For every time I’ve heard -
”That’s a BIG project”, “Are you sure you know what you’re doing”?, “Just light a match to it”, “You don’t look like you’re in construction”, “It’s too far gone”, “It can’t be done”, …
Well…my answer to all of these is…
“Really? Watch me!”
No one said it was going to be easy or quick. Yes, I do know that knocking the whole house down may have been easier…I’ll let you know when I’m finished, as far as it being cheaper. I do know that by saving as much of the structure intact, I am being as “green” as possible; keeping things out of the landfill while preserving 450 year old wood in the process.
Yes, you read that correctly - we found a peg that was used in the original construction of the main house and upon inspection (technical terms for counting rings) the peg was at least 200 years old when it was put in…and that was about 245 years ago!
If you were to think of this house/project as a canvas and me as the artist, the 1000’s of hours that will be spent restoring it doesn’t seem quite so crazy. I’ve always been a forward thinker with the ability to visualize the end product. I love a good challenge, puzzles and a great story and this house has them all in spades!
I don’t scare easily, which is a good thing, given that everyone else seems to be afraid enough for me. Hard work, long hours and a bit (maybe more than a “little” in this case) of elbow grease coupled with the power of positive thinking and the ability to pivot when best laid plans change, is my recipe for success.
I should back up…mice…mice scare me…I am deathly afraid of mice. Fortunately for me, THEY didn’t even find the house habitable!
Snakes, spiders, heights…bring’em on…but I will be cowering in a corner begging one of the guys to dispose of the petrified carcass of a long since dead rodent - every time!
There, now you know my kryptonite…
So back to the house - its been a slow start given the virus, construction shutdown, travel schedules and some health issues (not mine) needing attending to. We are now starting phase II of the “leveling”, which means that the perimeter is about as level as its going to get - within 1/4” of level which was far better than any of us had hoped.
The Lane, after the rains on May 1st…2022
Waterproofing around the perimeter. Block was used under the main structure with a covering of restoration brick anywhere the foundation is visible.
Side addition crawl space viewed from the 2nd floor window above.
I started this post in July of 2020…and now its November of 2022. I’m going to post this and then go back and catch you up on all that we’ve accomplished. There was only so many “We have another brick in the foundation” I could show…We’ve come a long way and I can’t wait to share!