The Little House That Could

Azaleas

2012-02-11T11:39:00.003-05:00

There's nothing like something blooming in the house to make you feel like spring might actually be coming....someday.Thank you Paul.

Now we just need to keep the cats from eating it.

It's becoming a habit.

2012-01-31T17:53:00.001-05:00

Uhhh...dinner?Ok, just checking.

Uhh...what's for dinner?

2012-01-30T11:05:00.000-05:00

It's always a little awkward to be watched while you eat.

The Morso trials

2012-01-23T09:31:00.002-05:00

Finally, the wood stove is in. Unfortunately it keeps setting off the smoke detector...so there must be a leak somewhere.Blackboard slate that it sits on, courtesy of Todd...

Put That In Your Pipe and...Thaw it?

2012-01-04T16:30:00.006-05:00

Is that how the old saying goes?

Well, guess what. Frozen Pipe. Again.

I got up this morning to find no water running in the kitchen sink...and spent the next 4 hours with my head in the cabinet trying to heat it up with a hair dryer.

Did we not tell the contractors there wasn't enough insulation in the wall?

For those of you not familiar with our contractors...this happened last year resulting in ruined floors and sheetrock.

So they're back. It took them an hour and a half to come to the conclusion that: Dah Dah Da..... the pipe is frozen.

Conclusion? Two new holes in my bedroom ceiling....

And a hair dryer stuck up the hole to thaw it out.
Now they're stuffing as much insulation as they can get up there...but is anyone out there convinced this is the last time this will happen?

Tree Talk

2011-12-27T19:36:00.002-05:00

In case anyone is curious what the twig planted outside the house might look like if it survives the winter...It can grow to more than 60 feet tall!And lots of tiny leaves to make my neighbors crazy.
Small blooms and one of the last trees to start up in the spring.

Now the neighbors can't watch us sleep.

2011-12-27T10:34:00.003-05:00

Back on Thanksgiving my mom gave me a load of my great-grandmother's handmade linen shades. They were originally made to be on a roller but 2 of them fit the back doors perfectly--so I attached ribbon to the top to hang them...Back in the day when they knew how to really do things....all by hand. Sheesh.
Puts my sewing to shame....

One the 10th day of Christmas

2011-12-23T18:46:00.003-05:00

The City Gave to Me... (C'mon everyone sing along!)
A Coooooffeeeeee Espressooooo Tree.

Yeah, that's what it's called.

I didn't make that up.

Small Progress

2011-11-30T21:14:00.001-05:00

I finally got around the scraping...priming...and painting the front basement gate--so that it doesn't rot during the winter.Why is everything I do at least a 3 day process? And only one thing to cross off the list?

For those of you not local...

2011-11-30T21:12:00.002-05:00

We seem to be getting a crab shack. It'll face the Fairway parking lot and the water, with a big open deck. And hopefully...it'll serve crab.

Good Planning

2011-11-30T21:11:00.001-05:00

I knew I got a stove with a shelf for a reason...

Just a few shots

2011-11-11T19:55:00.003-05:00

since we've "moved in"

Kitchen:

Bedroom...

The first snow...

2011-10-30T18:10:00.002-04:00

was a good excuse for the first fire.
And it works...

Kitchen...Done!

2011-10-06T21:07:00.003-04:00

Mark was here a few weeks ago and put up wainscot on 3 walls and a little shelf to top it off.

It took about 3 days to patch and sand...and another 3 to paint...so here it finally is!

The word on the streets....

2011-10-06T10:23:00.002-04:00

Yesterday while I was painting the front fence 2 interesting things happened:

1. Two guys from the city broke in to the condemned house next to me, put their own lock and chain on the door and told me it was slated for demo.

2. A young couple stopped and spray-painted a big white dot on the pavement in front of my house and said we're getting a tree provided by the city!

My thumbs look more brown than green frankly...

2011-10-04T17:32:00.002-04:00

Just a little pre-winter planting going on.

2 mountain laurel, 1 climbing rose to go along the fence, 1 rose-hip, 2 bushes I don't know the name of (but are supposed to grow like crazy...)
and one "Mt Saint Helen Plum"..which is actually a cherry tree:
On the side... a Japanese holly, and a climbing hydrangea for the stair rail...
Not to mention a dozen each of crocus and daffodil bulbs.

Sheesh!

That is IT until Spring. It's back to indoor chores for me....

More bits

2011-09-29T17:37:00.002-04:00

Believe it or not things have been happening.

The kitchen is nearly finished...but I'm waiting on the final coats of paint to show photos...

Mark this week removed 3 of our doors and refit them so that they actually open AND close!

He also fixed the pocket doors, and a bunch of other little stuff...and although crossing them off the list is very satisfying it doesn't make for great blogging.

The basement gate got put in...
A new light in the top floor bedroom (that works!)
And a soap dish in Todd's bathroom ...

All little, but boy do they add up.

Super Storage

2011-09-07T16:15:00.004-04:00

The old cabinets from my studio have finally found their home...after being hung in the kitchen (and taken down), hung in the bathroom (and taken down)...they end up fitting perfectly in my office. This was their last chance and then they would have been destined for Craigslist.Mark hung them for me yesterday. I can't wait to give them a fresh coat of paint and fill them.
So much needed space!!

Pantry has it's day.

2011-09-05T20:48:00.002-04:00

Mark has only been back for one whole day and already the new cabinet is up on a finished base, set in to the wall, and ready to go. It's funny how ridiculously small the smeg fridge looks next to it.
Tomorrow...wainscot kitchen? Or am I too optimistic?

Front steps

2011-09-05T20:43:00.004-04:00

About a week ago I painted the last coat on the cement steps...and then I scraped, primed and painted the railings.
For the last four (yes...four) days I have been scraping the gate, newel posts, and fencing. Gives a new meaning to Labor Day weekend, doesn't it. On the good side-- I have met just about everyone in the neighborhood. On the bad side--I can barely move.

The coming rain is a relief because I need a breather before I can even think about painting them.

From Dumbo...

2011-09-02T09:12:00.002-04:00

Giant food pantry for the kitchen.

It almost didn't make it out of their building...or into mine.

Giant.
This will hold a lot of jam.

Storm Watch 2011! (Red Hook Style)

2011-08-28T13:31:00.003-04:00

This morning we took a bike ride...that there is fairway on the right...But last night before the storm everyone was out preparing their store fronts and windows:
(this place directly faces the water):
Dark and Stormy drink recipe...just in case:
I overheard a reporter saying that he didn't expect Red Hookers to evacuate...as they are the least likely of New Yorkers to do as they're told.
PS photos all taken by Todd

Salvage Score

2011-08-21T16:28:00.003-04:00

We found this yesterday at the Iron Salvage place...perfect size for the basement door. We'd been looking so long we had been contemplating having one made.

I wish we had been able to wait on the gates to the rear doors--the old ones are so much prettier!

Super Mantis

2011-08-10T22:30:00.001-04:00

Fighting early morning crime in Red Hook.

The streets are safe again.
Thank you Super- Mantis.

New Stair Rails.

2011-08-10T18:25:00.002-04:00

Copying the neighbors....
Now they have to be scraped and painted, oh boy.

Bathroom painting: Done.

2011-08-09T17:55:00.002-04:00

Five different types of paint later--and 2 coats each...except for the tub base which of course got....six.

The wainscot is a very VERY pale blue (called of all things "white diamond"--isn't that a Liz Taylor perfume? Very ritzy.)--the color which I of course agonized over...but

as my friend Lucy said: why bother--you could have stayed with white...
And a couple of details--an old brass toothbrush holder (thank you mom!) waiting to be put up--beautiful, no?

and one of 2 wall sconces

Just like old!

2011-08-08T19:32:00.002-04:00

I mean, ...just like new (old)?

It's confusing, I know.

Today the welders came and put in old fencing--some of which belonged to the house and some of which was matched at the iron salvage place--and an old gate with newel posts.

It's funny--but looking at them makes me almost giddy.

They also make me feel better about the too-clean bluestone. Somehow it's all starting to come together...and once the beds are planted? Whoo Boy!

Later this week (maybe Wednesday!) they'll put up the salvaged stair rails. They were going to put them in today but the welder took one look at the condition that they're in, grimaced, and threw them in the back of his truck.

Narrowing it down.

2011-08-07T21:30:00.004-04:00

So here is the 1869 Atlas, and I'm not on it. Sort of.

I'm the 14th lot on the block. There are 12 small lots in from Richards St, and then one big lot with apparently something on it which would have been where my neighbor's house and my house are. I wonder what was there.... (Hmmm I just had a thought. Maybe my neighbor's house-lot #13 was there and the place where my house is was just land belonging to them--that would explain the side door that we found in the basement leading from his house toward ours...a door to the yard?)
But anyway, that leads me to believe that this house was built sometime between 1869 and 1880...now I just have to go through the deeds at the historical society. I'm waiting for a rainy winter day...

The blog that has the links to these maps is called http://woodenhouseproject.com/ and she has quite a lot of good tips for research if anyone is interested....

A bit of research

2011-08-06T23:46:00.005-04:00

I was planning on taking the day off today...whatever that means...and then I got caught on the computer. There's a new blog that has a lot of good links for researching the history of wood frame houses and I got totally sucked in.

It includes the Robinson's maps from 1886 (which I had already seen at the historical society first hand), and then the 1880s maps--and yup--we're on that one too.

For those of you that may not know--pink means masonry, and yellow mean wood frame.

Here's 1886

(I put a blue dot where the house is located on the full map...it's very small, and an arrow on the close-ups):

and 1880

I'm dying to figure out how old this place is really....

Yard work continues...

2011-08-01T21:26:00.003-04:00

I don't know--to be honest this is not really what I pictured. Too new, too neat, and too suburban pool-side.

Maybe after the plants are in and growing over the edges it'll be better...or maybe

we need to get some fuel-dripping motorcycles to park on it for awhile.The concrete planter unfortunately broke into many pieces when they tried to lift it. We'll have to get a bench or planter to go across that back area--partly to cover more stone, and partly to prevent people from falling over the edge to the basement level...

Teaser....

2011-07-30T17:59:00.002-04:00

Friday, jackhammering:Saturday, starting to lay the bluestone:

Basement steps

2011-07-22T12:26:00.002-04:00

If you've been wondering what's been consuming pretty much all of my time (aside from the endless organizing and re-organizing)...here it is.

Bottom level stairs...4 coats later. I'm thinking I need better paint for the top level...4 coats is a giant waste of time.

Today was a gold-letter day

2011-07-10T20:39:00.003-04:00

Finally we have a transom number.

Oh, and Todd and I finally split a "swingle". (Small round key lime pie dipped in chocolate and frozen on a stick) I like my sweets--but this was almost too much.

Grown in Queens, just like me.

2011-07-09T21:16:00.001-04:00

My neighbor 2 doors down has a plot of land by Floyd Bennett Field where she grows edibles...and tonight sitting on the stoop I became the recipient of one of the biggest zucchini I have ever seen.Mmmm...wish we had a grill....

Overhang, Part II

2011-07-06T18:48:00.001-04:00

The front of the house!

This post: Overhang

2011-07-05T18:45:00.002-04:00

(not hang-over).

Mark's been at it again...

Completed the back door today...tomorrow the front.

This is from the inside...it has a wainscot bottom.
And here's the top which is hard to see...tin shingle from an old barn that we got courtesy of Steve at Historic Flooring!

I've got unpacking-hangover

2011-07-04T17:21:00.001-04:00

And dish-pan hands.

And that ain't the half of it.

2011-07-03T23:14:00.002-04:00

Really. It's not even nearly half of it. And it all needs to be washed. Someone save me from my plate hoarding ways....

Three coats later...

2011-07-01T17:33:00.003-04:00

And the pantry is done!We just need to move it into place against the wall before I fill it with all my stuff. And let me just say...if everything doesn't fit in this mammoth thing--I have to start throwing things away.

Today's Small Beginning

2011-06-30T17:27:00.003-04:00

Mark came today and put up the corbels for the door overhangs--both front and back...Since the door was set in at a slant by the contractors we're hoping that this will help to curtail the water that floods in every time it rains....

I've been kind of remiss

2011-06-30T17:23:00.002-04:00

about the blogging. Partly because I was away for 2 weeks, and partly because not so much has happened.

However I came back from Massachusetts to find that the amazing Todd had built me a very fine oak table...a 9 footer. I think I can get 10 people comfortably-ish at a time.

Before butcher's waxing the top:And after:

Huh?, Huh?

Sneak Peek

2011-06-07T22:48:00.002-04:00

This past weekend we bought a gate and 2 posts in preparation for the work on the front area. We stuck it in place just to see what it'll look like...

It's the little things.

2011-06-01T22:09:00.005-04:00

Our friend Mark has been here this week tackling all the little (although probably aggravating) things that I'm just not qualified to do...like installing the shutters.

It's so great to come home at the end of the day and see what's new.

Today's surprises...Mail Slot!

And he hung a chandelier to replace another light that used to be at the very top of the stairs...
And this one's all me...in searching boxes for something entirely different, I found my custard cup sconce shades that I had hidden to protect from contractor mayhem.

Shutters...part two!

2011-06-01T22:08:00.001-04:00

Basement bath...so Todd can shower in private.

Shutters...part one!

2011-05-31T17:12:00.001-04:00

My Obsession with White

2011-05-31T10:45:00.004-04:00

Several coats of paint later...

The cats are forbidden inside because of their love for mauling anything wool...but it doesn't mean they won't try.

A little Good, a little Bad

2011-05-27T22:51:00.003-04:00

Good: The parlor kitchen cabinets are now white. Again with that sticky, glue-like, utterly aggravating paint...but white. And done.

Bad: When cleaning the 2 inches of dust off the counter tops I realized that the contractors actually broke the back corner off of my double basin sink, never said anything, and tried to glue it back together.
What other surprises are there waiting?

Good to have Closets...

2011-05-13T16:06:00.004-04:00

Our friend Mark built these closets for us in the downstairs bedroom. Not painted yet of course--but the idea was to make them look like built-ins.

My standards have been so lowered by our crappy contractors that I just can't believe what a great job he did.

Everything is level and lines up...no weird ramps leading to nowhere...super solid and strong....

Coming soon: The Painted Version!

Yup.

2011-05-07T11:41:00.001-04:00

We're really Red Hook-ers now.

Pure Cat Happiness

2011-04-23T22:26:00.002-04:00

After being deprived of real sun for so long...we're all living it up.

I've been waking up to this at the foot of my bed. Pure cat happiness.

Painting...still not done.

2011-04-23T22:21:00.002-04:00

This is one of the last 2 fireplaces to be painted. Just in case you wonder what's taking so long, and is there in fact something wrong with me, slowest painter in the world...

Well, each one takes at least one coat of primer, a super patching with plaster, and at least 2 coats more of flat paint. So that's 2 to 3 days per chimney. I'm almost there. Almost....

O'keefe Merritt Reassembled

2011-04-23T22:12:00.002-04:00

Today the gas was turned on behind the stove and after about 1/2 an hour of pouring over the original manual we figured how to light the burners, grillavator, oven...and griddle. We also reunited the fancy top piece with the rest of the body (we had hidden it to protect it from the contractors and their destructive ways). Amazingly the florescent light tube still works! And the timer works a little too well... darn thing won't stop ticking.

The Smeg

2011-04-20T08:44:00.002-04:00

There hasn't been too much to post lately--just a lot of painting going on..and much more of the same for the next few weeks.

But this morning...at 8:20 to be exact...the new fridge arrived!

I was joking with the delivery guys that it's the only fridge I can reach the top of without a step-stool. It, and I....are just about the same height.

We agonized for a long time over what to get and although it's not huge, I figure that I still have the studio-fridge upstairs for plenty of extra storage.

Yup. Form over function. Always.

Can it really be true?

2011-04-02T19:44:00.003-04:00

So, I can't believe I'm going to say it...but the contractors are gone.

How does it feel? Really really weird.

All their tools--gone.

Cigarette butts--gone.

Will they be pounding on my door tomorrow at 8AM? Nope.

See? Weird.

After a lot of unpleasantness earlier in the week they just came and finished up. Four days it took them.

The pocket doors dividing the bottom floor are in...and are actually built pretty well.
I was so used to looking at it as one big space I was worried about how I would feel about the separation--but I love it. It makes the front room really cozy, and defines the back bedroom as it's own thing.
And the shower in the basement bathroom is in as well.

Of course midway through the week we made them rip out all the tile and start over (after Todd realized that the tile inside the shower stall was attached to nothing but regular old sheetrock (ie not waterproof in any way)...but still it got built...and eventually built correctly.
Even the base is tile as opposed to a plastic pan.
Four days to build doors, walls, shower, etc. I can't believe we waited this long for it to happen.

Now the fun stuff begins...painting, details, closet building, cabinet hanging, moving (although I guess I should probably go to the old place and pack first).

We'll have to meet with them for the final inspection, and again to settle the change orders and finances...But they're gone. Really and truly gone.

What am I going to be angry about now?

The Giant Pantry

2011-03-29T20:06:00.003-04:00

Ahhh. More storage than I've ever needed. It'll get pushed back and painted to look like a built-in. I can't believe they actually got it through the door. It was in pieces,..but still.

Crazy solid oak.

Gates!

2011-03-26T23:46:00.002-04:00

For the backdoors. Small enough holes to keep some cats in, and other cats out...

I wanted so badly to get salvaged old ones, but the sizing is just impossible...and with Spring coming we didn't want to wait.

It's all about the cross breeze.

Last Weekend's Outing

2011-03-26T23:45:00.001-04:00

to Bait and Tackle.

Camping out

2011-03-09T20:00:00.003-05:00

We're temporarily living on the top floor with the office/studio until the rest of the house is done. I miss all my stuff from my apartment but I'm not exactly roughing it...

(and don't be fooled--the opposite walls that you can't see are stacked with boxes)

Just like new.

2011-03-09T19:54:00.003-05:00

This weekend just before I moved in I decided to have the upstairs tub reglazed back to it's un-mauled, pre-contractor beauty.

Before:
After:
Clean. Good.

Where's Banjo?

2011-03-09T19:48:00.004-05:00

I had a bit of a scare today when Franklin went missing...only to find out he was hiding up the chimney.

So when I couldn't find Banjo tonight even after sticking my head in the fireplaces I didn't even suspect this harmless jumble of pillows

Aha.

We survived the first day!

2011-03-08T19:38:00.004-05:00

We've slowly been moving my office to the top floor and now I'll temporarily be camping out up there until the lower floors are done.

Yesterday we moved my mattress and the cats.

Yeahhhh...the cats. I must admit I was very nervous--they just don't travel well. Banjo spent the entire day wedged in a corner of my equipment closet, but I woke up to find him wedged beneath my pillow....
Franklin is taking it better than I expected. He has claimed the entire house as his own, and is generally annoyed by any doors that are closed. As usual he slept under the covers, totally exhausted...
Ah...and after direct sun deprivation for 10 years....

Kitchen? Check!

2011-02-20T22:30:00.003-05:00

Well, here it is, the top floor kitchen.

We painted the cabinets with a Dutch paint, which was kind of like trying to spread thick sticky greasy glue onto wood. The first time around we used it undiluted...and then unhappily watched gravity do it's thing until it looked like the whole surface was melting.

I think we've finally got a system down...and if it ever fully dries (and if we ever come down off our paint-fume high), it'll be hard as nails.

If it's good enough for ships, it's good enough for me.

Epic Cleaning

2011-02-20T22:28:00.003-05:00

It's true, it's endless. But I have come to love the shop-vac.

We're cleaning up the top floor before adding another layer of sealer later this week...and Friday I start to move!
Oh...and yeah, all the fireplace bricks are now white....

The Back

2011-02-20T22:21:00.004-05:00

Yes! The siding is done! Gutters, leaders, window trim...thank goodness.

Now, was that SO hard??

Just a little recap:

2011-02-17T22:59:00.000-05:00

19402009
2011

Happy.

2011-02-17T19:47:00.002-05:00

Wait a second...

2011-02-14T22:06:00.002-05:00

Is that MY house without plastic all over it? No way.

And ...where are the broken and splintering fence posts that held it up?

It may be possible that I was beginning to get used to having the crazy hobo house of the neighborhood.

Hey! What? And window trim?
Best Valentine's day ever.

February 12th

2011-02-12T19:01:00.002-05:00

I closed on the house one whole year ago, today.

Happy Anniversary little house! You can do it!

Someone's curious...

2011-02-09T22:12:00.002-05:00

about all the activity going on in the house...

House Update: The Short Version

2011-02-07T21:24:00.003-05:00

After this latest and most major leak we finally got a meeting with the contractor boss out at the house--ten days after the fact.

He did a very good job of feigning ignorance about the whole thing, there was lots of yelling at his employees, lots of shaking of his head back and forth...and although on some level it was satisfying to hear the GC get reamed, I have to say I don't completely buy it.

The outcome is that I have a new contact assigned to my job, a total battle-axe, but at least she has a lot more experience than the last gal and seems like she can actually get things done. Meanwhile the GC once again showed his utter confusion, and general lack of knowledge about anything even slightly construction-related.

It appears that they will indeed take responsibility for the damage done, but really, how could they not. For god sakes, there's no siding on the building! There were a lot of promises made as to the work to be done, let's just hope it's for real.

Today Todd and I prepped the top floor to be painted this week...so that I can cram my home and work up there until the rest is done.

Meanwhile, ... here is a photo of the kitchen floor which warps just a little bit more every day...

Attempted cat rescue: Part one.

2011-01-28T19:47:00.002-05:00

Today I attempted to catch the Mayor of Wolcott St.

Always on a mission he trots back and forth in front of the house several times a day, makes a point of sniffing the backs of all the parked cars, and is generally very curious about anything going on in the immediate neighborhood.

I guess one of the other strays in the gang rebelled and the Mayor was injured in a coup...a big wound to the back of his head, and looking rather unhappy about it. With the help of a couple of neighbors I managed to pick him up and get him into a cardboard box which he promptly wormed his way back out of--probably had a meeting to attend or something...but maybe he'll be more available tomorrow when I bring around the hard-shell cat carrier and a nice can of tuna.

Are You Sitting Down?

2011-01-28T19:36:00.003-05:00

....because today, it's a doozy.

We got to the house today to find that a hot water pipe had burst during the week...which I guess isn't that surprising considering it wasn't insulated, and there's STILL no siding on the building. What IS surprising is that the contractors knew about it but neglected to tell us.

The floors on the entire parlor level are all warped and destroyed. They insist they need to let them dry out for twenty one days (?) and see if they can be sanded down. Instead of wasting our time-- I can tell you right now, they all need to be replaced.

The basement ceiling is bubbling and the wall is damaged, with much of the molding popping off. They patched and painted during the week, and where the baseboard bows--filled it in with globs of caulk. The big question is...did they think we wouldn't notice?
The double back doors are warped, don't open and shut correctly, and the molding is ...well, having issues...
And what the hell is all this paint doing on my marble mantle?

Floors: Take Two

2011-01-23T22:27:00.003-05:00

Friday they came back to work on the floors-- to re-sand, and reseal.

It was so nice to see the house without all the paper down.

I feel like I should just be incredibly grateful that they showed up at all, but really

I'm still having a little trouble with the level of quality control.

Ok folks...

2011-01-20T20:22:00.002-05:00

something...is happening.

An electrician showed up today. Can you believe it? What this means is that the kitchen and living room lights are no longer co-dependant. Amazing.

They have promised to finish the top floor so that we can temporarily squeeze ourselves in up there until the rest is done. Tomorrow the floor guys are supposed to come...and a translator.

Could this be too good to be true?

I'll have to let you know.

Can Someone Please Give My Contractors A Kick In The Ass?

2011-01-04T20:53:00.003-05:00

Does anyone know what day it is?--because really...I've lost count. I closed on this house on February 12th last year, and work started in March.

I realized the other day that the siding and poorly-cut counters have been sitting untouched since November 12th...and since then the contractors have been at the house... one whole day.

Yesterday I actually saw black when they told me that their siding guy didn't want to work in anything less than 50 degree weather. This is a perfect week...and totally wasted. If they want 50 degrees we'll have to wait until April. I can't help but think that he's being a giant baby. I suggested to them that they might need to hire someone else.

I've had to apply for my third loan extension, and the bank...well, they're not happy.

The bank planner came out today and tried to persuade them that it would be best if they could finish in the next 30 days...but to be honest...I don't think it matters. They'll do it or not do it...as they please.

And we're off...

2010-12-19T20:56:00.001-05:00

Happy holidays everyone.

We're away until the new year, and I love to say that I'll have something really exciting to share when we get back...but somehow, I doubt it.

I suppose it might be better that way. We all know the potential of what might happen when we're not around.

Enjoy! And lets look forward to a fresh new year!

There has to be an end to this, right?

2010-12-10T11:34:00.002-05:00

If anyone is wondering what's been happening with the house these days....well,...nothing.

It is truly excruciating.

The molding for the exterior windows was supposed to come this week to kick off the siding going up, but no one will tell me if it's arrived, and the siding guy won't return my calls as to when he plans on starting.

The roofer who is supposed to return to finish the masonry is missing altogether and the contractors suspect that he is "out of the country".

We had a meeting scheduled for Wednesday morning with the floor guys and the GC to talk about correcting the puddle stains, and the areas where the sealer is missing. The floor guys showed up an hour and 1/2 late...and the GC showed up....never. Have I mentioned that the GC's work phone has been cancelled so there is no way to reach him? And that the floor-guys don't speak English--at all....

We ended up asking them to leave. And then waving "bye-bye" at them....and then holding the door open trying to motion them out. Lots of confusion.

And did I also mention that my contact at the office has either been out sick since Tuesday...or is just hiding somewhere not returning calls or emails?

Tell me. What's a girl to do?

Morsø

2010-12-10T11:27:00.002-05:00

On our drive up to Massachusetts for a job Todd found me a beautiful wood stove for sale on Craigslist, that just happened to be only about 3 miles off of our route in CT. It's only a year old, and very efficient...and everyone knows I like to be as warm as possible at all times. It'll be living here in the studio on a dolly for the time being, but is destined for the front room of the garden -level.

Nesting

2010-11-29T20:06:00.002-05:00

Ok, so this post is not actually about the house per se...it's about what happened when we went to the house at 9 this morning for a meeting with the siding guy (who was supposed to show us trim samples) who didn't bother to show up.

We were out in Brooklyn anyway, so we decided to get an oil change and boy were we surprised when the mechanic showed us our air-filter basket under the hood.

Filled with acorns. Tons, and tons of acorns.

I'm feeling very very confused.

Creepy toy find of the day:

2010-11-27T23:41:00.001-05:00

Did I say our digging was useless?

Name that Donut

2010-11-27T23:31:00.002-05:00

Another contest here at "the Little House That Could", since Lucy won the "Name That Animal" being the only one who ventured a guess...(Possum??Really? C'mon...)

Help me out here people!

There is a big patch of cement in the middle of the backyard that's been on my mind. After 5 hours of random, useless, digging for no reason we decided to concentrate on the area revealing a giant...donut. We haven't been able to get leverage on it to get it up yet...but we're working on it.

Cap to a well, outhouse, or cistern? Base for some sort of post? Entrance to another dimension? Why the hole in the center?
I can just get my hand into it's middle, and from the chunks of dirt I pulled out a lovely little shard of transfer-ware china.

Window gates

2010-11-24T16:54:00.002-05:00

Sooooo, remember these ugly things?And then this fencing which we got from a guy who got them out of a dumpster somewhere deep in Brooklyn?
Well, voila!

I hate having to have gates..but if I have to...these make me real happy.

Where oh where are the contractors?

2010-11-24T16:46:00.005-05:00

Last week the roofer --who is supposed to finish the brick and masonry-- just never showed up.

So then he agreed to come out on Saturday to do the work...and...nope!

Finally he promised to show up today...but guess what...

Instead, we found that absolutely no one has been out there, and the plastic protecting the house is hanging by a thread and probably making the neighbors insane with the sound of wild flapping. (not to mention that we're expecting rain and at this point it's pretty much useless)
Another nice surprise was that the wood that held the bottom of the plastic to the building came loose and lodged itself in the window screen tearing a nice big hole.

Busy

2010-11-17T18:29:00.003-05:00

Today was a day of many tasks.

First we met with the siding guy to discuss how the siding gets put up (with the help of the Hardi-Plank manual we printed out for him), chose molding for the windows, and got the general idea it won't be started until after Thanksgiving.

Then we met with the counter guys...apparently no one wants to take responsibility for having cut them...but at any rate it looks like it will be re-cut smoothly, and with all ends matching. Imagine?

And THEN we went to LIC to a great stone shop called Emtek to have some bluestone cut down for window sills. I like the dramatic fall sky...

Here is one piece which will replace the concrete that was put in--which has already cracked in half.
And here is a product they sell for coloring cement--not that we have any use for it, but I'd love to buy some just for the packaging.
We are dangerously close to Day 100, folks.

And I think the only prize I'll be winning is a big fat ulcer.

Name that animal:

2010-11-15T18:08:00.002-05:00

The first night we left the siding out to dry we came back to find a ton of cat prints all over the planks.

The second night, we found THIS! And it's pretty darn big. Any ideas? Any trackers out there?

Sunset

2010-11-15T18:04:00.002-05:00

Taking a break from watching paint dry.

Everything hurts.

2010-11-15T17:58:00.003-05:00

Good news...the correct siding showed up on Friday! Twice as thick, a few inches wider, smooth...just what we asked for. And did I mention heavier...and that it only comes primed? 800' sq needing 2 coats of paint.

It took us 3 days--we could only do about 40 boards at a time spread out in the inside...
And outside.
It really doesn't look like that much, does it?
But truly...we can barely move.

There's "rounded"...

2010-11-15T17:38:00.003-05:00

and then there's just plain "round".

The kitchen countertops came on Friday--Pure White Caesar Stone. They had asked me If I wanted the edges flat or rounded...and I said rounded...thinking a nice beveled edge like the one below, straight from the CaesarStone website.
Here's what we got. Trust me--it looks worse in real life than in the photo. It looks like 70s laminate...and why one edge is flat I'm not sure. And of course, although it's already glued on, 2 sections angle upwards.
Ah. Yes. And the giant nick in the stone in the corner.

By my calculations...

2010-11-08T11:05:00.002-05:00

we're at day 88.

We showed up a week ago to find the roofer (yes the same roofer. There's nothing like hiring back a guy who put on a leaky inadequate roof twice to do more work on the house) cementing up the brick on the front of the house.

Does this look like re-pointing??
After a lot of needless arguing, they finally started to do it right:

Daylight Savings

2010-11-08T11:04:00.000-05:00

4 PM in the bedroom.

More backyard treasures

2010-10-27T01:05:00.004-04:00

Two feet under. The lower we go, the weirder it gets.

Lost but found...

2010-10-27T00:58:00.004-04:00

1.The good new is that The Stove Lady told me that she found replacement parts for those that were lost in the mail...amazing...and that they'll be re-chromed shortly!

2.I may have also failed to mention that the custom made shutters that I ordered for the bathrooms (that took 4 weeks to make) were ALSO lost in the mail. Turns out FedEx delivered them a block away and left them. The super of the building dropped by...after looking at the packages in the hall for the last week and a half he was about to throw them out.

Whew.

The Replacements.

2010-10-26T13:17:00.002-04:00

Poop.

Yardwork.

2010-10-25T21:39:00.002-04:00

Here's the new cedar fence in the backyard...after many many hours of our clearing and bagging debris. I'm hoping it will grey, in time. And with a little honeysuckle growing on it..I think it'll look much better.

Mistakes were made.

2010-10-25T21:33:00.003-04:00

Oh, just look at this beauty. The sink I've always wanted! Blinded by it's beauty I never thought that just maybe...it wouldn't fit.No one told me it's not deep enough for the cabinets. Arg. Four inches of weird empty space at the back.
This really really stinks.

Say goodbye to them, they have to be replaced.

As you can tell with my stove issues...me and appliances....not so good together.

PS Please ignore the horribly ugly cabinets, they'll get painted white and then you'll like them.

Wine Barrels and School Buses

2010-10-24T20:54:00.000-04:00

Yes, we've got it all.

Creepy

2010-10-20T21:33:00.002-04:00

Just a little something we dug up in the backyard. Besides endless pairs of half deteriorated socks and shoe soles. (yes, just the soles)

The Cornice

2010-10-20T21:28:00.001-04:00

Mostly up. So much better than in the hallway, and totally changes the look of the place (pardon the plastic).

Bit by bit.

2010-10-19T21:00:00.003-04:00

The cornice has come! Currently living (partly) in the hallway...and unfortunately ordered 3' too long. I am not looking forward to watching them trying to make a nice straight cut on this guy. The old backyard fence is down and post holes dug for the new one. I gained 3 extra feet at the back of the yard...and opposed to the cornice, these 3' I can actually use.
Annnnnd..most of the radiators are in. Not just IN, but working too, and very toasty.
The kitchen cabinets also came...and then went. Measurements, people! Measurements.

An Open Letter to My Stove.

2010-10-17T23:00:00.003-04:00

I am really so sorry.

We removed you from such a nice house in Massachusetts, and yes, they were going to give you up anyway, but who could have prepared you for this.

First the contractors dinged, dented, and chipped your enamel. A bit of white paint was dabbed on as camouflage.

Then they snapped your burner in half. We had it welded back together...and removed every other removable piece and hid them away.

The crazy Russian National Grid guy insulted you. Twice.

But who would have thought that the woman who came to clean the burners, make sure everything was working, and took all the tops, the griddle, and the broiler to have them re-chromed and stop them from corroding ...would lose them forever in the mail?

If I burn in hell one day, it might be in a O'Keefe and Merritt.