Week 35: Amy [Edit from Joe: Before my wife tells you about our latest progress you need to know something important. My wife is amazing. Seriously. She is one of the most determined people you will ever meet. Just try telling her she can’t do something and see what happens. I dare you. Amy and…
Tag: home rehab
“I’m yours until you say to stop”
Week 35 – Joe A week ago I got a text from our carpenter. It was a text that rehabbers in need of structural expertise only dream of getting: “I’m starting Monday and cleared out all week or longer if needed. I’m yours until you say to stop.” There was much rejoicing in our house…
New Upstairs Windows are IN!
Week 35 – Joe We have reached another exciting milestone! The new windows have been framed out and installed in Aiden’s room, Lucy’s room, and the upstairs bathroom. They are aluminum clad wooden windows. For those of you who might not know (I didn’t), that means that the exterior is aluminum and will never need…
6 Hard Questions for the DIY Rehabber
Week 34 – Amy We are about half way through our house project! [Note from Joe: Well… maybe halfway to moving IN. We all know the “house project” will never actually be done] At the beginning of the project we knew enough to know that there was a lot we didn’t know. Along the way…
Winter is coming!
Week 32 – Joe Apparently winter is arriving a little earlier this year. An abnormal “polar plunge” is dropping the temperatures below freezing and will continue for the foreseeable future. I don’t mind cold weather. In fact, I normally embrace it… but it’s too early! We have been preparing for the inevitably of cold temps, but…
Window resolution and forward progress! (part 4)
Week 29 – Joe Amy and I are in the middle of a fall break from work. This means we have been able to make much more progress on the house. A couple weeks ago I finally figured out how to make the new windows match the old windows. The amber shellac that I had…
New stairs are framed!
Week 27 – Joe Amid the slow-paced progress of this fall we have managed to arrive at another small milestone. Our new stairs are framed in and now provide a new, functional way to get to the 2nd floor. [Edit from Amy: I’ve been imagining what the house will eventually be in my mind so…
Window Standoff – Part 3
“The windows have been an ongoing project.” I feel like I say that in every blog post. Now that my work schedule has ramped up I don’t have time to run over to the house just for an hour here or there. I moved the whole window project to my basement, which is great because…
“My room is broken”
Week 21 – Joe While the work continues on the hvac and plumbing, Amy and I have been busy preparing for new windows! If you recall, the front gable of our house had been butchered with a gigantic fan and vent opening. That room will be Lucy’s room so it needs to have a window…
A flute in one hand, a power tool in the other
Amy- Week 20 Many people believe they simply don’t have the time to take on big projects, especially when it comes to young families with kids. For many, this is most likely true. Others claim not to have the wherewithal or skills to pull it off. Also, usually true. When surveyed 8 out of 10…
Work continues without us
Week 20 – Joe School started a couple of weeks ago and that means the type of work we are doing on the house has completely changed. Progress is still moving forward and the house is changing every week, but it is because we are now in the stage of the renovation that requires us…
Brain explosions
Have you ever walked into an open house and thought about all of the things you’d change? It’s fun. Maybe you said to yourself, “Well…I really wish the cabinets were a little less country” or “Gosh! That tile around the fireplace will just have to go.” It’s fun to do these little assessments of houses…
Finally, something new – walls!
Week 16 – Joe We have been working hard this month completing demo and making tough decisions on the floor plan. We have been putting in long hours at the house, but it is still slow going because one of us always has to watch the kids. I can’t imagine how much easier this would…
More demo, more treasure
Week 15 – Joe We have had a little lull in demo work while finishing up our floor plans and lining up subcontractors. During this time I have kept progress moving forward by continuing with the windows. All the kitchen windows have been stripped, scraped, sanded, repaired, and primed. I have also removed 5 other…
The demolition continues…
Week 11 – Joe Once we decided that the kitchen was going to be in the back of the house we knew we were going to have to relocate the bathroom. There is a very small room right next to the kitchen that will make for a very nice and well-placed bathroom. That part was…
Things we found in the walls
Week 12 – Amy A few years ago we did some renovation work on our current house. This required tearing down a wall and busting into some floors. Since our house is over 140 years old, I was certain we would find an artifact of some sort. Maybe an old photograph, a bottle or perhaps…
Under New Management 