We tore down the last of the wallpaper and painted the entrance and stairway. The house has plaster walls but being 90 years old it is still in really good condition and only a few minor cracks.
The for probably the biggest improvement we went to the bathroom and tore out the only carpet in the house. Hardwood floors in the whole house but the upstairs bathroom had carpet??I installed something called "Allure" which is more or less vinyl tile, but it's about 1/8" an inch thick and comes in 1x3' sections that overlap each other and they do not stick to the floor. It's a floating floor so will go on over almost anything. I just laid it down over the wood floor and it looks really good. Huge improvement over carpet in the bathroom.
Next it was on to the living room and a little electrical. We've come to realize old houses don't have very many electrical outlets. There were only two in the living room and there were no light switches. When I did the the kitchen project last spring I was able to get the kitchen circuits separate from the living room so it made it a little easier to add outlets and a switch in the living room. It's a bit tricky drilling through the basement ceiling, rafters, and floor (about 14" total) and getting the drill to come out where you want it in the wall to pull the wires through but I've got it dialed now and with the help, or not help of Ellie, we got switches and outlets in. Now we don't have to walk around a dark living room looking for the lamp.
Probably the biggest project is going to be the windows but hopefully other than all the project planning that I have pretty much been doing the last 3 months I won't have to do much other than let the installers put them in. The windows in the house are 90 years old and still have the ropes and weights in the walls to hold them up. Many of them are broken now though so it takes a dowel to hold them up, or they don't go up at all. They are all single pane, they look really nice, but the cold just leaks in through all the cracks and openings. I chose Eagle replacement windows and will have a friends company stain them to match, and then another friends company will install them. It probably won't save very much in heat costs, but it will be nice to be able to open windows to clean them and not have to stuff cotton balls in the corners to keep the draft out.
Next it was on to the living room and a little electrical. We've come to realize old houses don't have very many electrical outlets. There were only two in the living room and there were no light switches. When I did the the kitchen project last spring I was able to get the kitchen circuits separate from the living room so it made it a little easier to add outlets and a switch in the living room. It's a bit tricky drilling through the basement ceiling, rafters, and floor (about 14" total) and getting the drill to come out where you want it in the wall to pull the wires through but I've got it dialed now and with the help, or not help of Ellie, we got switches and outlets in. Now we don't have to walk around a dark living room looking for the lamp.
Probably the biggest project is going to be the windows but hopefully other than all the project planning that I have pretty much been doing the last 3 months I won't have to do much other than let the installers put them in. The windows in the house are 90 years old and still have the ropes and weights in the walls to hold them up. Many of them are broken now though so it takes a dowel to hold them up, or they don't go up at all. They are all single pane, they look really nice, but the cold just leaks in through all the cracks and openings. I chose Eagle replacement windows and will have a friends company stain them to match, and then another friends company will install them. It probably won't save very much in heat costs, but it will be nice to be able to open windows to clean them and not have to stuff cotton balls in the corners to keep the draft out.
We had a great Christmas this year. It was more fun than last year since Ellie was old enough to get excited about tearing something open. Next Christmas will not be so relaxing with Nationals still 3 weeks away, but it was nice to enjoy the downtime this year. I'll start doing some cross training now that I am caught up and hopefully in a month I'll be down to business getting ready for the spring season again. Hopefully a little more snow to ski on would be nice.
3 comments:
The parsonage we lived in in Chicago had those beautiful old windows with weights and pulleys, too. Someone once told us that they could be worth a lot of money. But, probably only if they worked. Maybe something to consider if you can get them out without too much damage. Maybe Craigslist?
Your home is becoming more and more beautiful! Loved the picture of Ellie helping her Daddy out ;)
You have a beautiful home and your daughter is adorable!
Post a Comment