Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Ahhhh, Hot water!!!!

I was able to take a hot shower today after 48 hours of being without. Thank you propane man Nicky Ellis!

Things will pick up around here Friday. Gable is coming with a foundation pro John Jameson (sp). Supposedly the best in Richmond. Thanks to Gable for getting him here. HVAC guy is coming by to give an estimate. I have been gathering estimates from house painters to masons and hopefully will be able to settle on someone to get the first major project on the way.

It's interesting learning about the people who do some form of construction for a living. I find it quite fascinating myself! I'm learning that the time schedule for this type of project is sporadic, and what the professionals who do the work have to deal with. It's amazing that 2 professionals of the same trade will approach a single job in completely different ways. Deciding what the best approach is a head scratcher, especially when dealing with a 200 year old home.

My friends and family continue to be invaluable. Their giving warms my heart and motivates me. Jennifer and Sherman....I love you. Dad and Mom, what can I say, but Thank you - every day for the rest of our lives. For all of you that have volunteered and stopped by to just say hello - it is always refreshing and I'm thankful (next time bring a hammer....lol). Mark, the tuneage melted me and was the best drift off I've had in a while. I've added it to my play list.

Love Ya'll

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Window Scraping!

Most of my days have been spent taking down the windows, chiseling out the crusty glaze and removing the old-school window panes, then scraping the old paint away (which is like cement - ugg). Dad will be a pro at this by the time we are done. It is hard to keep up with him, especially after making an overnight trip to Virgina Beach to enjoy Unknown Hinson and shaking my groove thing for 6 hours! Woo, Hell yeah! (Look it up.)

The foundation contractor and Gable will be making a trip this coming week. Hopefully we can move forward with jacking the house up (6-10 inches). I understand that this process is risky and quite frankly an adrenaline rush. Can you imagine, being under a house in less than a 2 foot clearing, jacking the house above you all the while being silent so that you hear the cracking and popping above you? I think I'll stick to motorcycles and roller coasters for my kicks!

More to come. Stay tuned!

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Gable Painter is a cool dude! Many Thanks!

Well, I just spent the past two days with Gable Painter of GP Restoration out of Richmond Virgina. He knows his stuff. I could not be more appreciative of his help. Next project on the list is to rip out the foyer flooring next to the stair case and a section in the living room "parlor" and start hauling dirt out from underneath the house. Any volunteers?....Yea, I didn't think so.

I am also undertaking the project of removing all the windows, taking the glass out of the sashes and then replacing them with new glaze. There are 26 some odd windows in the house and each one has approximately 12 panes of glass. *Sigh* - tedious, I know but it will save quite a bit of money, especially considering it would cost $250 per window for a professional to do. [Thanks again to Gable for the lesson on how this is done...and to Ross Cohen for his pep talk and help with gathering supplies.]

I also want to thank Sherman Collins for all his help the past two days.....Thanks Sherman for cutting a hole in the hall closet today...didn't know you'd be working on your lunch break, huh?

Dad, I can never thank you enough for all you do...I'll just keep telling you every day now for the rest of our lives :)

Lisa Bobbitt....Thank you for giving me a place to lay my head during these two weeks. I can only strive to reach your level of generosity!

I should have some more pictures soon. Keep praying!