Monday, February 28, 2011

It's really happening!

Believe it or not, I have the photographic evidence that this train is finally moving. The first floor joists are mostly installed and the second floor joists should go in this week. We have floors! Once the floors are in, they can start stripping the rest of the old plaster off the walls and replacing the mortar in between the bricks. Here are some photos to enjoy.

Photo 1: In the basement, the first floor joists are overhead. You can see the ladder in the opening where the U-shaped staircase will be. Ignore the joists on the floor; those are ones that have yet to be installed.


Photo 2: The first floor, looking towards Q St - also known as our main living floor. You can see the opening where the stairwell will be. The brick line on the wall above the green plaster is where the second floor joists will be soon. So the top set of windows are in the master bedroom.


Photo 3: Zoomed in on the installed joists. You can see that this section of brick has already been cleaned some. Its going to look great.


Photo 4: The 'foyer' on our main floor and the bottom of our (to be replaced) front door. This is the first time I've seen the front door from the inside!


Photo 5: The kitchen nook/dining room, facing 8th St. I'm not sure why the walls are spray painted but needless to say that will not be staying. Also, notice the brick corner on the left of the photo - we're pretty sure that's the natural color of the brick, which gives us an indication of the color the exterior of the house will be once we strip off all the red paint.


Photo 6: A corner of the kitchen in the back corner of the house. The round port window will be over our sink and looks back to the alley, which is why we're considering frosted glass.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

And so it finally begins...

I know the blog has long been dormant, but believe it or not, work has FINALLY started on our beloved house. We have permits in hand, approval from the Historical Society, and a brand new contractor who actually knows what he is doing and wants to get the job done! By the way, if anyone is ever thinking of working with a contractor named Mike Goodson, please contact us to hear about our experience first.

Demo started last Friday, the specially-engineered trusses have been delivered, Ryon met with the framers today, and everything is moving forward. I'll post pictures when we have them!

Thanks for hanging in there and continuing to support us (especially our fantastic neighbors Walter and Ray who have had to live next to the mess).