Karl & Lisa's Victorian Home

Cherry Trees

2010-04-13T18:12:00.003-05:00

The cherry trees are approaching six years old. We've never had more than a handful of cherries but they sure put on a great flower show:

I've looked into many possibilities on why the trees don't produce. I think it could be any of these theories: One tree flowers too late in comparison to the other, no honeybees in the area, frost, or that the trees are still too young. This year, if there is an impending frost I will cover them with bedsheets over night to try and eliminate that theory. Stay tuned...

Garlic Mustard and the New Chimney

2010-04-12T09:38:00.003-05:00

Ok, so the chimney is complete. I can't tell you how happy I am to have that done. NOW can all the leaks can go away!?!?!

I recently read an article in the news about the invasive weed called "Garlic Mustard". The article went on to describe how it is destroying the local plant life on forest floors and how there is no natural fungus or parasites that kill it off. It is recommended that you pull it out and either burn it or throw it away because this plant is so hardy that it will re-root into the ground if you just leave it to wilt.

The name of the plant had me wondering. A short google search produced articles about how it was introduced by immigrants as a culinary herb. Adding "recipe" to garlic mustard produced many pages of recipes for pesto. I think the news article I read should have referenced how the roots are like a mild horseradish and that the entire plant is edible as a part of salads, pizza, etc... If it is anything we humans do best, it is consuming everything to the point of exploitation. Making this the hottest new item at your local restuarant should surely descimate this species, making it a "win win" for us and the native wildlife.

Here's a photo of a young garlic mustard plant in my yard:

I also picked this plant and will be making a pesto taken from "Bon Appegeek" after I publish the post.

Updates to the Blog

2010-04-10T08:57:00.002-05:00

I have been updating the links listed in the blog - in particular, in the "Tour Our Home" section. We have made many changes to the interior so please take a look at the new links. I will be dismantling the Geocities website since Yahoo has closed their hosting service and wants to charge $120/yr to allow me to edit my website. I moved all my photos from that website over to Flickr and the neat feature about Flickr is that I can link the room "sets" to the blog in a form of a slide show. Pretty cool.

It has been a while...

2010-04-09T10:41:00.006-05:00

It has been a l-o-n-g time since I have posted on our house blog but I assure you, we have done some major remodeling with more on the way! We are 99% finished with the interior and have just begun the exterior repairs.

Completed July 2009 was our new roof. We hired Advanced Roofing out of Yorkville, IL primarily because of their impressive work on suburban Chicago historical homes. We had them install GAF/ELK Camelot shingles and also the much needed gutters. It cost a fortune but considering Karl and I plan on dying here, I wanted quality materials and work that will outlast me before I needed to worry about it.

Before:

After (ignore the date, my old camera doesn't know what it's doing):

After a new roof one would assume all leaks would be taken care of. Not so! Once spring made its first showing about a month ago, I began seeing water spots on my ceilings on the second floor. I peeked into the attic and all the beams surrounding my chimney were black. Ugh. I had a few restoration specialists come out and was told my chimney need to be completely replaced. Bricks rot and turn into sponges over time. I had no idea, you learn something new every day!

As of this morning, I have a new chimney. As you can see in the old pictures above, some of the components missing on the chimney were a proper cap, flues, and their corresponding rain caps. This new chimney is all new brick, TWO new flues/rain caps, and of course a new cement cap. The guy says it will last another 150 years which fits in with my "anything I fix better outlast me" theme. Work was completed by Valley Chimney Sweep & Restoration.

Here's a close up of the new chimney:

Next, we will be rebuilding the front porch. We found out that it is supposed to be a two story "piazza" design and will be receiving the materials around the end of the month. In the mean time, I'm looking to reproduce my old columns which has not been easy.

The Summer Projects

2006-04-07T11:25:00.000-05:00

Well, as you may have noticed by the SEVERE lack of posting on this site, we've been on hiatus.

With the weather warming up, and the cabin fever overwhelming us, we came up with a list of projects to get done this summer:

1. Replace more windows and storm windows. Karl had two sets replaced already last fall, and they've been working out great. He's getting his groove on the technique and it's only costing us about $10-20 a window to replace it. Can you believe it?

2. Insulate the attic. I think the last time it was insulated with blown in cellulose was in the 1940's. It's only about 3" deep, and with the new stove upstairs, it was really obvious this needs to be a priority. I need to research the correct way to put new insulation over old blown in insulation. One question I have is whether I need to use a vapor barrier between the layers.

3. Probably the most fun project is putting in a stone wall. The fence around the property is temporary, and we'd like to have at least the front be a dry-fit sandstone wall, 3 feet high. It would cut down on the traffic noise, and look much nicer. We got quotes for $3 a ton, unbelievable pricing. We will also use this stone to patio out the north side of the house. It hardly gets any sun due to the house and mature trees, and after 3 years of bad luck with the grass, it's coming out!

4. Make a path to the wood pile. Since we officially converted to using solely wood heat, we made quite a mud path to where we dump the wood, and it would be nice to have a nicer pathway.

I have no photos as of yet, so I'll post when we get rolling

The Master Bedroom

2005-12-22T10:05:00.000-06:00

Here is another room I don't really care about. I know in most families, the parents usually take the largest room, but we opted to take the smallest, since the kids make more use of all the space in the other rooms. I also didn't want to spend too much money, so I did this on the cheap.

I'm obsessive when it comes to remodeling. This room has has three looks in three years.

When we moved in:

The first remodel:

How it looks now, although you can't see how it connects to the loft where the stove is:

Here's the new dressers I got.

They're teak, cool huh? Going for the "feng shui" look. I used Dutch Boy Granite paint in the room, a matte finish grainy sort of paint. I really like the texture. It's the texture of bar sugar. I want to make bamboo valances for the windows, and bamboo frames for the prints on the wall. I just haven't got there yet!

The Master Bath

2005-12-20T14:48:00.000-06:00

This is the last room we really need to work on. It's also the room I care the least about, so it's not taking priority attention!

But, it is from the late 30's or early 40's (toilet was marked 1932 or 1939), and is in desparate need of remodeling. This room I want to use alot of stone work, and with the stove and marble floor in the drawing room directly beneath it, I'm not so sure the house was meant for the weight load. I'll have to hire an engineer. The other thing is that the linen closet is almost large enough to be a bedroom (!) and I'd LOVE to tear it out and put the second floor lanudry in there. The room used to be a fifth bedroom, so it's very large.

Being as I can't really do what I want with the bathroom due to my overstretched finances being sucked by this house, I'm going for a "design on a dime" look, and keep it under $1000.

Here's the bathroom as it looked when we purchased the place. Keep in mind that half the room couldn't fit into this shot, so a 4x6 foot window isn't shown.

This is it now, so far keeping within budget:

I painted the tub with Rustoleum, and changed the clawfeet to silver. I installed new lights/fans, and painted the "wainscoting" (which is WAY cheap and fake, but it'll do for now), put in a new toilet, and put in a Victorian Delta faucet, granite undermount sink, and a cherry cabinet.

I still have to replace the vanity light, and put up new wallpaper. Then, I can at least live with the bathroom. I also have to tear out that mess by the radiator. Why did they cover it up? Why not just put a corner cabinet in above it?

Oh ya, remember this post about the central air conditioning leaking in the attic? Well, this what happens when water damage meets cold air:

Grrrr....

That #$!#%@$ Stove!

2005-12-20T14:40:00.000-06:00

We didn't have this problem with the first stove's chimney.

Our new stove has an "angle" to the projection into the house. It is like this because the "tee support" was an assmbled part, leaving room for error in the alignment when attaching the tee to the house. I mean, it actually SLIDES on purpose. I suppose it could be a benefit to some installers, but not to us.

If it wasn't for the fact it's -5 outside, I'd take a photo to show how the rest of the chimney looks. It's not going to affect the saftey, for everything's bolted, but it LOOKS BAD, both inside and out.

You can see the angle at the elbow.

So, that's our project to fix!

How did we ever survive?

2005-12-06T12:53:00.000-06:00

How did we; as a hairless species, ever survive? I mean, it's cold out here today! It's 10 degrees outside, and I can't finish putting in my stove! ARRRRGGGHHHH!

Here's the scoop:

Yes, we have "central heat". That is, if you count a radiant heat system put in around 1908. Don't get me wrong, we used it the first year in this place, but without ever having it inspected? I don't even want to bother.

I already have a wood stove in my drawing room but it is designed to heat only my downstairs. This summer I purchased another wood stove to go upstairs on the "loft" above the main staircase. I never put it in during the summer, well...uh... because I thought I'd do it in the fall.

Apparently, everyone felt the same way I did. I went to Menards, and they are backordered for MONTHS. So, I go online spend $500 more to have the chimney shipped in, and waited.

Then, we went to put it in this past weekend, and of course ran into problems. Karl's afraid of heights (working 35 feet up), there's a gutter where the ladder needs to rest, etc...

So, fed up at living downstairs, and NOT wanting to sleep in a 40 degree bedroom, I hiked up my skirt (kidding), flashed $200 (not kidding), and asked two guys to move my 400 pound stove upstairs, and put the effing chimney up. And, THEY DID IT!

I was so happy because my husband said I didn't "understand how hard this was to install" (because I'm using a horsewhip on him), and I thought that he doesn't understand that if he pushes me, I'LL get it done myself.

And I did. I moved the 400 pound stove from the landing, through my bedroom, and I widened the doorway, and set the stove into its final resting place. Yes, my back hurts.

Now the new problem. The one piece of chimney doesn't come into the house far enough for me to meet the heat clearances needed for either the stove or the stovepipe. Take a look, and yes, the window is covered in ice...

Dammit!

I was so close, and there's nothing I can do. I had to order another part, an 18" length instead of a 12" that's in there now. The good news? It should be here within two days. The bad news? The cold days are NOW, and it will be back into the 30's by the end of the week, and I don't care then.

So, back to freezing my dupa off and sleeping downstairs. I don't know how we survived way back when, because 40 degrees upstairs, and 52 downstairs is not cutting it for me, AT ALL. Think I'm joking? Here's the pics, taken today:

This one is out of focus because my Xmas tree is right there, so I had to take it really close.

And, 40 is warm, I took this in the middle of the day. God knows what it is at night.

Live-in Nanny Needed!

2005-10-22T19:44:00.000-05:00

Ugh, I'm tired of looking on au-pair & nanny websites to find a live-in "nanny". All the agencies want $200 (or more!) just to access a resume, and there's no guarantee! So, I figured I'd use my sites to "advertise" my position.

If you are interested, email me, and we can talk. You can find my email information in my profile. Or, if you know someone, also email me their contact info.

Here's the description:

We reside in Paw Paw, IL, it is a small village of 850 people. We are on the edge of town, in a wonderful quiet setting.

We are a family that loves living in a rural area. My husband has a small business in DeKalb, and has an extremely flexible work schedule. I work at his business, so one of us is almost always around. We live in a large Victorian home that we have been restoring for the last three years. It became listed in the National Register of Historical Places this past May. The half acre yard is fenced, and the kids LOVE to play outside. We also have two English Shepherd dogs that play all day also! :)

My son is 5 at the end of the month, and he attends pre-school four days a week. He has a language delay, but had greatly improved in the last year. He is very well behaved, and very social. He's also VERY "boy" because he enjoys playing army man, pretend hunting, and the like.

My daughter is two years old, and is the direct opposite of her brother. She loves all things Disney Princess, and can be quite shy. Once she gets to know you, she is a cuddle bunny! I just started potty training her yesterday, and she did very well!

Why we want a "nanny":

We love people. We have an extra room in the house that always sits empty. Karl and I do not regularly "need" someone to watch the kids during the day, but sometimes this is needed for various reasons. We decided that it would be mutually beneficial to have a responsible person who loves children live in our home. We thought taking care of all of your living expenses, including health & car insurance in exchange for a "here and there" babysitting situation would help not only us, but someone that is looking for a place to live and also desires to have a relationship with other people. We would also provide a small salary for spending money. You could expect to “work” an average of only 5 hours a week. You would also be able to pursue a part-time job, if you wished. You would have you own room furnished with a queen bedroom set, a secure wireless internet connection, a TV/VCR/DVD/MP3 player, and access to your own personal laptop, if you do not already own one. Your room is very large, and has two equally large windows! If you do not own your own vehicle, we will provide access to one for you.

We had our first experience this past summer with an au pair from Germany. She just left this past Saturday to return to college. It was a good experience for everyone. We are open to foreign nannies, so don't be shy. We speak fluent German, and moderate Spanish.

We are a politically active family, and I volunteer for various conservative causes. This is usually what will call me out of the house. We would prefer a person that is either not interested in politics, or is conservative in nature.

Thanks! :)

The New Project

2005-08-06T09:08:00.000-05:00

Well, as all of us old home owners know, original windows are awesome to have. Sorta. Let's face it, single pane glass held in place with most likely half-century old (or older in the case or ours) glazing isn't very economical insulation wise, and just plain looks bad.

Not only that, but our windows have sagged, panes cracked, and dry-rotted all on the north side of the house. It didn't help when previous owners retro-fitted aluminum storm windows without properly sealing them, rotting the sills, and keeping moisture close to the panes.

So, what do we do with this problem? With 22 windows and one out of three being different sizes, replacing them with WOOD windows would most likely run almost $100,000. I'd NEVER put in those vinyl windows. Low-E is nice, but what an indignation to a home that has just been placed in the National Register!

We've read some books about window making, took down a window, and started researching how we want to go about this. We've decided replacing the actual panes and sashes were the most important, and we'll so the sills later. We also have decided that dovetail construction would work best with the windows for durability. We're using pressure treated lumber for the upstairs, and haven't decided on a material for the first floor, since I don't want to refinish the molding around the windows from the inside. The second floor windows are worse off anyway.

Karl's completed the first window today. So far, the only obstacle we've come across is that they installed the windows, and custom fit all the trim pieces around them, so everything must come down to fit back together. Most of the windows we'll just use the original panes of glass, to preserve character, and we'll use salvage for panes that are cracked.

I'm excited because the first benefit is the cost. This is costing us almost nothing to do. We have the tools, and treated lumber isn't expensive. We'll prime and paint, and have lifetime windows, keeping in tune with the construction. The drawback is the insulation factor. We'll gain some energy savings from having windows that fit properly, but we'll never have the same savings as those who opt to install the vinyl Low-E. But, we heat our home with wood anyway, and last year our heating cost using wood was $150 for the whole season.

I'll get some pictures up when we complete more...

An Honor for Our Home

2005-07-04T20:21:00.000-05:00

Some of you may recall a post where I was researching to have our home listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Back in March, I made a presentation to the State, and I got the official nomination from the State Historic Preservation Officer. Then I had to wait to have the National Park Service accept the nomination, and place it officially on the register.

Our home was listed in the Register as the Stephen Wright House, and was entered on May 22nd, 2005.

It was alot of work, but it's worth it for obvious reasons.

Now I have to throw a party for it! :)

Winterizing in July

2005-06-30T09:09:00.000-05:00

One of the things that give me a chuckle over owning an old home is that you are always preparing a season in advance.

I really like my wood stove. I've mentioned it many times, and it was great to have heat our first floor in the winter. Unfortunately, it can't accomodate the whole house, so that left Karl and I sleeping/showering in 45 degree rooms. The kids had space heaters, so they were fine. Even then, on 0 degree days, I kicked in the radiant heat to get the home to 62 degrees in the mornings (then the stove took over just fine). The gas & electric cost to run the radiant heat was $300. Now, it WAS costing us $600 before the stove, so it was still a savings. It's seems like a waste.

It really go me thinking about the upstairs. We have a loft over the main stairwell, a little over four weet wide. It is inaccessable to kids, it's in a convienient location, because it doesn't take up room there, and it doesn't require modifying the room, to put in the stove. We could punch right through to the roof, a cost savings over running double wall chimneys up from the first floor. We already have a wood supply, we already have the equipment left over from the last installation, and I even have 30 sq feet of marble left over. That's a good sized hearth pad! The best part was that the cold air return for our central air is RIGHT THERE!. To me, that's nothing but a big blower! We have the UNICO system, so instead of several small returns dispersed through the rooms, it is one large 2x3 foot return, perfect for sucking up the heat from the stove and blowing it throughout the upstairs. I suppose now it's a hot air return.

I got a great deal on the stove (Napoleon 1400s), since I called all over the US for the price. It's not as pretty as the one downstairs, but it's convienient. It has a self-closing, large ash dump (pedestal model), with handles you just pull out, which is nice since it's upstairs. The soapstone model you have to shovel out, NOT fun when the stove has a 600 degree surface temp. And, we had to put the ashes in a large steel bucket and run to the outside, since it didn't have a lid. It has a front loading door, perfect for the narrow space it will sit on. Our other one loads from the side. This model only requires a 10 inch side clearance, which the other one has an 18. And, at this point, it was a bonus to have a viewing glass.

So, with our home being 2400 square feet, and between the two stoves covering 3600 square feet, maybe I'll get to enjoy a 72 degree home after all!

Here's a pic:

Scratch that item off my wishlist!

2005-06-20T10:39:00.000-05:00

A while back ago, I posted that it would be so awesome to put a taxidermy peacock in our home. I couldn't afford it, so I figured it was something that I'd dream about.

Well, my mother purchased it for me as an anniversary present (thanks Mom!!!), and I've rearranged my parlour to try to give this bird the room it needs to be showcased.

Now, I just have to ditch the very un-Victorian leather sofa, to make the room complete. But, that's for another wishlist, lolol.

You know your home consumes you when...

2005-06-17T09:17:00.000-05:00

You have damaged your wedding ring while working on the house, and had it repaired three times in two years.

Then, you get fed up and but a $15 gold band from Walmart to wear instead...

The boys' room

2005-06-13T17:07:00.000-05:00

I finally remodeled the boys' room. This is where the servant's staircase leads to. It used to be an open stair well at the top, with a rail, but given how boys are... Well, I figured it would be better to put a wall in. As a bonus with the addition of a wall, there was room for a real closet, something Victorian homes severly lack on.

Here's the before photo, when the boys got to destroy the room because I didn't care at the time (the room looked like poo anyways) Note the blue trim paint, that is what was covering ALL of the upstairs, yummy...:

And here's the after photo, believe it or not, just missing all that crap (sorry the color is off, the sun was REALLY bright)

Here's the other side of the room (it's a nice size), with the new wall and closet.

We still have some ceiling work to do in this room, but it's good enough for now.

Busy Bee

2005-06-09T13:38:00.000-05:00

Well, everytime I go through a bad time, I have to remodel something.

Our air conditioner (in which the blower is in the attic, a UNICO system) exhaust/drain had cracked over the winter with water freezing in it. Well, the blown in insulation had soaked it up like a sponge, effectively holding all this water until it coudln't take anymore.

So, needless to say, our ceilings damaged over night. Not only that, but that cute wallpaper I just put up in our daughter's room? RUINED!

I know people say to file a claim on this, but come on. We all know that those who work on their homes can handle the damage faster than any contractor, and do a better job. So, we'll eat the cost, because I don't want to wait to have it fixed, and just to have it all fixed wrong anyway!

Here's a pic of the damage to one room:

So, I've decided to get busy and fix up another room (I know, dumb, but I'm so mad at that room that we just made sure to pull out the bad insulation and fix the drain, and we'll get to that stuff later.)

I redid the guest bedroom, here's a before pic:

And the "now" pic:

I couldn't find a before pic of the servant's staircase, but it was blue. So, here's the "now" pic:

I'm painting the boys' room as well, so I'll post a photo when I'm finished.

The guest bedroom

2005-06-01T08:46:00.000-05:00

I've been working on the guest bedroom. We have a young lady from Germany spending July-October with us, and I'm having a blast remodeling it.

This week I have a cold, but I'm hoping to go out tomorrow to get the paint I need for the room. I usually frequent Menard's, but I have since discovered Behr paints at the Home Depot. I really like their enamels. It's true one coat coverage. I'm going to pick up a sade of lavender that compliments the bedding set I picked up.

I also want to spruce up the main bathroom a bit. That's the one room in the house we have not touched, and I think it would do some good to put up some new wallpaper (maybe) and a coat of paint. There's old laundry hook-ups in there, and I'm going to make a cover for them, so nobody has to stare at exposed plumbing. I don't want to take the pipes down, because I don't know what I want to do with the space yet.

The bathroom used to be a bedroom before indoor plumbing was installed. So, it's HUGE, with a HUGE closet. I don't need a large closet in a bathroom, so I'm toying with the idea of recessing the washer and dryer (currently in the creepy basement) in the extra space. Who wouldn't want second floor laundry!?!

I also get Architectural Digest (dream...), and I see the neatest bathrooms in there. I've been saving the pics I like, because I don't take baths (I'm a total shower person), and I'm thinking a REALLY large shower would be great.

Anyways, that's a long way off, unless I win the lottery sometime soon. Sigh...

Plea for help

2005-05-25T20:50:00.000-05:00

Some of you may know that my husband owns a State Farm agency. Well, we have a client that just lost her husband. She is 65, and doesn't even have the $4,000 to bury him. She will be moving into Section 8 housing a a couple months.

I know there isn't anything we can do about the housing situation, realistically. But, I do think that she should not have the stress of wondering how to pay for her husband's burial. There are no children involved. She has 8 step-children, and I don't know the entire situation about why they're not helping, I just know they are not involved with the funeral expenses, and will not be helping her.

So, I have set up a fund for her at the Paw Paw State Bank. I don't want to use her name, because there are alot of assholes out there, so the fund is named "Funeral Fund" with me as the custodian. I am aware that her husband will be buried before I can find all the money, but I can at least try to present her with a "reimbursement" type of gift.

Here's the address:

Paw Paw State Bank
Funeral Fund
235 Chicago Road
Paw Paw, IL 61353

I'm going there first thing tomorrow to tell them about this post. I came up with $200, so let's try to come up with $3800 more. If more comes in than expected, maybe this would be a good thing to keep going for other needy widows.

Picture time!

2005-05-20T06:34:00.000-05:00

Here's a couple pics of the kids, aren't they cute?

Some quiet time...

2005-05-10T08:45:00.000-05:00

Well, the appraiser has come and gone, and we've ejoyed a 30% increase in our property value over two years. Not too shabby, and a 50% increase over the original purchase price of the home. SO, I'm happy with that. It gives us a good idea about what our work is adding to a rural property, since rural areas have a hard time increasing in value.

The family and I have taken some time to relax. I've planted a bunch of perennials, including a banana tree. Ya, can you believe there is a variety that is hardy to zone 5? Weird! Also, I wanted to attract some birds to my newfound garden, so I put up an oriole feeder, and a hummingbird feeder, in the garden, next to our fountain. It didn't even take two days, and I had Baltimore orioles galore.

While taking photos (I took them on the "real" camera, with my zoom lens, so I have to get them developed), two came and started fighting over the feeder. I've never seen them before around here! I also have rose-breasted grosbeaks, indigo buntings, thrashers, and many other unusual birds. All of which I haven't seen before in my life before I moved here! I have to keep my birding book and camera ready at all times!

The weather's been great, so in the early mornings, Karl and I have snuck out onto the newly redone front porch to enjoy some coffee and watch the orioles come to the feeder. How relaxing!

We may cool it for a while on any further remodeling, just to let our wallets recover, lololol.

By Request: Puppy Photos!

2005-04-29T13:50:00.000-05:00

Ok, the puppy's name ended up being "Sparky" but only because I can't look into my four-year-old's brown eyes and say no.

Here's some pics. Dutch is one year old, and Sparky is 7 weeks on Saturday, so he's REALLY young. They are English Shepherds.

The Upstairs So Far

2005-04-27T13:36:00.000-05:00

Ok, here's some pics of the upstairs so far. I have two more rooms I'm finishing tonight, so I'll post those tomorrow. For you to get an accurate comparison on the room sizes the windows are 4x6 feet, and the ceiling height upstairs is 8.5 feet. Click the image to get the full description on the rooms

The somewhat before photo of our daughter's room:

The after photo:

The before photo of the master bedroom:

The after photo:

The somewhat before photo of the main staircase/foyer:

The after photo:

The somewhat before photo of the top of same staircase:

The after photo (sorry, the color is a little off):

SO, we've been REALLY busy for the appraiser! Hopefully these more cosmetic touches will help out.

Weekend Warrior!

2005-04-24T21:54:00.000-05:00

Holy Cats, we were busy! Thank God our appraiser chnaged his schedule to Thursday. We get a few extra days of work. The only injury that occured was Karl knocking himself out by hitting his head TWICE in the same spot. That cut Saturday night short! He reminds me of those cartoons where they get the bumps on their head. You can't miss his, and he's got quite a cut to mathc. Everytime I look at him, I start laughing, thinking of these cartoons. I probably would have taken him to the hospital, but I was roaring. I'm glad he understands!

This weekend we have accomplished (with a 6 week old puppy, a two year old daughter who thinks she is the QUEEN, and a four year old son):

Master Bedroom:
1. tore down the wallpaper, and rewallpapered it.
2. finally removed the jack that was holding our ceiling up, and repaired the plaster using really wide washers.
3. installed carpeting.
4. scraped and repainted the trim and windows.
5. fixed the central air duct that was misalligned
6. replaced the ceiling fan with a new light, and ceiling medallion
7. put up roller shades and sheer curtains to replace the heavy ones to make the room bigger. (It's the smallest room in the house: 12x14)

Guest Bedroom:
1. put in new carpet
2. finished building the closet

Cupcake's Bedroom:
1. wallpapered (used liner and wallpaper, because some idiot used sanded lead paint in there once upon a time, a LONG time ago)
2. repaired her ceiling from the roof leak
3. painted her new door

Kern's room:
1. finished building closet

General house:
1. painted dining room ceiling patch
2. touched up bad plaster areas
3. repaired porch, put up crown molding underneath, and stained
4. repaired roof
5. got rid of the extremely ugly boat disgracing our yard

What we'd like to have done by Thursday:
1. make stained glass door for side entry (although it might be tough to find the lockset we need)
2. paint master bathtub, and wainscoting
3. finish painting main stairwell
4. clean up basement

I'll post photos this week, when we get our camera back. I also added a sidebar of the finished first floor rooms of the home for your "viewing pleasure".

Old Roof Blues

2005-04-13T17:06:00.000-05:00

Go figure, just when you think you are done with any major projects, your roof decides to leak.

And, I found that I have tendonitis in my left wrist or carpal tunnel, whatever. I'm not supposed to use my left wrist (my dominant hand). How is that possible in this house with two kids? And now a leaky roof? I have this "bubble" underneath my wrist, and this aching pain up my arm. If I don't stop using it, I might have to have a "surgical release" to aleviate the pain and swelling. Nice.

Anyways, because of this new leak in the roof, our plaster ceilings were damaged. Yeah, NOT a small leak as you can gather. The plaster is coated in lead paint, and the one ceiling in in our daughter's bedroom. My stars are so not in alignment.

So, Karl and I will be working in shifts fixing the roof and the ceilings. There may be the option of just drywalling over the damage (after fixing the leak), but that's so cheap. We'll see. I'm having problems with the picture uploader, so I'll get some pics in later of the damage. It would be nice to just replace the roof, but it would also be nice to have the money to do so, lol.