I am really bad at blogging...

No wonder the porches were falling - the only thing holding both 1st and 2nd floors was the tongue and groove flooring!
The back of the house is taking shape and has its new color!


For those of you reading this and hoping for more timely news and updates, I am sorry that I am so slack! I do much better with posting pictures on Facebook and have much more info. there.... I will probably delete this blog in the near future since I am not doing this worthy topic any justice! So don't be surprised...Until then, just know that work is moving along as fast as it can.

I was told that this project would be far bigger than originally anticipated but I was too stubborn to listen...I am trying to keep my focus on the end-product and so live in denial of budget overages and the constant decision-making that is painful to me on many levels:)

It's all good, though. I get the sense that the old house is happy to have life pumped back into her - and that makes me feel great!

Progress!

So much has happened! It's hard to sum up and there is SO much more to go but things are definitely moving along. It's such a joy to see the progress that gets made every day. There is always a crew working hard - every day, all day. They are the best! Framing is almost done, the HVAC ductwork is almost done, the plumbing is almost done, the floors and ceilings have all been leveled, the basement masonry has been repaired, the plasterers started working on the chimneys today...I am sure I am forgetting something.

This photo shows the hole in the back of the house that will soon house a set of French doors with a transom. The window that was removed will be shifted to the second floor, to be matched with the existing window on the rear of the house.

Check List

1. CAR (Commission for Architectural Review) approval - Check!
2. BZA (Board of Zoning Appeals) approval - Check!
3. DHR (Department of Historic Resources) approval - Check!
4. Neighbors' approval - Check!
5. CHA (Church Hill Association) approval - Check!
6. Building permit - ...Well, 5 out of 6 ain't bad! As soon as BZA and the permit dept. communicate with one another and confirm that I have all the approvals that I need, #6 will be a "check" as well.

Use the link, Savoy Properties, to access pictures of the weekly progress.

It's a Framing Wonderland

Well, things are still moving along. After a few weeks of framing and continued structural repairs/reinforcements, we are ready for some subs to come in. Next week should bring HVAC and some more plumbing rough-ins. Next week will also bring another trip to City Hall to meet with BZA to appeal fence height and set back issues. My case was continued because I didn't have a letter of support from the Church Hill Association. Many thanks to my neighbors and to the CHA for supporting my project - hopefully that will be all that is needed to win my case this time. We have been given the "homework" of deciding where we want light fixtures and also where phone/cable jacks should be placed. We are also researching security and home audio systems...fairly overwhelming...

Long time no post

I haven't been updating the blog - sorry to anyone who has been interested! I will try to get back on track but I have been so busy. Work is steadily progressing and we are well on our way to a finished house. The 2nd floor has been jacked up and the floors are now true. This has been my favorite part of the process. The image above is the master closet/bath, although this is an older picture because plumbing has already gone in.

CAR meeting 11/25/08

Well, it wasn't so bad...the meeting was long and I am very glad that I was #8 on the agenda (vs. the poor folks who I bet were there until late into the evening). After much hemming and hawing, most of my requests were approved. There are one or two compromises that I'll have to make but the only MAJOR issue is the fact that my backyard is considered a front yard (don't ask) and so can only have a 4' fence. I need a 6' fence and I think I can get it but this issue will require an appeal to the Zoning Board. Unfortunately, they won't hear my case until February. No biggie though, the retaining wall was approved and that is the most pressing issue at the moment - the fence won't be put up until the house is done anyway so we have a LONG time to fight for that one.

My architect, Joe Yates, did all the talking - so many thanks to him!

Now that CAR has approved the work, my demo/building permit applications can be considered and hopefully they will be issued SOON. Next up, final approval from DHR so the historic tax credits can be collected.

With the holidays upon us, I fear that things will stay in this "holding pattern" for a while yet...I hope to post another update sooner than later!

She's a painted lady...well, not quite yet. These are some of the colors that we have been playing around with. I was originally all about the green (with a red door) and Valdez wanted blue. I love the yellow door that would go with the blue siding but am not convinced about that exact blue yet. Good thing paint stores sell those 1/2 pint samples these days - makes it a bit easier on the pockets of indecisive people like me:)

Looks like we will be removing all of the siding and much of the trim and repairing the original...on top of the fact that it is historically inaccurate to use rough-sawn cedar on a house of this time period, the folks who installed the cedar siding and the trim (that had to built up to accommodate the extra layer of siding) did the worst job ever - there is so much rotten wood that if we don't replace it now we will be paying for it later. I am NOT thrilled about paying for it now, however. REALLY not happy about that. You can see a nice example of rotten wood on the "expertly built" porch column in the photo above.