The Summer In Review

Last week I posted a number of photos that showed some of the projects we had undertaken in 2020. Pam’s brother Larry asked us if, in retrospect, we would have done things differently.

The answer is a bit more complicated than just yes or no. When we bought 702 Main in September of 2019 we knew the house needed a lot of work and had put together a “to do” list of projects for the first year of occupancy.

The “to do” list included major projects such as putting on a garage addition, installing central air, getting the wiring fixed, bat mitigation, and replacing rotten porch flooring, rails, and spindles. Yard improvements were discussed and planned as well. Pam wanted the catio to be renovated to a degree and, of course, I needed to create a permanent dog run. Painting the house was going to be a major project, but we knew it would take a few years to complete.

All of the above tasks were addressed, although we did not get as far along on the house painting as we had hoped.

What did surprise us were the additional jobs we found that needed to be done. These unanticipated projects added greatly to the summer of 2020 work load. Covid-19 also played a part, particularly by affecting delivery of garage addition materials.

For example, over the last year the furnace was basically rebuilt, having received new burners in 2019 and a new heat exchange unit as part of the central air installation this year. Other than the blower fan, the furnace is now new.

Some plumbing repairs had to be done (and more need to be addressed in the future). A closer inspection revealed a couple of leaking joints and spots that needed to be repaired ASAP. The blue sections, some of which are shown below, replaced the leaking areas.

The pouring of the new walkway between the house, garage, and catio was an example of a project we thought we would do in the future, but after a winter in the house Pam declared the old walk to be a health hazard (snow and ice, as well as pooling water) and replacing it was moved up in the priority list.

Foundation sealing was not even on our “to do” list when we bought the place, but after a winter of cold drafts coming into the basement, rodents calling the place home, and infiltration of bugs and bees, getting this work done seemed like a very good idea and was added to the job list.

These additional projects, while not on our initial year 2020 “to do” list, had to be done to improve the house’s appearance, energy efficiency, and livability factors. We could not have put them off longer.

As we sit back and review the summer’s work, we do get a feeling of satisfaction with the amount of effort we put into 702 Main this year. The house is much improved inside and out and looks better than it did a year ago. Energy efficiency and over-all comfort level is greatly improved. The garage addition lets me put all my big boy toys under cover and gives me space to work on other projects.

And other work continues to get done. I completed inside storm windows for all of the smaller windows in the house (12 total) and now need to tackle the 4 bay windows. Pam has made more improvements in the main hallway. We are putting up Christmas decorations. A few of my web pages display minor updates; Video Gallery pages now show numbers and run times of all videos on the site. More photos have been added to the Heart House and Favorites galleries.

Pam cooked a turkey roast in the crock pot for Thanksgiving and made two delicious pies, one rhubarb custard and the other a traditional pumpkin pie. We spent Turkey Day cooking, eating, doing small chores, reading, and generally relaxing.

There is no doubt the pace of activity here at Heart House has slowed down, at least for me. With last week’s snow still lingering on the ground there has been little yard work done, though I would like to do one last leaf pick-up to collect the stragglers that made their way onto the lawn. It is about time to remove the mower deck from the John Deere rider and replace it with the snow blade and add tire chains. I want to be ready for the next snowfall and, although none is forecast in the next week, it won’t be long until the snow stays for the duration of winter.

With the ending of summer projects I find myself “putzing” around the house and garage. I’ve put summer items (garden hoses, weed-wacker, sprinklers and such) in the garage storage lofts, cleaned my work bench, swept the floor, changed oil and filter in the RAV-4, and put some batteries on battery tenders for the winter. Putting up outside Christmas lights and figuring out, for the first time in this house, what fits where and how to make the lights work took a bit of time. The catio has not yet been wired but I routed an extension cord into the building and found a way to plug in the outdoor cat’s heated water bowl and beds and added an overhead light for Pam’s use. That should get us through the winter. Another overhead light was added to the garage addition, doubling the lighting capacity in that section so I have more light while working on winter projects.

The trick, going forward, is to continue working on smaller and mostly indoor projects. In addition to the afore mentioned 4 bay window frames, I will begin scanning old slides again. Pam is working on this year’s holiday cards and doing some sewing. A list of indoor projects is being put together for January-February and includes revamping two main floor common rooms. (More on that as it happens.) Both of us plan to stay busy, but there will be more rest gaps between finishing one project and starting on another. The pace will be slower. Work one day, rest one day!

For now it is nice to stay in bed a bit later and take on each day at a slower pace. There is no lack of things to do, although some of them may take only a few minutes. (One such job was lubricating my bedroom door hinges. I pulled the 2 pins, cleaned them up with sandpaper, lubricated them, then put them back on the door. I was getting tired of listening to the door groan each time I opened it, and now opening the door is a quiet operation. Took less than half an hour all told.)

We hope all who view this blog had a good Thanksgiving and are looking forward to the holiday season.

Photo Archive

These photos are from 1998 and feature the house we owned in Whitewater, Wisconsin.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny

Heart House renovation is certainly a consuming enterprise, as anticipated. We will likely run out of targeted reno funds and energy before we run out of house.

Generally speaking, living in Iowa is proving to be a tricky transition, at least for me. From the first, the house was the attraction for this move, not Iowa or Elma specifically. During the recent election season, residing in a “red” Midwest state was a change from Colorado’s “purple” state politics, for instance. Additionally, even after a year, I just cannot become accustomed to the smell of hog manure being honey wagoned over the fields surrounding town. (I thought, living on Main Street, farming impacts would be reduced in Elma as opposed to living in the rural area. Nope. I pretty much hate opening my door and being overwhelmed by that noxious hog manure odor.)

I miss living by a waterway. I miss coulees and ridges — any topography really. Iowa is flat, the wind blows constantly — particularly in the winter, from the frigid northwest direction. I do not believe 702 Main in Elma, Iowa will be the final relocation. Time will tell.

Still enjoy fixing the house and growing trees, shrubs and flowers in the yard. Good thing I have projects to occupy my time, as I have not been off the property since early November. Damn pandemic.

Happy Trails.