You Just Never Know…
You just never know what horrors are lurking beneath seemingly innocuous surfaces in a house (old or new) until you begin to investigate. The last few weeks have revealed numerous issues which will need to be resolved, but have also revealed many happy discoveries!...
Original Siding Color Revealed and Other Fun Finds!
This weekend was one of discovery. A peek beneath the vinyl siding -- and some selective sanding -- brought to light the various layers of exterior siding paint choices... including the heretofore elusive original color. The most dramatic finds were made by Jim. He...
Work Resumes on the Keys House
Little has happened at the Keys house in recent months, but that is beginning to change. We're finally able to devote some more time to the project and will continue pecking away it it in small increments. We've also found some things for the house which are of...
Mental Health Break: Baby Chicks and Cute Critters!
Sometimes it's important to just stop and rest. Please join us in celebrating the arrival of our baby chicks! If you don't want to see a lot of nauseatingly repetitive "proud parent" photos, just skip this post! This is where the chicks live. I painted the window sash...
A Ruh-Roh Moment Makes a Stronger Design!
It happens to all of us... that moment when we realize that our carefully thought-out plans aren't going to pan out. Such was the case when working on the center aisle of the greenhouse. For months we had a stack of 3 x 12 planks stored in the decrepit carport (which...
The Chicken Coop Progresses
It's ugly and cool and drizzly outside this morning, so it's a good time to post about our projects. As you last remember, the chicken coop had three walls standing and no roof. Jim has kept his nose to the grindstone and things are shaping up quickly! I continue to...
The Chicken Coop And Greenhouse Projects Rebooted
Last weekend was unusually nice weather-wise for early March. With shopping trips to town becoming exponentially less appealing with every passing day, we decided it was time to speed up the chicken coop and greenhouse projects. No, the world is not going to end, but...
A 1970’s Shed Style House… Updated!
“Updated?!” Those who frequent this blog will know that the word is typically only used here in a disparaging sense. Last summer, however, I was contacted by someone who had read my post about the Shed style. He and his wife happened to own a Shed style...
Clues in the Attic
On a whim, I ventured into the unfinished part of the attic last week. A previous jaunt had revealed some antique drapery rods and curtain hardware. What else may be hiding between the dusty joists? A chimney, ever so slightly stepped to the left, marks the transition...
Window Sash Repaired and Painted
It's been over a month since I last posted! Partly because we've been really busy at our ever-expanding day job (the interior of the house may be finished, but now there are outbuildings and site work issues to tackle) and partly because not much has happened at the...
Porch Paint Colors… and a Revision to the Bay Window Color Distribution!
In the course of preparing sketches of the proposed color schemes for the front porch, I was delighted to run across some notes I had previously made about the bay window. Somehow, when doing the color sketches of the bay window, I had completely forgotten that the...
New Finds… and a Sordid Past!
Tantalizing bits of information about the house continue to surface. In addition to a few recent finds (shown below) we've learned that the house was reputed to be the scene of numerous poker parties at some point during the years of prohibition (from 1881 to 1948 --...
Original Bay Window Paint Colors!
Today I finished priming the bay window. It's all white and kind of boring, but it looks better than it did before and the wood will be protected during the winter months. I still have some (a lot of) caulking to do, so don't look too carefully! The scraping,...
A Quick Update…
It's been seemingly forever since I last posted; it has been a busy time. Recently I took time off to visit the Decatur County Last Indian Raid Museum, which serves as a repository for local history, in the hopes of finding more information about the house and its...
The Porch Supports Return!
Today the house regained more of its dignity! Jim has been rehabilitating two of the beautiful -- but very decrepit -- porch supports off-site, and they have now recovered fully. It was time to bring them back! As you last remember, the house was looking quite sad...
The Bay Window Progresses and the Arched Window Surprises…
Here's a look at what the process of nurturing the bay window looks like as it continues... The cornice of the bay had been wrapped in aluminum. I've begun taking sections of it down. The wood cornice which had been hidden by the aluminum is visible at left. The piece...
Extensive Porch Decay Revealed and Tackled!
We knew that the vinyl siding was hiding lots of problems, but didn't know just how bad the damage would be. Yesterday we found out. While not attractive, the damage is absolutely repairable. It's unfortunate, but not a death sentence for the porch. Jim has been hard...
More Clues, More Details
I got an unexpected break yesterday when my chiropractor, after adjusting my back, forbade me from doing any ladder work right away. So, instead of working on the bay window, I explored the house a little bit more. The flash on my camera is working again (finally!)...
Porch and Bay Window Restoration Begin
With the days getting shorter and the exterior trim on the house getting more weathered, we decided to tackle the most vulnerable features of the exterior before the weather changes. Jim is working primarily on the porch and I'm working primarily on the bay window. In...
Anomalous Details and a New Project…
The goal of finding a house to restore which was both architecturally and historically interesting has been simmering in the background for some time now. Life has a way of distracting us from our goals (most recently getting involved with the renovation of someone...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
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...
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...
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...