This cOld House 33

It's been a while since I've posted, partly because I've been busy with other stuff, and partly because work has slowed to almost nothing being done.

Congratulations are in order. That is my car ACTUALLY PARKED IN THE NEW GARAGE! Wooo-Hooo! The new garage is currently in a holding pattern. All that remains is for the electrical work to be finished up. We have outlets stubbed out but no wire pulled or fixtures attached. We also need to re-configure the temporary lights that were installed and add some to the old garage so we can walk in without tripping in the dark. (The only switch for the current lights is currently located at the top of the interior stairs.) Rob has the punch list for the other items - trim here, clean up there etc.

We've elected to pull the rest of the windows (three sashes) out of the girls' bedroom and have them restored so we can go ahead and have some interior storm windows fabricated for this winter. They were leaking enough to have drips coming down the interior wall beneath them. All in all a good decision.

Durable started today. We have had a pretty substantial leak on the stairway the last few downpours and we are eager to get along on that project. We signed the initial roofing contract with Durable last November. The first window pan they pulled revealed substantial rot underneath, so Bob's back on the job, (down at the lumber yard right now cleaning them out of 4 x 4 oak and some cedar facing,) replacing the window frames in the attic bedroom.

We've been working with a kitchen designer on the plan for the back half of the house. We'll start that project next spring after we take a breather over the winter.


The landscaping looks great out front... not a day goes by if I'm out there where a neighbor doesn't stop to tell us how fabulous it looks - what an improvement, etc. We are really very pleased with how this project turned out. Our biggest fear was that the new garage would stick out like a sore thumb and ruin the look of the house. Our careful planning, (and substantial budget,) created an integrated space that is barely noticeable from the street. We gained a large patio, (that will be accessible from the kitchen when we redo it next year,) an ample garage, and some usable basement space as well. A great improvement!

We close on the house next door on Aug 30. We are petitioning the city to move the property line so we can absorb the entire driveway onto our property, and then move the neighboring garage and pour a separate driveway for them. That should clear up the muddy 'shared' driveway problem for good. Along the way, we will fix up next door and either keep it as a rental property or sell it (if the market improves.) A woman must have a hobby to keep her busy, and apparently, this is mine.