In April of 2005 my husband, Michael, and I bought our 3000 sq. ft. money pit from the Methodist Church in our hometown. The Church had owned the property for over fifty years and in that time it was a parsonage, a Sunday school, offices and rental property. Needless to say there was a general lack of TLC given to the house during those years.
Initially, based on city records and our Deed, we believed the house (a quasi-Victorian) had been built in 1910. Not so. Upon further research, we found the house clearly depicted on a map dated 1900 and a Mr. Cobb lists the house as his residence in a city directory in 1898. We now believe the house was completed either in 1897 or 1898 - we're still looking into it. One thing we know for sure is that the house has changed hands no more than three times in its 110 year history. Pretty cool.
Starting in the Spring of '05 my husband and I began the extensive, whole-house renovation that has consumed us for the last three years. We started at the top, and worked our way down. For the first year and a half, the house was totally uninhabitable and we lived with my husband's parents while toiling away on weekends. So far, the third floor has been completed, the second floor is about 75% done and the first floor is about 75% done. Oh, and my husband just had to build a deck this spring. :) Here are some pics of his handiwork (yes, I know I'm lucky to have him - he reminds me ALL the time):
Oh, and here's a pic of the actual house. Well, this is what it looked like the day we closed - I'll have to take an updated pic later today. The outside of the house wasn't in bad shape - just some minor cleaning needed. Our "Someday" plan is to remove the vinyl siding and replace it with clapboard. Someday. Like, after I win the lottery...
We call that paint color on the front porch "mac 'n cheese." It has since been repainted white.
Well, I think that's about it for my first post. Hopefully someone out there in the blogosphere bothers reading...
1 comment:
The wood siding underneath the vinyl might not be that bad. It might even be in such decent shape that minimal prep would be required prior to repainting. I've seen perfectly good wood siding covered with vinyl often enough - but on the other hand, I've also seen vinyl covering half-rotten wood.
So, in short, it might be worth your while to pull up a section of the vinyl to see just how bad it is underneath.
Post a Comment