Want to see my money-pit?!?

[polly7]

Don't laugh. I will know who you are.

I bought this 110 y/o house from the town ....... it had 4 feet of water sitting in the basement for a year - they hadn't checked it at all. The veranda was ready to fall in, the pipes inside are burst, the wiring is knob and tube, four to six layers of wallpaper (some layers painted) throughout. But ....... all hardwood floors except the second floor, original woodwork, stained-glass windows and sitting on four lots. It was a hoarder's house - it took me almost 20 loads on a small flatbed to clean it out. The poor man who owned it went for a holiday back to his family in Seattle and died. I finally am getting the veranda roof back on after sistering in a whole bunch of two by fours and leveling and straightening the whole structure from underneath. I had ripped it off long ago but had a broken ankle and hand and was taking more transfers after they healed, and some calls during vacation and illness, and helping my friend with her bar. I've scouted out and bought used windows to go around the whole thing - the restaurant is just across the street - there's a great old huge planked shed in back my brother and I straightened out which will be the party spot in the summer. There is a really good two-car garage just to the east of the house and a large deck in the back. Just hard to get back at it and a bit discouraging ...

But .... this time next year I'm going to post a finished picture! (I hope).

Please don't mind the strange person up top trying to sit on air between the rafters.

So far I've had many suggestions - a bordello, a little hotel or rent out rooms (which is what I was thinking) and a bar - but my best friend already has a bar in town so it's between the bordello, or rooms! Methinks it'll be rooms and they'll have the run out of the house.

I have so much work to do. But I enjoy it. My Dad and I built my barn on the farm, I've built furniture, fences ... all sorts of things, but this is a very, very big challenge. If anyone wants to come up for a 'holiday'???

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[Paper Roses]

1. Been there, done that.

My 200 year old house needed as much work as yours. The owner of one of these great old houses has to learn a lot of skills not taught in school. When you are done, it will be a wonderful feeling.

There was nothing is this house that did not have to be replaced, repaired whatever. Plus, we had asbestos shingles on the exterior. That was fun.

Wish you the best, I bet you are on a first name basis with the clerks at your local home supply store.

[polly7]

2. I think, and hope it will be, too.

The highest/main part of the house was reshingled about ten years ago i think, but the lower roof needs all redone. I'm going to use the same windows for the house and just fix them up, I can't afford too much new right at the moment.

I'm glad you're loving yours - after all that work it feels kind of like your baby, doesn't it?

Thank you!, and yes .... they know me well. Some of them run.

[Historic NY]

3. Best of luck, seen worse.

[polly7]

4. LOL. Thank you.

The bones are actually good in it. That veranda was really the worst - still lots to do, but it's structurally sound now and straight - will have to get a pic today or tomorrow of it finished and ready for shingles.

[Warpy]

5. That covered porch is definitely listing to starboard

Looks like you're going to have to jack up the sills and do some foundation work.

Otherwise, it looks like my grandmother's house in upstate NY, although reversed.

[polly7]

6. It's listing a teeny bit, but we jacked it up underneath and reinforced the foundation

as much as we could - I can't afford to redo the whole thing for now, but in the future ..... definitely. The roof on both sides does slant down though - I think it was built that way so the rain would fall off. The pic is also a little wanky, I'll get a better one straight and head on.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

7. That looks like fun!!!

[polly7]

8. It is actually a lot of fun.

I have so many ideas in my head of how I want it to turn out - seeing it come to life bit by bit is really satisfying, at least on the inside, which is where I've been spending most of my time. And..... it's on the main highway going through town so I get to chat a lot with people from town driving by who stop in. Maybe too much chatting.

[amerikat]

9. Interesting building.

I owned a house from 1906 also. Had very good bones but needed lots of work. Craftsmanship in that era was exceptional. I really like the soffit over the second floor windows. Looks like a combination of craftsmen style windows with Gothic revival trim. Is that a real leaded window on the third floor?

Keep at it. Takes time and money but it's a labor of love. Please keep us posted. I love to see old houses being made whole and comfy again.

[polly7]

10. Yes, it is a real leaded window, as well as those you see in this pic on the second floor.

There are also original stained glass and leaded windows on the side - like a big bay window thing. I'm amazed that none have been broken.

It's winter here now and cold and slippery with frozen rain the last few days ... the veranda is safe, that's what I was worried about most. There were so many layers of rotted shingles and dirt and leaves I was afraid of it collapsing in on the tongue and groove ceiling below. The front steps and that little overhead and posts will have to wait for a decent day.

Thanks so much for your encouragement!, it just took forever to get it cleaned out to the point I could work on it .. that was the hardest part, I think. I will take more pics and keep updating.

[amerikat]

13. Please do keep us posted.

I'm looking to move from my 1350 sq/ft house into something much smaller. Something more appropriate to my age and lifestyle. I have a few things that might work in you home that I have no use for. That i would love to gift. One is handmade door bell button. Ash/Oak with a ceramic push button1920's, the other is a ceiling light( light Blue 1906) that hangs from three delicate chains. has the glass ceiling mount and the pink shade, I'll never use them again.
You should have them for your new home. Think about it. I can send them to POB or a good friend. I would love for you to have them. They are beautiful accessories. No charge of course. I'll even pay postage.

[polly7]

14. Oh my gosh!

How kind of you!

I could never accept them without buying them though and paying for postage. They sound unique and gorgeous. We'll talk about this ... and thank you, so very, very kind.

[amerikat]

16. I just want them to go where thet are used and loved

and your home seems perfect

[polly7]

18. Well I appreciate that so much, and yes they would be used and loved. nt.

[amerikat]

11. You might want to consider some basic PPE.

Personal protective equipment. Safety glasses and steel toed shoes. My company drills it into my head. It's worthwhile. Where I work being 6 feet off the ground requires a full safety harness. Not saying you have to go anywhere near that extreme but do get the basics.

[polly7]

12. I nearly slid off two days ago.

The particle board I put up was covered with frost - like a skating rink! So I got my EMT boots, they were better and all I had with steel toes. I'm kind of a monkey, heights and climbing don't bother me at all but I was saying sorry to my ankles as I started to slide.

You're right, I should be wearing those things. I had to wear eye protection and a respirator cleaning out the moldy drywall and insulation in the basement where water had sat for a year after our big flood here. It's very uncomfortable! I'm used to masks, but I felt claustrophobic. I'm so glad that's done.

[amerikat]

15. I wear a resoirator at leas twice a night,,

Hate it, hot and claustrophobic. But that's the job and I do the job.
After the roof where will you go. Inside I hope...it's getting to cold outside where you are.

[polly7]

17. I still don't have any heat in it because the boiler sat in all that water for a year,

also, a lot of the pipes have burst. I'm saving up for a new one, but in the meantime have two giant propane tanks with a special heater on top that I use working inside if the daylight is good enough. I have no power either as they won't turn it on if the furnace (boiler) and hot water tank don't work - something else I'm saving for. So, I've been working on one room at a time, ripping off the plaster and drywalling, reglazing the windows, then sanding the floor. Those high ceilings are nice, but not to work on.

I'm borrowing a generator for my saw and stuff so that helps a lot.

[amerikat]

19. You have a lot in front of you, Are you staying the winter up there?

[polly7]

20. No, I'm currently renting an even older house lol. It's not in much better shape

but has heat and electricity, so I'm good. It will take time, but next spring I plan on spending every second at it. My ankle took forever to heal so that didn't help.

It really is fun though when I'm at it.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

21. I'm in the costruction business.

I always say the most dangerous tool I use is a ladder. You can cut fingers off with a table saw but a fall can kill you - or worse.

The worst fall I've had was off a two foot step stool. I shouldn't have been using the thing. I started to lose my balance and I could adjust because my boots were wedged in the top handle. I didn't get hurt but it was an eye opener

[polly7]

22. Yes .......... that's pretty scary all right. My mom fell off a stool like that and hurt herself.

I'm glad you didn't get hurt. Ankles and legs break a lot easier than we think.

I'm great at climbing up ladders, but a bit scared going down trying to hit that first step facing backwards. That freaks me out a little, especially my ladder which is kind of messed up at the top.

My brother is a professional cabinet maker and also does siding and roofing in the summer - he's cut off the tips of two fingers so far. I like those band saws - they seem a lot safer, I just have a circular and jig-saw right now but one of those would be great.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

23. My buddy lost three fingers on a table saw.

And there wasn't anything to sew back on, if you catch my drift.

I use a big push-stick and think about him every time I use the saw. The push stick is more like a big triangle that keeps my hands far away from the saw and elevated in the event I slip. I don't use the cheapo sticks they give you with the saw.

I almost learned the hard way with a miter saw. Anything less than 6 or 8 inches is scrap. If I need a small piece of, say, trim, it gets cut off a larger piece. Too easy for little pieces to get drawn in to the saw. - especially if the piece is too small to be supported by both sides of the fence.

[polly7]

24. Ooh, that poor guy.

This post is kind of scaring me ........ I'm thinking maybe my circular saw is not so bad after all.

My Dad had some good saws like that, he was really good with them and I remember he used those sticks and took his time.

You keep being careful .... !

[Hassin Bin Sober]

25. When I was in college, I worked for a guy who mangled his hand with a circular saw.

Aren't I a real downer. Lol

That guy was an idiot though. Always in a big fucking hurry. He would cut stakes using he knee as a table. He couldn't wear a glove because his hand was so messed up.

I look back at how unsafe the guy was and it was a miracle he didn't kill us. He once had us pouring a trench footing in an 8 foot deep unsecured trench with the concrete truck on the bank. His idea of safety was "stay behind the truck in case it collapses" I didn't know any better. If that trench had collapsed we would have been buried alive.

Back to your project. Post some pictures as you go!!!!

My new favorite show is renovation realities. I like it because people show the, well, reality of remodeling. All the pain, sweat and tears. Screw Property Brothers or Love it Or List it. Now I'm in the business I want to see other people miserable . LOL.

[polly7]

26. LOL!

Sheesh, pretty soon all I'm going to feel safe with is my jig-saw and handsaw.

Good lord, it's amazing some are even given control of those things. He sounds very much like someone I know - we were putting in old railroad ties as corral posts using a bucket to smash them in and push them down. I had to hold them straight while the bucket came down and get away fast as it did - he was supposed to warn me every time before he let it go but was in so much of a hurry he didn't a few times and almost killed me. Some people.

I love that show renovation realities too! It's funny and hits so close to home.

You probably have never been to Saskatchewan - it's gorgeous, you should really come up and see it. And bring your saws.

I'll definitely keep posting pictures. Probably not a lot until early spring though - getting that veranda roof sealed up for winter was my biggest worry, and that's done .... so not much else I can do outside with the cold and snow coming right now.

[sinkingfeeling]

27. I have had one of my own for the last 20 years. Mine was built in 1858 and was in 5

apartments from 1946 until 1995. Good luck.

[polly7]

28. Sorry I missed replying to this.

Thank you! Wow ... yours is a lot older. I bet it's beautiful. Was it a ton of work converting it back?

[sinkingfeeling]

29. It's beena lot of work. Hard to find the right people to reproduce Victorian era

wood trim, plaster, etc. I've had to pay for labor the last 10 years, so it's cost a lot as well. Here's a picture:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1018742428

[polly7]

30. I went to your link .......... absolutely gorgeous!!! nt.

[aswanson]

31. Looks Great!!

I think this looks great! I like old houses, even if they are fixer-uppers.

[polly7]

34. Thank you, hopefully it will look a lot better once I can get back at it outside. nt.

[greymouse]

32. blog?

How about a blog so we can be voyeurs? I would love to save that house if I were about forty years younger

"this time next year I'm going to post a finished picture! (I hope)."

[polly7]

33. Ha ......... you laugh!

Ok, well you may be right about that, lol, but I'm going to try my hardest.

'Saving' is just what I hope to do (great comment) - I hate seeing old buildings go down; this house was home to the second couple who came to this town and in its day was really something (from the pictures I've seen). Hope I haven't gotten to it too late, but we've actually done a lot of work on the foundation and now that the veranda is saved on the top and from underneath and the bones in the actual house are good, I think it will happen.

My friend has a Bobcat I've learned to use so as soon as the frost is out of the ground I need to remove most of the topsoil in the front yard - it's sloped all the way from the street right down to drain the water right into the basement. As to a blog ..... that might be fairly boring for you to read, but I will keep taking pictures if you're interested! Thanks for your comments, and you're never too old to come up for a visit (don't forget to pack your saw!).