Hello 2018

So I thought about the fact that I haven't posted anything for almost 11 months.  And while I haven't posted anything that doesn't mean we haven't gotten a few more things done on the house and yard.  I started in on replacing some windows in the basement.  The old single pain wood frame windows were on their last leg and leaking cold air like mad.  I have replaced 3 windows so far and will do the remaining ones when we re-do the basement bedroom, though one of those windows will be an egress.

On the left is the first phase of getting out an old window.  It was pretty easy to cut away the old frame.  I left the upper board in each case because they were still solid and cemented right into the foundation.

I did a little concrete work around the frames before setting in the replacement windows.  The upper "skim" coat of concrete that covered the old rock and concrete foundation was cracking in many places and simply fell away when I tore out the old windows.  There are still more spots to fill but at least we know our basement is watertight after the super wet spring we had last year.  While lots of basements on the South hill flooded ours stayed dry and now that I have done more work we have an even better chance of remaining dry.

Here is a shot of the rough patch before I skimmed over it to make it a bit smoother, though I didn't get too picky since I ended up framing a wall here that ultimately covered all this.

Old on the left and new on the right.  It's nice to be able to air out the basement given that these windows are actually functional. Just a little finish work to go.

With some of the replacement windows in, I set about framing a room for a creative space.  Our intention was to have a space, mainly for Elizabeth, where she can use her printing press, sewing machine, do art, etc.  I ended snagging a small corner as well which seems to be working out since it is a good sized space.

On the left is the wall framed in along the outside wall. Insulation will be added to make the space easy to heat and keep cool.  I applied a waterproof paint first to make sure no moisture can seep in later.

While I chipped away at work in the basement it was also too nice to not be working outside as we drifted into June.  I decided we needed a partial fence to delineate our more hodge-podge front yard from the manicured lawn next door.  So with a little help from one of my step-sons, Bowman, we marked out spots for post holes and set to digging.  I think the fence came out nice and it works with our raised beds that have replaced grass in our front yard.

Unfortunately, I don't seem to have any
before and after shots but I will try to get them up at a later date.  Pretty striking I think. On the right is the new gate I added
just before the fall.  My plan is to power wash the fence this year and get it stained so stay tuned.






























Meanwhile, work continues on the basement windows and room.

Once the outside wall was framed and ready for insulation it was time to work on the inside walls.  The biggest issue with old houses is that nothing is square so you often have to build in unorthodox methods to try and get things snug as they should be.  In this case I think the walls came out ok.  Insulation was added and then shiplap in the form of 1/8 inch plywood ripped into 12 inch wide lengths.  This created a rough and used feeling to the space.  With the insulation and a small in-wall space heater it also became a warm space to be in the winter.  

In the next post I will put up some pics of the finished creative space and the fence.  Plus, in late fall/early winter we had replacement windows and a new front door put on so I'll find some before and after shots to put up as well.  2018 should be interesting.  We have a major project planned so stayed tuned for that.  I may do small short updates in an effort to keep up.  - TS