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.
I'm glad to see that you updated your house blog! I've been wondering how things were going.
ReplyDeleteAre you doing the siding yourself or hiring it done?
Our old farmhouse didn't have one bit of insulation in it when we bought it 23 yrs. ago and the wood siding was in terrible shape, so that's the first things we had to do too. And the roof. Now it's time to do the roof again.
While you're taking pics, I'd love to see more of the inside of your house.
Btw, did you ever make it to Mt. Sterling for Court Day?
Vonne
Hi Vonne! I hope to get to Court Day (and maybe even the 127 yard sale) this year! I have been looking forward to it since you told me about it, but time has just not been kind enough to allow me to go.
ReplyDeleteI am doing the siding myself on the lower part, but I am really considering hiring out the second story (after it took me an entire weekend to do a really small side of the house!) I had to do the roof first too.
I will definitely put up some inside pics. I've been living like a hoarder since I moved into it (the dining room is the worst), but I've made some head way on unpacking and purging in the past month, so I'm nearly ready to show the inside. I have a long, long way to go. :)