photos from before. This is the state of the house when we found it. You can smell the adventure. Check out the pictures.

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Posted by john m at 2:54 AM | Comments (2)