Anyway, back at the Shotgun, I have slowly (as in faster than a snail, but way slower than a turtle) been plugging away at the house rehab. I started the siding and I cannot stress how much of a change it is from the icky, rotting plywood siding to vinyl. I would have loved to put clapboard on the house, but, in the interest of not overspending what I can ever sell a property in the ghetto for and the time I need to get things done, I decided to go with vinyl. I'm not straying terribly far from the color on it now (I think it's called slate). This was mainly so I could do it in stages and it wouldn't stand out. I'm glad I chose this route as winter really came on fast and I haven't done anything but the back of the house (which was falling down and needed priority repairs).
The next side to be done will be the west side. This side gets direct wind and, even as I type this on a snowy night, I can hear the creaking of the poorly insulated walls. I had to do a temporary job of shoving insulation along the edges of the crawlspace to block the wind off of the pipes. This has pretty much been wide open to the wind and I realized the importance of wind blocking when my pipes froze last week. Fortunately, I had no damage (no thanks to the worthless plumber I called to help me thaw them out-Yes, I'm looking at you T. D.). I am hoping I don't have frozen pipes again tonight as the temperatures are supposed to rapidly drop. I am dripping the faucets as a precaution, but I am not going to like the resulting water bill.
Overall, I am still in love with the house, but she is a problem child (as was expected when I found her abandoned and neglected). I need to regain my rehabbing mojo, but winter doldrums have kept my motivation suppressed. I am hoping to start some seeds tomorrow (Feb 1st!!). And, even though the blustery snow is beautiful tonight, I am really waiting on spring to come back around.
