Salvaging a Farmhouse
The 1880's farmhouse we looked at last month is scheduled for demolition this week. Jim and I got there first to save what we were able to. If you don't want to see sad images, just skip this post. I understand. We salvaged all of the doors and their surrounding...
The Project House Slowly Progresses…
For no very good reason, I had assumed that once winter went away we would have massive amounts of time to spend, uninterupted, working on the Project House. Snow, impassable roads, melting snow, muddy roads and issues with getting subcontractors to complete the...
Adding a Greenhouse with Salvaged Material – Part 4
As you last remember, I haven't mentioned the greenhouse project for a while. Not since the end of April! Progress has been painfully slow, which is depressing. Work at the project house, bad weather and renovation fatigue (among numerous other distractions) have...
More from the Project House
Winter weather has not helped one bit in getting things done at the project house. Accessed by a mile-long dirt drive which turns to impassable muck when wet, the house has been getting sporadic attention lately. Melting snow has created some ugly messes. While the...
An Update from the Project House
There are pros and cons to just about everything in life. Like living in the middle of nowhere, for example. For the most part it's great; it's beautiful, one has lots of elbow room, the crime rate is low, etc. On the other hand, there is a downside. Isolation...
Rescuing a Leaning Barn From Future Collapse
It had been at least seven years since Jim first told friends of ours that he would straighten up their leaning barn. Unusual for its "T" shape, the antique barn was showing its age. Every passing year made the already obvious lean all the more evident. Every storm...
Revealing a Hidden Bay Window
It's been over two weeks since I posted about a big old abandoned farmhouse that is destined to be demolished. Jim and I have been salvaging interior woodwork, doors and windows for use in a future project. The first floor has been salvaged, and we're working on the...
Update From the Project House
Lots has been going on at the project house; most of it not very photogenic or interesting. But things are starting to get more interesting. We'll take a look at the owner's choice of exterior paint color and peek inside the ongoing work in the kitchen... ...
Replacing Window Sash Cord – Part Two
In Part One I had just crammed the knotted end of the sash cord into the hole in the side of the sash. Now the sash can go back into its jamb:
Replacing Window Sash Cord – Part One
Old houses which retain their original wood windows are fortunate; with a little TLC these windows can stay functional and outlast any vinyl product on the market today. Replacing frayed or broken window sash cord is not very difficult, but it does sometimes require...
Backdating a “Teardown” – Part 5: Has Jim Gone Overboard?
As you last remember, Bunkhouse Jim had just screened the porch. Its ornament, combining both Queen Anne and Italianate elements, stopped at the corners of the facade. Jim wanted to continue that motif into a cornice on each gable end. The following images will...
Removing Wall Paneling and Ceiling Tiles
The first step in renovation of the project house has been cleaning out a century of accumulation and unwanted "updates". Among the updates to be forever banished were cellulose ceiling tiles and fibrous "wood grained" wall paneling. For whatever reason, the...
Anatomy of a Plastered Archway
Archways in plaster walls - without a traditional wood casing surrounding them - became highly fashionable in the 1920's and remained popular with builders into the 1950's. They are most likely to be found in Tudor Revivals and Spanish Eclectic houses of the period,...
A New Old House Project
As if there weren't enough things around here that need attention, I unexpectedly found myself involved in a new project: the renovation of someone else's house. It's an early twentieth-century house which has been empty for a long time. It will be a sensitive...
Backdating a “Teardown” – Part 4: The Bunkhouse Porch Gets Screened
With rain and warm temperatures come mosquitos; it's a reality in a most places. The porch was losing its usefulness due to these bloodsuckers and other annoying insects; something had to be done. Jim didn't want to compromise the beauty of his creation with an...
Backdating a “Teardown” – Part 3: The Bunkhouse Gets a Porch
The Bunkhouse just got bigger! Not in terms of actual square footage, but in terms of usable space. And bigger in style, too! Jim has been busy using a mix of materials: salvaged 2x4s and joists, salvaged porch parts, and a dash of new lumber. His porch project...
Adding a Greenhouse with Salvaged Material – Part 3
The past week has been semi-chaotic, but I still managed to get a few things done on the greenhouse project. Below is a sectional drawing through the greenhouse (well, the lower half anyway) which should help to explain what is going on at present (depicted in...
Adding a Greenhouse with Salvaged Material – Part 2
Winter weather returned - twice - before we got a break sufficiently conducive to the pouring of concrete. Finally the big day arrived! It was mostly successful, with only a few minor setbacks which ultimately were not a big deal, but were very consternating at the...
Adding a Greenhouse with Salvaged Material – Part 1
OK; it's not all salvaged material, but a lot of it will be. Unfortunately, it is hard to recycle concrete walls so that part will definitely be new. I was able to get a bunch of discarded thermal-paned windows - absolutely free - just for hauling them down three...
A Door Inspired by Bruce Goff
One of my favorite movies, a close second to "Mars Attacks!", is the slightly surreal Goff in the Desert by German documentarian Heinz Emigholz. The video has no narration; it is simply a series of video shots taken around 2002 of various structures designed by Bruce...
Backdating a “Teardown” – Part 2: Windows
As you last remember, the bunkhouse was looking a little rough. It was dirty, dark, damaged, and downright depressing. Owner Jim wanted to not only put life and light back into the dilapidated structure, but put to use some of the salvaged woodwork and materials he...
Backdating a “Tear-Down” with Salvaged Materials – Part 1
A work still in progress, this two-room house wasn't much to look at a year and a half ago. The simple frame structure, built in the 1920's, originally served to house seasonal workers on a farm where it was referred to as the "bunkhouse". It had suffered from...
Backdating Wall Cabinets
Why would anyone update when it's just as easy to backdate? After all, there's not much appealing design out there these days; design from the early 20th century is almost always a sure bet to be more interesting than whatever has been marketed for the past 40 years....
Stabilization w/ Passive Solar Bonus
Historic preservationists understand the term "stabilization" to mean putting the brakes on further decay of historic structures by making them watertight, structurally braced, and resistant to animals, vegetation and vandals. Also known as "mothballing",...
Making Progress….
Boxes are being unpacked as time allows. The bookshelves are nearly full! An acrylic swag lamp from the 1960's now graces the Black Hole. I had hoped to slip an antique desk into the niche, but it was about 1/8" too wide for the opening and I'm not about to alter...
Moving Is Not Fun
The past few days have been on the chaotic side. Moving is never fun. I'm really tired. But this move has been a learning experience. I have learned that I have too much stuff. Especially too much heavy stuff. Below are photos of the newly renovated basement as...
A Built-In Desk
The room is now completely wired and the desk is installed... all that is left is an application of sanding sealer to all of the cabinetry followed up with varnish. Fortunately, the bookshelves have already been varnished. ...
Transparent Siding!
In an interesting experiment, a decrepit barn is getting an unusual update. It was desired to immediately utilize the building as a workshop and storage, but the numerous holes, cracks, and missing chunks of wood siding made it drafty and vulnerable to moisture....
More Storage; New Old Light Fixture
The large storage unit is now almost finished. It still needs a plywood panel where it connects to the desk and the entire thing needs varnishing. Like its smaller mate on the other side of the room, this one has electrical receptacles in the base and on the top (to...
Storage Unit
The first storage unit has now been built. It still needs to be varnished, however. The sliding doors are awaiting recessed round finger pulls... I am still trying to decide if I want to place the pulls in the exact center of each door or place them at opposite ends...
Bookcases and Lighting
The basement renovation is crawling along... the bookcases are now installed (complete with edgebanding) and the recently acquired 60's ceiling light has been installed. The first photo below shows the bookcases before the trim was installed on the face: ...
Making the Bookshelves
When renovating a house, it is always good to keep in mind that everything will take longer than you think. It's been a busy winter, but the last few days have been unseasonably warm so it was a great time to start ripping plywood for the bookshelves. Once...
More Lighting…
The rest of the ceiling has been wired:
Let there be light!
A very small mile-marker today, but still progress. A new circuit with lighting along the east wall... the future location of a continuous desk/work surface. Simple porcelain lamp holders (complete with pull chains!) are in place now - but after I find the perfect...
The Black Hole
Back in October I posted images of the somewhat awkward built-in china cabinet. It was encased in concrete block which served as the foundation to an upper level fireplace which was never built (in an upper level which was never built). When the basement was gutted...
Paint! It’s only temporary…
This past fall I did something that I haven't mentioned yet. I painted the house. I haven't mentioned it yet because it's not a REAL paint job - it is more of an emergency cosmetic maneuver. The large expanse of bright white siding paired with orange concrete...
Primer!
The basement walls have now been primed and are ready for painting. The final paint color won't be substantially different from the primer, so there won't be a dramatic change after painting. After the paint goes on, I'll start building storage units and bookshelves....
Window Jambs
The basement windows now have jambs! I made them out of pine nailers salvaged from the roof of an old house which was being remodeled; they closely match the color and nail-riddled texture of the ceiling. The best part is that they cover up much of the hideous white...
Detailing the Sheetrock/Joist Junction
I knew I would regret this when I committed myself to the idea, and I was right. It is a tedious process going around the room and filling the gaps between the sheetrock and wood joists where I fit around them. Most likely I will still have to skim over some of...
Mud and Tape
The sheetrock is in place and the joints have received mud, tape and sanding (Thanks, Jim, for mudding, taping, and sanding... I hate that part). Next project: wood jambs for the windows.
A Painted Floor
Recently, I decided it was time to do something about the basement floor. Not only was it ugly, but because of numerous irregularities and textures, it was awkward to sweep and keep clean. Even though I'm still hanging sheetrock, I decided to go ahead and paint the...
Waterproofing and Insulation
With the ceiling cleaned up and the new windows installed, it's time to work on the walls. The basement has had a history of dampness, and the problem spots became rather apparent once the wainscot was removed. The lower part of the foundation wall is of poured...
Moral Dilemmas
I hate this part. You know - the moral quandaries that are an inherent part of any renovation project. This post will cover two recent dilemmas - one involving a built-in and one involving basement windows. Dilemma 1: The former living/dining area was originally...
Removing the Insulation
As you last remember, the basement had been gutted. When the ceiling came down, batts of "Balsam-Wool" - a type of cellulose insulation - were revealed. The product had a very handsome label: There was a similar label in green, and I saved all that were in...
Demo Time!
Before we get into the demolition, I would like to point out that I have been an ardent preservationist for my entire life (starting at age 5 when I retrieved from the trash barrel original hardware and lighting fixtures which my father had just discarded from our...
A Peek Inside…
And now for a quick tour of my new project. It's not pretty, but with a little elbow grease it will become comfortable. We'll start at the front door... And that concludes our brief...
In the Beginning…
Since childhood I've been obsessed with old (19th century and earlier) houses and was fairly certain that one day I would find the right one. Imagine my internal anguish when, after buying, living in, renovating, and selling several Victorian-era houses, I...