Our New Old House

I know it’s still a little ways off, but I have a whole list of projects, some of which I’d like to complete before winter, some that MUST be completed.

• Install gutter apron (PRIORITY ONE, ASAP)
• Finish landscaping wall
• Transplant hostas and ferns
• Make kindling bundles out of the sticks in the backyard
• Borrow a chainsaw and cut the logs that are too big for the wood burning stove
• Finish the shed or at the very least gather all the pieces and move them inside

Let’s see how many of these I can finish before the first snow.

[tags]wood burning stove, gutters, yardwork, retaining wall, landscaping, future plans[/tags]

I saw A Midsummer Night’s Dream performed in the natural theater in Greenwood Park last week. It was wonderful! But my favorite performace of Pyramus and Thisby will always be The Beatles performing it.

Meanwhile, I’ve begun building a wall myself! I’m afraid I’ll be pretty embarassed when my uncle, the landscape architect comes over to take a look at it, but it’s my first try so there’s lots of room for improvement. I don’t really know what I’m doing.

[tags]photos, landscaping, yardwork, retaining wall[/tags]

We had a very productive, very awesome morning with the two people we asked to give us quotes today.

First the electrician came and he was super professional, friendly, and really knew how to deal with our house. In fact, by the time I got in to work he had already emailed me a fully itemized quote, with everything we talked about on site, AND his total price for everything is exactly what we were hoping to budget for initially, right around $5,000. Of course, we have a little extra money available should unexpected things come up, but he seemed really confident in how smoothly this job would go. We will probably get a third electrical quote, just for good measure, but this guy has all but won the bid already.

The chimney sweeps came next at 9:30. There were two people, the person who owns the business and her assistant of seven years, who is also fully certified. They did their inspection and then we sat in the air conditioned living room to discuss our options. This company offered two solutions: 1.) insert a stainless steel liner through the chimney and get it working as a traditional fireplace, or 2.) install a wood burning stove insert with a lined chimney pipe for increased energy efficiency. There would only be a difference of a couple hundred dollars between the two choices, so after hearing all about the stove insert and how it works and all the options we have with it (it does have the option to look like a regular fireplace if you want that ambiance) we’re leaning toward that. Either way, the work will cost just under $4000, which is GREAT for our budget.

After everybody else left, Brandon and I went outside to measure for building our retaining wall planting beds on the south side of the house. I had forgotten my tape measure, but we found a yard stick inside left by the previous owner, so while Brandon walked the area measuring with the yard stick, I wrote down the measurements on a diagram. I’m going to take that information tonight and start drawing a (mostly) to scale diagram of how these will be laid out so we can plan for how much it’s going to cost.

It was so much fun going through everything with Brandon. He’s really caught the enthusiasm to get started now too.

(Excited squeal and happy dance!!!)

[tags]budget, chimney, contractors, electricity, fireplace, landscaping, retaining wall[/tags]

I went to the house after work last night with three goals:

1. Measure the windows
2. Measure area for fixing erosion problem
3. Take more photos and visually assess our lead paint problem

I accomplished two out of three. Didn’t get to the erosion problem part. But I measured all the windows from the outside, except the attic, of course, since I’m not allowed in the house yet until we close on Aug. 17.

The windows all seem to be a pretty standard size. I wrote down all the measurements and I’ll be shopping around for window prices.

Here are some window pictures:

The lead paint situation is daunting, but it’s not beyond the scope of my ability. All the paint on the outside is absolutely flaking off at the lightest touch. I hate to think how much lead there is in the dirt surrounding the house. I wonder if it would be worth it to scrape away that very top layer of dirt and haul it to the dump. It’s going to be a real challenge keeping all the flakes contained.

Even though I didn’t get around to taking measurements, I got some good pictures of the eroded area of the yard and started thinking about what I can do to improve soil retention and channel water away from the foundation.

Here are some pictures of the area:

I’ll post more later about my specific plans for this solution.

[tags]landscaping, windows[/tags]