Progress

The Shed

"before"

"after"--sort of

checking out the new stairs

Quinn and Wynn

Steel beam in kitchen

kitchen-west exposure

We have owned 1109 now for 10 weeks and the progress on the house is encouraging, sometimes even miraculous.  Allstate insurance was breathing down our necks to repair the dilapidated shed and now it actually has some integrity--new floor, new foundation, new roof, new stairs.  It is not going to make the cover of  Martha Stewart Living, but at least it is sturdy and straight.  Throughout the house, old walls have come down and new walls have been erected, and we have rough plumbing and electrical throughout (i.e., outlets in bedrooms!).  They've installed a new boiler and have put in a steel beam to expand the kitchen and family room.   They took down all of the old ceilings in the basement (the hardest, dirtiest day for the crew).  Old houses demand a certain amount of respect and we are getting a fast lesson in turn of the century construction (big, thick walls....slow, messy demolition).  Meanwhile,  Grant is still busy sorting the contents from the basement and garage.  He bought hundreds of plastic magazine covers for all of the Life magazines (1938-1949 collection) in the hopes of preserving the ones that we want to keep and preparing to sell some of the collection.  It's a neat collection, but like all collections, there can be too much of a good thing.