Almost a Year!

Hey there!

You haven’t heard from us for a while, but we’re still here—in our old house. So it is about time we post something just to keep this thing going. No, moving in did not signal the end of the work. Though since the last blog installment, we can say most of the things I listed in the previous one (those things yet to do) are mostly done. In my naivety I think I thought we’d get them done last fall. HA HA.

Here’s a few photos to summarize (click on image to enlarge):

Most of the rooms needed their final coat of wall paint.
This photo of Bob rolling the upper hall is taken from the living room.

Bob lends Dave the trim carpenter a hand with
installing the stair railing in the upper hall.

Bob built wooden components in all the closets.
We thought it would be in keeping with the house’s charm.
This is the double closet in the master bedroom.

This is another shot of the master bedroom closets.
We had the challenge of working around the chimney at the back.
Adjustable shelves go in the box-like features.

The front yard maple was one of the first to turn—autumn is upon us.

We installed the beaded board (wainscot) on the walls of the 

master bath—no more hired help around. 

Here Bob is installing the baseboard.

Bob built the mirror after we couldn’t find anything we liked.
We bought all the moldings and got creative.

I stopped to take a photo while priming the stairs. It took longer 

to apply all the blue masking tape than to do the actual painting!

Rolling, rolling, rolling...last room on first floor, the family room.

Sadly these two old spruces in the front yard were dying.
We had them taken down before the winter winds blew them down.
This photo was taken from the upper hall window.

Then toward the end of October, I crashed. All the mental and physical stress of the previous three years took their toll. My thyroid went berserk and my world came to a screeching halt. Honestly we were both exhausted and after some serious soul searching decided that in order to get back to a healthy place we would put the tools away—stop all work on the house. That may sound simple, but it wasn’t. It was extremely hard to turn off the motor which had been in high gear in order to keep up with deadlines and make the house ready for occupancy. We’d achieved that much—so yes, we could take a break! And we did so from November through February.

Nature takes a rest, so we do, too.

The snow is piling up in this shot from the street toward the garage. 

We were happy to shovel a short and level driveway for 

the first time in many, many winters.

My godparents hosted our winter escape to Florida in 

February—a much needed rejuvenating time away.
Thank you, Uncle Lee and Aunt Shirley!

As spring approached we made a few purchases to furnish the family room. It’s becoming a comfy place to relax and watch TV. Then it was apparent spring cleaning (more like spring re-organizing) was greatly needed. Selling the original washer and dryer opened up enough space in the basement to inspire us to build some shelves so we could unpack boxes and get stuff up off the floor. Bob spent days unpacking his workshop and making spaces to hang and store yard and work tools in the garage. What a relief to be able to find things--no more digging through boxes. Being able to walk through these spaces was a welcome change, too.

The rhododendrons put on a vibrant display in May.

As the weather continued to warm we resumed what was left of the interior painting—the guest room walls and trim in various rooms. This was placed high on the priority list as we did NOT want to look back in five years and still not have everything painted. We’re amazed at the hours we’ve had to spend with paint brush in hand.

Currently we are beginning the long process of stripping and repainting all the doors—all twelve of them. We’re taking them down by twos—stripping, sanding, and painting before rehanging them. The door hardware also needs to be stripped and painted as well—hinges, door knobs, latches, knob plates, key plates, latch plates, and all the screws. I never realized how many pieces of hardware there are on old victorian doors.

After that, not far down the “to do” list is finishing the front porch and putting up the shutters.

In the meantime we are giving serious thought and planning to our outdoor living spaces. But we will leave that for another installment. And it probably is time to post some before and after photos. Stay tuned or stop by and see things in real life. 

It feels good to be back. Thanks for reading,

ChrisAnn