The Back

Before the weather got too cold or I should say unbearably cold (Mike was definitely out there working in less than desirable weather) he worked on the back of the house. He resheathed the entire back side, removed the sliding door and added all new windows. For a little reminder, here is the back before....

 

 

Then the back after the deck was removed

 

 

 

Then per a friends recommendation we hired General Concrete Cutting Services, Inc. (I couldn't find a web page, but here is a link to their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/General-Concrete-Cutting-Services-Inc/217046531658663) They were done in a few hours and we had a true daylight basement, which we had to quickly cover up!

 

 

Then Mike started on the upstairs. First the entryway window came out. Talk about dark, he had to remove the electrical in that room for some reason, so we didn't have a light in there either.

 

 

This little boy so badly wanted to help...

 

 

 

 But instead I talked him in to helping us do this...

Love these two! Can't resist adding a few cute pictures in with all these fun house renovations!
 

I missed getting a picture of the bathroom window and kitchen window coming out. Then the slider! This came out on one of the first really cold days of the year! Makes sense right? We were freezing, but it had to get done! It was so cold, that our lovely neighbors saw what was happening and knew we had to be freezing and invited us over to warm up! Needless to say though, there was so much excitement going on here, we just couldn't leave!

 

 And then there was darkness and we lived with it for a couple months while we waited for the new windows to come in.

I was so happy to see these babies comes in...

 

The next weekend all the back ones went in! I never thought I would love windows as much as I do, but when you go from terrible windows to, no windows, you really appreciate them! They are wonderful! They look so nice and they are so easy to open and clean!

Let there be light!!!

The wall still needs a little work, but the windows look great!

 

 

That is as far as we have gone with the back as of today. After this we moved onto inside projects as the weather did not allow for more outdoor projects...winter in Maine! Next project the chimney!

 



 

Sneak Peak

Here's a little sneak peak of what we did this weekend! I say, we, because I finally was able to get out there and help! I won't say much about it because I am not ready to write about this. I want this "journal" to be in order of the projects, so I need to play catch up! Since I am so excited about the progress though, I couldn't resist a little tease!!

I'm back!

From here, until the end, I promise at least weekly blog updates! Although, I don't know that I have any followers on here, I have been told by lots of people that they enjoy watching the progress on Facebook. I also want this documentation for ourselves, a little journal of our journey. So, I'm back...for the rest of the my life...because that is how long it feels like it is going to be before this project is finished!

First the before pictures:

The front - can't wait to get rid of that overhang!

The side. Tyvek has been up longer than I want to admit.

The back. Again, Faded Tyvek, and peeling paint. It's a good look, but I am excited to see it gone!
 

The List of renovations happening to the outside:

 

Remove the deck

Progress

All gone. It really emphasizes the beauty of the back! Our neighbors have been so patient!



 

Remove concrete from the back wall of the basement to allow for full size windows. A requirement for us to finish the basement!

 

Going

Going

Gone...

Now that's a daylight basement!

 

Replace sheathing and windows. It has been done only on the back of the house at this point. I will keep you in suspense for some pictures. Just know that I lived for way to long without windows in the back of my house. Ever wanted to know what it was like to live in a cave? I could tell you!

 

 

Last we will put vinyl siding on the whole house. That will complete the outside. There has also been some progress made to the inside of the house and we have bought everything we need. Our garage is filled to the brim with our new cupboards (some are being replaced, more on that later) new hardwood floor, new appliances, sinks, etc....It is so hard to see them, everyday, and not have them in here. Especially as I wash dishes (our dishwasher broke months ago) and I have a brand spankin' new one in the garage! I will show pictures of our inside progress and give you a sneak peek at what we chose for our kitchen and bath! I promise the next post will be very soon, not months from now!