Thursday, March 31, 2011

Lotsa Shingles! Thanks Lois

I was about to leave for home from my office when these showed up. The shingles look awesome. Thanks so much Lois for the pictures!! Most of the shingling is done. Just the high north peak, and a bit at the front porch door and at the top of the bathroom addition walls are left to do. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The bridge is crumbling and needs help
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Friday, March 25, 2011

Shingling

Mike sent me these pictures last night. The house is looking amazing as more and more shingles get installed. Thanks Mike. I'm so glad he sent me these because the house will change dramatically almost daily as the shingles go on and I lay awake at night wondering what is shingled now and I really appreciate the update. As you can tell I'm itching to get back there.
I think its time to get the tape off the windows.  James and I did that last July to help keep the window panes together for when the house was going to be lifted. It's solid as a rock now and not going anywhere.
The house hasn't looked this good probably since it was new. All of the trim will be a warm white, and the window sashes and doors will be a dark, almost black green. For now though the red doesn't look half bad.
 Beautiful work. It's coming along nicely.
This is the new awning window in the room below the kitchen, with it's trim. All of the new windows will have trim matching this. it's very simple and a little different than the trim of the rest of the house. I did this on purpose to show the difference and progression of the additions to the house over time, with the trim of the main house being the most decorative, with the head moulding at the tops of the windows and the front door. The window trim of the kitchen, which was an addition as well (between 1907 and 1916), is also different from the original, being a very thin quarter round edge around the windows.

This wall surface won't be shingled but will be textured stucco and painted Island Sandstone red. The frame will be white and sash will be green to match all of the windows and doors.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Bathroom Cabinet by Kerras Jeffery

I commissioned Kerras Jeffery to build the bathroom sink cabinet from salvaged materials he had laying around and this is what he came up with. I love it, thank you Kerras! It will be painted, and the marble vanity I bought from him in the fall will go on top.

 
 
 

Below is the marble vanity that was salvaged out of the St. Dunstan's Bishop's Palace in Charlottetown.

These are the oil rubbed bronze faucets for the sink. They have been ordered and are on their way.
And this is the hammered copper sink, also ordered and on its way. It comes with a flat rim so it can be mounted under the marble vanity sink opening.
Thanks again Kerras. This is going to be great. Now I have to finalize what color to paint it.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

More Photos, from today

Carter visited the house this morning to review the progress and confer with Mike the contractor.



Mike salvaged what he could of the trim and replaced what needed to be with an exact match of the original.
Most of the head moulding of the windows was rotted away so Mike replicated the original. See below. White is new, red is old. 

West side of the bathroom addition

The new corner trim also exactly matches the original


I haven't seen the north side for a while because of the snow. Actually, I haven't seen much of the roof before either, also because of the snow.
When I'm back in June I will tackle the stuccoing of the foundation myself. You have to wait quite a while to paint the stucco so I'll paint it in summer 2012 a color to match Island Sandstone. There is a stucco specifically made for styrofoam foundations and will preserve the styrofoam from damage and UV deterioration.

The field (east) side

New old door on the new back porch

Plumbing stacks in the new main floor bathroom...
 ...and at the kitchen sink

The original hardwood ready to be re-installed

The cedar shingles are stacked in the new Parlour

Mike had to reinforce the second floor over the front door. Although the wall that used to divide the front bedroom and hall was not original, there was a small porch at the front door. Consequently, the upper floor joists ended and bore on the porch wall. The walls are gone, and the floor above would eventually sag, so Mike sistered new joists to carry the weight of the second floor in this area.
The new joists run the entire width of the house and bear continuously on the east and west walls now.
 
The radiant floor tubing is ready for the boiler to be installed.

The shower enclosure. The walls of the shower will be ceramic tile, as well as the floor in this room. 

This closet/ storage space under the stairs will hold the water heater. 

The basement

I can't thank you enough Mike. The work you are doing could not be better and I truly appreciate your craftsmanship and quality of work.