Pam and I have been reviewing the work we accomplished this past summer. 702 Main underwent major changes in 2020, but sometimes it is hard to remember what we started with.
A few before and after photos serve as a reminder of the work done. We will begin inside the house.
Kitchen
Front Parlor Bedroom
Jerry’s Bedroom
This January Pam painted and put my bedroom together to be ready for my retirement at the end of February.
Stairwell
We don’t have a “before” photo but we do have a “work in progress” and two “finished” shots.
Parlor Doors
We added these two doors to help close off the front parlor. Pam didn’t care for the original green facings so sanded them and put on a coat of stain.
House Exterior
Sidewalks
When we bought the place the sidewalks had not seen any maintenance in decades. One of my first tasks was to clean up the existing walks.
Porches
All three porches received major work. The back porch shows the typical work done.
Catio
Garage
Our major construction for 2020 was the garage addition, a 16′ by 30′ add-on to the original 2-bay garage.
New Garage Walkway
I don’t have a real good photo of the old walkway so take a look at it in this photo of the garage addition in its early stages.
Porch Repairs
Quite a bit of rotten wood was removed and replaced.
Porch Rails and Spindles
Other Work
The list of other work accomplished is extensive. While I do not have before and after photos of some of these jobs, here are a few photos of the work in progress or completed.
Pam painted storm and entry doors
The front door, inside, received a stained glass overlay
Yard
We planted 23 trees and shrubs, relocated dozens of hostas and other flower plants, removed some dead shrubs and cut back others. A garden area was defined and fenced in. Here are a few photos taken around the yard this past year.
Many, many other jobs were completed; the above projects are not a definitive list! Those who follow the blog will, no doubt, be aware of many other tasks undertaken and completed this year. It was an extremely busy season which we expected and had planned for. You can also check out three video clips on my Heart House videos page and more still photos on the Heart House Photo Gallery page.
That’s our trip down memory lane for the summer now passed. My thanks to all of you who check in to see what we are up to and what we have accomplished so far.
Photo Archive
This week I decided to include a few “arial” photos.
That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!
Pam’s Penny
Good to make a note of the renovation progress. The [mental] list of things still “to do” is lengthy.
Happy Trails.
A bit over a year since acquisition and the initial move to Iowa. A winter, and a lot of work done.
Looking back – would you change your approach and order of accomplishments?
Larry:
Thanks for the note. Your question is a good one. The answer will be the topic of an upcoming post, but the short answer is “not really.”
We would have liked to be further along on painting the house, particularly the front porch, as that was on the “hope to do” list for 2020, but we just didn’t make it. Now it becomes a 2021 project.
Jer
Some repairs were dictated by the inspection report – foundation and electrical primarily. And availability of contractors during COVID.
I had initially wanted vinyl exterior fencing, then looked at comparable real estate and realized a vinyl fencing investment was out of line for the local market.
Making decisions was also a matter of trial and error and “just living” in the property. Winter experiences last year compelled me to push for improvements re: house-to-garage walkway, back yard drainage and catio entry location. Not to mention house window inserts to reduce interior drafts.
We would have completed the front porch but for two [separate] weeks at the end of the summer where weather conditions prohibited painting. (That plus those damn gnats/no-see-ums were crawling all over the place the entire painting season…)
WOW! You two have been busy!!! What a great amount of work done and what a charming place you have!!! Forgot to mention in the last post how nice the porch looks all Christmas-y!
Tabitha:
Thanks for the note. Yes, it was a busy year and I did not even mention Pam’s trimming of trees and shrubs, her work in the front parlor bedroom, my repairing of the garage under-eve lighting, and all the other smaller, but time consuming, tasks also undertaken. All part of the fun in taking on the repair and upgrading of an old house!
Send us your new address when you have a minute. I hope the move goes well. Say hello to the girls for us.
Jer