End of April!

So 1 month down and 2 months to go!

These last two days have been heating and cooling guys taking out the old system and starting to install the new "cute little box". While Steve has been trying to figure out how to deal with plaster walls and I have been tediously (did I say tediously?) trying to remove wallpaper glue from the bedroom. We also tried to figure out how to get cabinets and are surprised that they do not seem as expensive as we feared. Appears that it really may not be a bad time to do work on a house. Also found a floor guy to do the floors.

All this seemed as if it would be so easy. But I kid you not, every person that comes to give us a bid for something will say, "my way is the ONLY was and anyone else is wrong!" and then the next person comes in and says the exact opposite. And then, the third guy comes in and messes it all up by suggesting a completely novel idea - and his way is the ONLY way to go, of course. So, we end up learning a helluva lot about HVAC, floor finishes, plaster walls, wallpaper, etc.

So, final note. These photos have no relevance to the current projects. Except the story about D. Appears that he is loving learning about climbing trees. The other day he was way up in a magnolia tree and, as Steve looked on, a limb broke and D started to fall upside down. A few feet from the ground his feet caught in the crook of a limb and it held him, hanging in mid-air. Steve was convinced he had broken his ankles. But, D tells this story with those mischievous eyes and seems unfazed.

Day 27 - Wall Demo

After a million "I don't know what I am doing" comments, we took down this wall. The plaster and lathe construction is truly incredible. We took a truckload of lathe and frame to the recycling center today and it all looked as if it was new and not 70 years old. It almost hurt our sensibility to take down such a well-built wall. BUT, we did it.

The only problem is that it is REALLY setting in that we do not have a master plan for this project. We don't know what to do next.

Magneto

Pulled up two layers of linoleum today - but in between layers we had to pull 1,000s of 1 1/2" staples. It was not fun for us, but Donovan had a blast going around with this magnetic device to pick them all up. The only unforseen consequence was that D touched the pliers with it and magnetized them. Now you have to pull every staple off of the pliers.

Tomorrow we are going to try pouring boiling water and vinegar on towels layed out on the floor to see if it is possible to get the linoleum glue up off the wood. It is amazing what you can find on the internets.

Haven't killed anyone yet

Two quick stories:

1. The electrician the other day was joking about how nice it is to work in a house where there is an ER doc. Then a few hours later, as I was down at the swing, I heard a manly noise/yelp that sounded VERY wrong. Turns out, after 20 years on the job, he electrocuted himself for the second time. He lived to tell us about it though.

2. Dick, the heating salesman who we are spending way too much time with, has a badly broken foot. This involved horses and some permanent damage. At any rate, Dick at first used his foot as an excuse for not liking stairs. But now, we know he just can't handle stairs or any exertion at all. Steve calls him "wheezy Dick". So Dick came to pick up the 1950s stove and dishwasher yesterday with a friend. He barely moved the thing at all and I thought he was going to DIE. He was pouring buckets of sweat off of his face, wheezing, and barely able to speak. I actually had to say good-bye early as he was making me so nervous.

The space that was a kitchen

Yes! you can dismantle an entire kitchen in one day. After having done it I would suggest having more of a plan in place than we seem to have. We just keep hoping that we don't have to put it all back together. The cabinets were all original and really quite beautiful in their sturdiness and quality of wood. Almost all of it will be reused in the garage and laundry room - but the layout was just too difficult to try and keep. Kind of fun - the original floors may be what we can salvage. The 2 layers of linoleum will come up in the next few days.

Say good-bye kitchen

Today we got the go-ahead to demo the kitchen wall, move the door and take off the linoleum. As you can see, it needs some feng-shui. So, kids off in the morn and Steve and I start ripping and tearing.
The only other thing of note s that our electricians didn't show as promised today. Seems they had some bovine emergency to attend to.

Electricity

Electricians here all day. And back tomorrow. No electricity until they are done. Now it looks like we have a shiny new pole up into the sky off the roof. Hmmm.

Ceiling demo

Took out most of the ceiling in the basement room today. Imagine 60+ years of dust raining down with every piece of plywood. It was a dirty job. But, had to do it to get the new furnace in and to see where all the old ductwork (or lack of ductwork) is located and so we can get rid of these bad boys. Plus, it will be a great way to rewire most of the room. A silver lining. Also, a photo from yesterday, Liv at work.

PLEASE1

PLEASE! Please please! It does not matter how "cute" that wallpaper looks - I still think it is the one true decorating devil-spawn!

2 1/2 months to go

Finished the fence (mostly -still have the gates to go!) We also hired an electrician (to update the panel to 200amp) and a company to put in a furnace that does not take up 1/4 of a huge living space and sound like darth vader. Also, the furnace salesman wants the 1950s stove. Now for a glass of wine, kids asleep, and a long shower.

More posts and chickens

So, it seems these days are already melting into one another. More posts (down to 4 more to do tomorrow), more chickens were added today (a cinnamon queen and a red), and more talking to heating furnace guys (boy, those guys can talk!). Wondering when we will be back inside the house to get down to some serious business.

Day 13 - Posts and Chickens

What a day! Steve and I worked on the putting up posts almost all day. We only have about half of them up but it is starting to take shape. We did find a hibernating garter snake which made Donovan very excited.

All was well but then this afternoon, when I went to get Olivia from school, two dogs got into the coop and killed Blackberry. Luckily Steve discovered it before we got back. She did have a great last day though, sunshine and worms galore. The pain was muted by promises of getting a few chicks in the next few days. Just add on the fun.

Day 11

Rain and Steve working - not my favorite combination. Kids helped and we got the last of the wallpaper down today. Not quite sure what to do with plaster walls and how to prep them for painting. There are spots where the top layer has come off and I found some mildew in a corner (aha - source of the faint old person house smell!). Will work on that tomorrow. Also decided to put some cardboard down around the garden. This is supposed to kill the grass in about 3 weeks. Which will be about the time that I can even look at it again - even though it is calling my name.

Garden

Not much to report (Steve worked 11 hours) BUT Donovan and I put in the raspberry plants that had been culled from my friend Amy's garden plot. They have been sitting in bags of dirt on my porch since the 4th of March. Our first garden project.

Day 9

OK, Steve has had to work quite a few shifts these last 9 days, but here is what we have accomplished to date:

1. 4 posts in the ground for the fence (moved 90lb bags of concrete today)
2. removed wallpaper in bathroom downstairs to reveal some mold and a few drippy spots from above
3. removed grass skirt wallpaper from a wall in living room
4. started to remove wallpaper from bedroom (half done and the last of the wallpaper!)
5. moved the chicken kennel away from the mud pit and Steve built a gate so the kids can get in easier.
6. Had the gas company, HVAC companies, and an electrician out to give us some estimates.

Seems that we can get the gas to the house for free if we install a gas furnace (we have a hog of an oil tank and furnace right now), the Heating guy says they are desperate for work and will give us a good discount, and the electrician won't call us back. BUT, most importantly, we haven't inadvertently killed the chickens yet.

1950s stove for sale

The 1950s GE stove is a perfect example. Although a beautiful thing in that it has a built in meat thermometer, clock, two broil/bake ovens and two storage bins below - it will have to go just on size alone. So, after the HVAC guy was taking more pictures of the stove today than anything else we thought we'd put it on craigslist. $300 OBO. Who knows? Would be nice.

April Fools Day - we bought a house!

On April Fools Day we purchased a house that was built in 1944 with a bit of local historical note. We spent most of our savings and our borrowings but find that we have 3 months (until the lease runs out on our rental) before we have to move in. We are the third owners and very very little has been done to the house in all these years. What to do first?