Waging the war against unwanted tenants...

We have Squatters.

Birds and mice in the house.


Raccoons and Squirrels, in the carriage house.

And then of course there's the feral black cat that came FLYING at my face when I managed to surprise him in the carriage house.

Fun times.   

Estimates vs. Bids

And so it begins.  Estimates vs. actual bids='s very different numbers.

We have no choice but to do bits and pieces vs. a total restoration.

We have a rockstar in the ornamental plaster world (glad to share his name privately) who is THE MAN to do the work.

We trust his judgement-when he says something NEEDS to be done.

85% of the ceiling in this particular room needs to come down.  We were thinking 25% of the ceiling + 50% of the moldings were affected.

Nope.  85%.

It's disheartening to begin the process with a bid that is significantly more than we originally intended.
(this is ONLY the beginning!)

I hope the wrap around porch overlooking the pool isn't the thing that needs to go.  I'm really looking forward to enjoying coffee on the porch...

Our"To Do" list.

This of course does not include furnishing the house.

XXXXXXXX House

Restoration

Feb 21, 2012

Exterior Projects

House

Roof of house, new layer of asphalt shingles-gutters.

Bid Amount $ 

LaDow Restoration

Foundation re-tuckpointed

Decorative Tooling on south parlor area.

Bid Amount $

LaDow Restoration

Window exteriors re-glazed (as needed) and painted.

Bid Amount $

(find contractor)

Rear porches rebuilt, wrap around porch constructed.

Bid Amount $

(find contractor)

Lattice beneath porches

(do ourselves)

Materials $

Carriage House

New Layer asphalt shingles-gutters.

Bid Amount $

LaDow Restoration

Exterior Powerwashed, painted

(do ourselves)

Materials $

Carriage House Foundation

(have it looked at)

Pool

Safety Fence

(research-get bids)

Heater-dead. (replace w/ wood burning-get bids)

Broken line (unknown if it is supply or return)

Filter system (unknown what is needed)

*will also need automatic pool cleaner, new solar cover, diving board, chemicals.

*look into contractors.

Canvas patio cover-restore.

Picket Fence-paint interior side. 

House Interior

Plasterwork-drywall.

Work needed in

downstairs bath,

pantry ceiling.

North Bedroom (2^nd floor)

1^st floor Bedroom.

Drywall where possible*

Plaster work needed (includes ornamental)

South Parlor.  Replace exploratory holes, touch up ornamental plaster work.

Living Room.  Replace exploratory holes, touch up ornamental plaster work (more extensive)

Paint/Wallpaper.

2^nd floor. 

Windows/window tracks-treat as lead hazard in every room. *

Re paint trim and floor in south bedroom.  Glue paper as needed. 

Remove wallpaper in west and north bedrooms. 

Tiffany Blue in West bedroom.  Paint floor (brown) and trim (white)

Have boys choose color for North bedroom.  Paint (caulk) floor (brown) and trim

(white)

Fresh coat of paint in hallway; hallway trim, hallway floor. 

1^st floor. 

Windows/window tracks-treat as lead hazard in every room.

Remove paper in maid’s room, paint yellow (same as kitchen)  Trim White.

Touch Up-Reglue paper in dining room.  Strip as needed, Re paint trim white.  Paint Floor (caulk)

Touch Up-Reglue paper in living room.  Strip as needed, repaint trim white.  Paint (caulk) floor.

Touch Up-Reglue paper in bedroom.  Strip as needed, repaint trim white.  Floor might need contractor. * Paint (caulk) floor.

Remove Paper (or choose replacement) paper in South Parlor.  Strip as needed, repaint trim white.  Paint Floor (caulk)
*hire chimney sweep to do safety check of fireplace

Kitchen/Baths/Laundry

Kitchen; new linoleum sheet goods in kitchen, possibly extend into maid’s room. 

Radiant floor heat; remove radiators. 

Replace windows with French door on east wall of maid’s room.

Exhaust fan installed in 1^st floor bath; plaster work, remove wallpaper; new paint-or replace wallpaper. *double check plumbing and fixtures.  Anchor sink.

*Remove soffits, replace upper cabinets with tall Ikea cabinets in white.

*Replace dishwasher; install jenn-aire range (hook up vent)  Perhaps *buy microwave for above stove. 

Clean lower cabinet interiors, replace shelf paper, repaint w/ enamel paint.  Find *or replace handles. 

*Perhaps replace countertop and sink. 

*Buy 18” portable dishwasher for parties.  *Buy a good dorm sized refrigerator for pantry. 

refrigerator; commercial freezer and refrigerator in carriage house.  *Service commercial freezer and refrigerator, and jenn aire stove.

Choose/install new lighting for kitchen.

Repaint pantry; repaint trim white in kitchen, maid’s room, pantry. 

*explore possible places to put washer/dryer on second floor w. contractor.  

La Piscine

The kidney shaped pool was finished in December of 1963.  

Apparently, Grandfather was so pleased he jumped in and swam a lap!

The pool has been a great source of memories for generations.

Including our children!  

(summer 2005)

Even when everything is in tip top shape, it's still an incredible amount of work and resources to keep it running.

Like just about everything else, a combination of poor maintenance and...well age means the pool needs a ton of work before we can jump in and swim a lap.

The pool has fiberglass panel sides, concrete floor (steep pitch goes from 3-14 ft on the diving end)

We are in the great lakes area; the frost line is quite deep thus, we must keep water in in during the winter.

In addition to just emptying, cleaning, refilling, balancing chemicals and getting the filter up and running
There is at least one supply or return line that is broken.  The heater didn't work the last 2 years.  SOMETHING was leaking inside the carriage house (where the equipment is kept)
AND-the center drain has been non functional for decades.
Must call a professional.
$$$$

Due to the wide range in ages of our children, it's going to be SEVERAL years before the risk of a pool accident decreases.

The insurance company felt the pool was an "attractive nuisance" and said fill it in, fence it, or cover it securely.

To buy us a little time we decided to go with an all weather cover.

Even when covered, little A is drawn to it like a magnet : /
(the company we bought it from advertises a baby elephant standing on the cover.  Regardless)

A safety fence is necessary if I am to spend any time here with the children.

I'm researching various pool safety fences.

This system looks interesting.

However-mesh can be accidentally cut...the fence would only work IF it were put up.

A fixed iron style fence might be the best option.

hmmm what to do?

What's not to love about LINOLEUM! Oh and heated floors.

My husband is right.  

"The Floor Makes the Kitchen".  

But what to choose?  

The kitchen wing is effectively separate from the rest of the house.  It's a narrow, 1.5 story wing jutting off the back of the house.  We are able to close it off from the rest of the house, and so it really is it's own heating/cooling "zone".  

Since it is it's own zone; and because the floor NEEDS to be replaced anyhow, we decided early on to "splurge" and do radiant floor heat.

This has a few benefits.  1. We can control the temp. more effectively.  2. We can eliminate the radiators.  3. Our feet will be warm, and any water on the floor will evaporate. 

Originally, we thought SURE we can spend a little here, since we already own the tile for the kitchen floor!  (we have slate tiles from another house).

Turns out we don't have quite enough slate to do the entire kitchen.  Alas.  I don't really like slate in a kitchen anyhow.

I'm not a fan of ceramic tile in a kitchen either.  (grout! occasionally the ceramic tiles break!  it's slippery! it's also tends to date a kitchen. etc).

Vinyl sheetgoods or vinyl stick tiles-my least favorite option.  I've lived in too many "rehabbed" older houses where vinyl was used.  Lifespan is maybe 10 years before it starts to look poorly?  Stick tiles just don't adhere the best.  I've seen lots of floor rot.  AND-those itty bitty crevices can hold in smells.  ICK.  

Wood floors get messed up.  We keep dogs.  Dogs have accidents, which effectively ruins wood floors.  We have children, who effectively ruin wood floors.  

I love Linoleum.  

What's not to love about Linoleum!  

It's green.  It's extremely long lasting.  Our farmhouse (1939) has original linoleum floors (sheetgoods) and I think they still look great!  

I'm careful about the seams which do expand/contract a little with the seasons.   I guess your supposed to WAX linoleum floors?!?!?  Oops.  fortunately they are forgiving.   

Here's what we need to replace.  (composite tiles ca. 1950)  Yup.  Probably containing asbestos.  

Linoleum comes in many designs.  

You can get it to look like other types of flooring.  Personally, I'm not a fan.  Regardless, it's a much better option vs. vinyl sheet goods pretending to be the same.  

It also comes in what reminds of the institution composite tiles (you know-the stuff on the floors of schools, hospitals from1950-1980)

Instead, I absolutely LOVE this line.  

It's fresh and bright.  It LOOKS like linoleum. 

 I'm sold.  

I'm pretty sure I will still love it in 50 years.  

Kitchen.

J and I recently spent an afternoon redesigning the kitchen.

Our goal is to make it more workable, and able to be an "eat in" kitchen. Victorian gatherings were centered around the dining room and parlor, the only people in the kitchen were the cook and the maid.
We are kitchen people, I typically don't have our events catered, and so gatherings involve a lot of time in the kitchen (with family/friends offering their help).

"Victorian style Kitchen" is extremely hard to do.  I've seen TONS of awful "victorian inspired" kitchens-and I don't want to go that road.

The kitchen was last remodeled in the 1950's; white metal cabinets, blue "marble" patterned counter, and blue linoleum tiled floor.

The stove and dishwasher MUST be replaced, and the side-by-side refrigerator is quite frankly, taking up too much valuable space.  The floor must also be replaced.  One small "splurge" we hope to do is radiant heat flooring.

The plan is to keep the same 1950's modern feel.

First, Here's what we are working with. 

 Stove goes to the left of the empty hole.  

                                                   

                                                     This door goes into the pantry, where there are large shelves and a pass through into the dining room, and to the cellar basement.  (stone walls/brick floor)

HUGE SIGH.  Yes there's a lot to do.

Jon and I found cabinets that we liked right away.  

Love the sink that is a lot like the one I have in my farmhouse

                                                             (not in love with these door handles)

Counter depth 3 door fridge (but in black, not stainless steel.  Black seems more timeless to me.  Plus, we have a black Jenn-Aire cooktop/oven waiting to be put in)

We get on with the design portion, despite not taking kitchen measurements beforehand.

We decide to change some things around.  The countertop depth fridge where the stove was.  Stove against the wall.  lazy susan corner cabinet to utilize all that valuable real estate standing empty in the corner.  TWO 24" dishwashers (awwww Yeah....)

We are just having a grand time.  I'm all ready to order the fabulous for entertaining new kitchen!

And then my dear husband calls with the actual kitchen measurements.

Our joy is Deflated.

Here's what fits in the actual kitchen footprint.

Suddenly, this isn't fun at all.  

Over the next week we ponder what to do.

CLEARLY, we need more kitchen space.

plan a. bump out the wall, using the footprint of the abandoned north porch.

We scrap that idea before even getting a bid.

Plan B.  expand the kitchen into the maid's room.  Keep the bathroom.  

Put french doors in overlooking the pool. Maybe a deck, or stone patio. 

 Viola!  

(Except our oldest daughter was kinda hoping for the maid's room...)

A relative agrees with the plan; suggesting we take out the bathroom.  Unfortunately there really is no other place to put another bathroom-and one bathroom for 7 soon to be 8 people in our family + frequent entertaining just won't work.  Bathroom-awkward as it is-must stay.

Trouble is-the ceiling in the maid's room is 5 ft TALLER than in the kitchen.  

Do we really want to put a bunch of money into a CEILING?

A patio won't work.  (would need to put in steep steps).  

A deck certainly is not appropriate for a victorian house.  It would have to be a porch. ($$$$)

Compromise.  

Keep the maid's room as a separate room.  Treat it as an entry room.  Stick the otherwise awkward refrigerator in it.  

(*also contemplating a refrigerated drawer or compact dorm fridge in the pantry with space for milk, butter, lunch meat and eggs.  Everything else can be in the commercial sized refrigerator or freezer in the carriage house?!?!?)

As we are saving money that otherwise would have been spent on doing the ceiling work, put the money instead into doing a nice porch, curving around to the north and south (existing) porches.  

I suspect we will get more enjoyment out of a wrap around porch overlooking the gardens, pool and golf course than a ceiling, or a slightly deeper kitchen...

Slow Progress.

We are closer to having everything settled, and getting ready to dive in to restoration.

I waffle between hope/excitement and feeling completely overwhelmed.  I have tackled 5 house restorations (1 pre civil war, 2 victorian era, 1 1920's, and 1 1960's) prior to this, but there is just so much more at a stake.

First off, there are MANY people excited that we are taking this on, and longing for what it once was.

  Memories of gorgeous gardens, sunny days poolside.

 Cozy holidays among delightfully cluttered decor.

A family member recently shared

"One of my fondest memories is sitting at the kitchen table, with Grandmother; gazing out the large kitchen picture window, searching for signs of movement in the North House-signaling the cousins were awake from their naps".

Our challenges include

Being sensitive to family member's memories when making changes.  We feel like stewards of this property, and want all family members to feel comfortable spending time here.

Being respectful of the house and property when making changes.  (I've seen enough horrible butcher job "remodels" of older homes to know we need to think LONG and HARD before making any decisions)

These are complicated by

Time Constraints.

 We have a big family of young children; demanding jobs, busy social and vacation schedules.  Additionally, we have a historic farm that places high demands on our time.

(think 10+ hours of gardening and groundskeeping during spring, summer, fall; and multiple restoration projects underway at all times).

Financial Constraints.
MONEY PIT.  'Nuff said.