2011

It should be an exciting year. A lot is on schedule and there should be several important and exciting announcements in the year to come. In the very short term, I hope to update this blog and we should start on the cornice work in the next week or so. Stay tuned!

My how times fly - Part II

Yet again, months pass between posts. A lot has happened:

- new windows

- new saw

- work completed on shop

- work completed on 1st floor bath

- etc....etc

And this must be another short post...................

Finally, I can move forward

Now with taxes done I can finally starting working on the house and the shop. I can also order the saw. More on this later.

Oh, I get a refund for the first time in over twenty years. Not much, but a refund just the same.

My how times fly

Wow, I can't believe it's been nine months since the last post. Yea, Italy was incredible. Of course that is another blog. Not much has gotten done since last March, but some things have. Over the next several weeks, I should get the blog updated and the project restarted. Until then....Happy New Years!!!

Stop the presses!!!!

Well, it looks like I am going have to put a 'stop work order' on the remodel. I'm going to Italy!!!!! More details to follow, but I just found out that I have been selected as a recipient of a National Endowment for the Humanities grant to study The Comedia in Italy. However, that means that the remodel will have to be rescheduled.

Organization

Yeserday, I was able to spend a couple of hours in the shop. I culled some wood and put the shop back in 'shop configuration' (out of 'two-car garage configuration'). Another step closer to restarting the shop. One small problem, it is about 30 degress cooler today. I will have much more time after this weekend.

Back to work?

Now that the grant is in, maybe I can start working on the house. Over the last few weeks we have noticed something - our house moving. We have noticed some new gaps in the hardwood floor, our newell post has a crack (new?). I REALLY hope this is just seasonal movement.

Another Milestone!!!

I just finished putting a coat of primer on the ceiling in the area outside the laundry room, which means I have put at least one coat of paint on every square inch of ceiling in the house. And it took only eight years!!! The kitchen doesn't count because it is a suspended ceiling. Here is a before picture:




I hate that light, and yes I will be replacing it!

Baby Steps

I just finished putting the final coats of paint on the ceilings in the 1st floor bath and the former red area. A very difficult job - the ceilings consisted of rough sawn (still see the saw marks) lumber used as a suspended ceiling. I guess they were going for the barn look, which makes perfect sense in a brick Italianate/Victorian. People do the stupidiest things. I wasn't able to put the primer on the ceiling in the niche outside the launry area - the caulk hadn't fully cured.

Day 5

This certainly could have been worse. Our street is still closed (see photo below). Ice, as it melts, is going to be a big issue. One of our downspots is completely frozen (at least six feet of the ground). I'm fearful that the weight is going to rip all of our gutters right off the house.

I did do some paint preparation yesterday. I caulked the area outside the laundry room. The siliconized caulking better be paintable!! It would be nice to be able to paint the finish coats on the ceilings of the 1st floor bath and former red area. And to paint the first coat of the primer on the ceiling in the area outside the laundry. The timbers have been taking four coats to completely cover the brown stain.

Would like to post more picture today or tomorrow...

And later that day...

Things seemed to have settled down.  Another tree fell and I may be blocked in.  Had to abandoned the shop to make room for one of the cars.  No more bad weather, but it will be cold.   I can't imagine having school tomorrow.

We are/were very lucky...so far.

It's going to get worse

I might have to cut the phone line free later.

We lost part of the birch. I love that tree.

You can see where our car was (I backed it up to where it is in the photo) - right behind the car that got it. We were SO lucky!!

While taking this picture I saw another house lose electric.

If we get the wind they are predicting, this is going to get really bad. We are luck so far, but for Old Louisville, this is worse than the wind storm of September.

Another Benchmark

Just hauled the last of the tree debris to the dump!! An event four years in the making.

Nothing New

Didn't get to do much. I am getting the 1st floor bathroom ready. I have a 3-day weekend coming up. I hope I can get something done. I will post some before pictures later

Wood shop?

Yea, not much happening in the wood shop. It's just too cold. One of the projects on the table to is make the garage a three-season work shop. It will be much easier to heat than to cool.

One of my resolutions this year is to not be at school so much. Being a teacher 24/7 has taken its toll - both mental and physical. For my sanity, I need to be away from school more and more. This should mean that I can work on the house and develop the shop more.

New Year

The new semester starts tomorrow. Well, at least we are half over with the semester. I am sad that the holidays are over and will be going back to school.

Happy New Years!!!!!

I wish a very happy and prosperous New Years to everyone. I am certainly glad to see this one go. I know they say you shouldn't wish your life away, but 2008 was not a very good year.

Here is a list (incomplete I'm sure) of what was accomplished in 2008

1) Finished the front room on the second floor
2) Found the parts to do the handrail on the 2nd floor (see #4 below) - that was a couple of very dirty and hot days
3) Replaced three exterior doors (the front door is original and just fine)
4) Worked (but did not complete) more on the shop
5) Gutted the 1st floor bath and 'former red area' (see #1 and 2 below)
6) Repaired and painted the ceilings for #5 above
7) Converted to digital TV (I really thought I was going to cry when I got PBS without static-for the first time in my life)
8) Installed the granite on the hearth for the master bedroom fireplace
9) Installed the marble threshold in the 2nd floor bedroom
10) Installed new roof!!!!!! (OK, I hired someone to do this!!!)
11) Continued installation of interior trim

But, that is the past, here is what's on tap for this year. I usually don't make New Year resolutions, but here is my to-do-list for 2009:

2009

1) Finish the 1st floor bath
2) Finish the 'former red area' - soon to be TV room.
(speaking of TV, I LOVE THE DIGITAL CONVERTER BOX!!!! Now there is no need for cable. We are getting stations we couldn't before and the reception is fantastic)
- When numbers 1 and 2 are finished, I will buy the LCD TV.
3) Redo the cornice modeling on the front of the house
4) Finish the 2nd floor handrail (I have decided to do it myself)
5) Build the tansom windows on the 2nd floor
6) Start the renovation of the front entry trim detail (the word escapes me at the moment)
7) Make garage into three-season shop
8) Continue interior painting
9) Continue installation of interior trim
10) Build closet doors
11) Purchase and install all door and transom hardware (finally found a source)

And a look into the future

2010

1) Replace 2nd-floor east and north windows (four total)

2) Refinish 2nd-floor center and front room floors

3) Complete interior trim

4) Continue interior painting

5) Complete shop

2011

1) Replace 1st-floor windows (all-12 total)

2) Refinish 1st-floor floors (entry, hall, and living room)

3) Repaint exterior (trim and windows)

4) Complete interior painting

2012

1) Rededicate house on its 130th anniversary!!!!

2) Renovation of backyard

2013

1) Remodel kitchen (start and complete)

2) Removal of front concrete porch

3) Renovation of front yard (including moving stone steps to original location)

Well, let's see how I do.

Happy New Years!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pleasant Hill - What a treasure!!!

Could the desk below be of Shaker design? They did experiment with Victorian design/furniture. No, really, they did!!

A creation

By popular demand: here is something of mine. What do you think?

More early photos

Here are some more before and after photos. Having a garage was not part of the original plan. But as time and events passes, I found myself in a situation where the garage was the right thing to do. And since I was remodeling a house, the garage become a wood shop.

Forgive the formatting, I am out of time this morning - house guests from out of town


















One year after purchase - still in its original configuration

















Early Spring




This was the first tree to fall - May 2003. Yea, not in the back yard, but more evidence I have some issue with trees: they tend to fall around me.

I had looked at buying a small shed (like they sell at Home Depot) - I was within weeks of buying it, then this happened.

This is about a 100 year old black cherry. Estimates were between $600-$2000 to have it removed as firewood. That is when my imagination started to take off. It cost less than $350 to have it milled into usable lumber. A wood shop was born!!! Oh, the value of the wood? About $1500.

Clean up

This is the pile of cherry under the blue tarp. I am about to move it for the start of the garage

Starting day!!!!!!! Three months behind schedule

Ta DA!!!!! A finished garage - One year behind schedule. However, he did do a good job; I didn't say word. Schedules are meaningless if quality makes up for it!!

Winter Slowdown

Wasn't able to do much this week - many things getting in the way: teaching, academic team, illness, weather (it got cold here)...

Well, I did do one thing: 5:30 yesterday morning, I was digging up the sump pump exhaust line because it had frozen solid. The thing I hate most about renovation/remodeling is fixing other idiots' stupid mistakes. Why can't people just do it right??!??!!?!?!

Exterior Picts

Pictures at purchase (January 2001)

Dining room

Dining room from living room

- Notice the shag blue carpet

- Oh how I hate blue. A little sample of what is to come: we would spend over $1,200 in paint striper. Oh, I would discover tons of ..... knotting pine. In other words, I would have to paint the wood trim - broke my heart.

Dining room from door at laundry room

Living room:

Living room from hall

Living room from exterior wall toward dining room

- notice the two openings (portal) and the blocked center. Look above for a dining room view of this wall.

Living room from south "portal" (dining room)

- notice the 8-foot windows!! Oh how beautiful - have you ever priced 8-foot windows???? OUCH!!

The second floor (apartment #2) kitchen - soon to be the master bedroom

- notice the brick pad....I have no idea what it's for
- behind the knee-wall was the sink
- to the left (full wall) was the frig.



Just a start - more later

Welcome

Just a quick hello.