Never thought I'd see the day..

We had hung siding as far as we could without making some more decisions..

First, the window needed to be re-installed.

..and trimmed

We added those pieces along the top of the bay window to make siding up to the shingles easier and cleaner looking.

Progress: Day One

Paint samples and completed siding. Dad even mulched my leaves!





I never see it from over here - it looks so small!

Sunday progress. Siding: COMPLETE!
A couple little pieces of trim left to hang around the bay window and two new porch columns to set. For now though, I think I'll catch up on some sleep :)

Look at all that siding :)

House wrapped and sealed, windows in, corners in place!

Windows and doors trimmed with the same PVC product I used last time. A little more expensive, but really easy to work with and rot-resistant. The trim and siding should be here for a long, long time!

Trim in place and the first few courses of siding all around the remainder of the house. All the hard work has been done - now we just need to get everything else put in place!

That might just look alright when it's all cleaned up..

It sure does! A few more pieces up top and we'll be good to go on this side of the solarium.

Paint is becoming a thorn in my side. I'm never this indecisive..I'm not sure why this is so hard!

The really sad part is..I still don't like the samples I had mixed. I really, REALLY like the dark gray color I had initially picked out..I just think it's going to be too dark. Woe is me..

I got the stained glass window all sanded, caulked, primed and ready to go. Dad had a piece of plexi glass made up, too. Growing up in this neighborhood, I guess he had a feeling there might be a kid or two with a BB gun...

It looks really great! Ready to fill the hole in the wall :)
Stay tuned for more - lots of progress every day!

Tremendous Tuesday

Piggy-backing on the momentum we established Sunday, my dad, my neighbor, the Goddamn Genius, and I got to work on the remaining windows and the front door to complete the solarium project..for now.

An inside view after the progress we made Sunday.

Window wall!

Dad had the day off yesterday, so he spent the afternoon tearing things apart and getting ready for us to put it all back together. By the time Mark (Goddamn Genius) came over, we were in good shape to get things rolling. A couple hours later, we had both new windows and the new door framed, installed, and sealed in!

Mark: Taking Care of Business..in a flash!

Framing the windows and front door. The new door was about three inches wider than the old door, so we had to do a little cutting to get everything just right.

This room went from being more-or-less wasted space to now being really cool, historically accurate wasted space ;) All kidding aside, it’s going to be a really cool spot to read a book, or just hang out and watch the activity on the street..and grow plants!

Winding down for the afternoon.

Getting everything sealed up for the night. No bugs or bats allowed.

It's really going to look cool once all the trim has been hung...but it looks pretty cool now, too!

Now for a little drywall patching and wood trim inside, and exterior trim and siding outside! Stay tuned for the progress this weekend – the light at the end of this tunnel is getting brighter all the time! J

Work, work, work!

Over the course of the last week, the fam and I have been working to tear all the old siding off and wrap the front of the house to get it ready for the new stuff I had delivered about a week and a half ago (yeah..we’re THAT close!)

Not only that, we had to hurry up and tear everything off so that I could get a contractor in there to work on the flashing around the foundation and the soffit area. He was on a pretty strict timeline due to other jobs he had lined up before and after mine, so the heat was on!

Not only that, but I was helping the Chamber of Commerce organize a big tailgate party downtown to celebrate the Iowa vs. Iowa State football game – we wanted to make it a big one because Channel 13 from Des Moines was coming down to celebrate with us!

Not only THAT, but the last part of last week was particularly busy at work! When it rains, it pours.

The siding came off relatively easily; though, it did take more time than I anticipated. And because I was being pulled in so many directions last week, I couldn’t just sit and finish one project at a time like I wanted to. The family rallied, though, and we got everything we could reach taken down. My contractor and his tall ladders ended up helping us with the very highest pieces of siding – and he did a great job on everything else, too. Good work, good price, good guy!

Before

So glad to see some of the old details still there - definitely keeping this one!

And the opening for my little window!

Siding removed, holes patched, ready for wrapping.

This weekend, we also worked to get all the remaining rock out from in front of the house. Not just because I’d like mulch there, but because the rocks were all full of nails, old shingles, pieces of siding, paint, etc. That was a job I wasn’t looking forward to, but my sister and I got it knocked out – BIG thanks to her!

Rock removed from the front - whew!

Wrapped, rockless, and looking like a million bucks!

The tailgate party was a HUGE success as well! We had worked in a small committee for the last couple weeks to get everything lined up, and we nailed it. Everyone talked about what a great time they had, ALL the vendors sold out of EVERYTHING they had for sale, and Channel 13 was blown away at the response J In fact, they said it was the best organized event with the largest turnout they’ve had anywhere they’ve done their Cy/Hawk Showdown event. Way to go Knoxville!

As if there wasn't enough to do, in the week leading up to the tailgate party, the owner of the local art gallery/studio and I built two golf carts that we then raced down the side of the courthouse lawn. Cy/Hawk meets Knoxvville Raceway :)
http://www.art101knoxville.com/

The end results were pretty bad-ass, if I do say..



The sports teams from Channel 13 enjoyed them!





The local newspaper estimated thousands of people came out!



The 1917 Dunbar Popcorn Wagon on loan from the Marion County Historical Society. One of only about 15 left in the country - this cart used to sit on the Courthouse lawn!



We had the cheerleaders, high school mascot, and even the marching band - it was great!

 A couple links to our features on WHO – Channel 13 last week – enjoy!

http://whotv.com/2012/09/05/rvtv-knoxville-rvtv-rolls-in/ - featuring our golf carts!
http://whotv.com/2012/09/06/knoxville-party-rvtv-celebrates-in-knoxville/
http://whotv.com/2012/09/06/well-known-knoxville-boasts-more-than-just-racing/ - Peace Tree Brewing Company and Dixie Gebhardt, designer of the Iowa Flag
http://whotv.com/2012/09/06/knoxville-stadium-the-story-behind-the-name/ - Ken Locke Stadium, historic landmark..best place ever to watch high school football!

Home Sweet Home :S

Destruction at the homestead again, gang.

This is what we started with..

We’re at the point, now, where everything has lined up just right for the siding project to continue on the front of the house. I’ve spoken with a couple contractors who are going to help us out in a few areas (namely, flashing around the foundation and the soffit) and we are off and running..again.

When I say “things have lined up,” I really mean it. Everything is kind of happening all at once..AGAIN. My cement contractor came and tore out the rest of the sidewalk and lower steps so we can replace those, the lumber yard delivered my siding, lumber, and house wrap, and we’ve started tearing into the old siding.

The neighbors have had a major roofing project on their hands. Meanwhile, I had a contractor measuring the siding..

..and working on concrete. The City was also there mowing the lot next door. Lots of noise all at once!

Needless to say, the house is looking…really nice from the street.

No mo' sidewalk!

While my favorite cement guy was there, I asked him to scrape the rocks out from around the front of the house for me.
..I hate shoveling rock..

My contractor should be coming by in the next couple days to take care of the flashing and soffit, then we can start looking into framing the new windows and trimming them out. Then it’s just siding, siding, and more siding..with a little gray paint thrown in for good measure.

....pretty..

Stay tuned!

Picture Update :)

Dining room, without carpet..but, oddly including a kitchen countertop?

The only bad spot I've found so far. Dining room, right in front of the basement door.

Entry without carpet. The floors were in really great shape here!



Office without carpet.

This is the PVC trim I picked for the exterior of the house. With this and the cement board siding, it should be relatively low maintenance!

Kitchen window and a snazzy new door!

New furnace and electric water heater..

..and air conditioner..

Means no need for a vent pipe! No vent pipe means no chimney!

As you can see, the chimney had issues anyway. I thought about re-pointing it, but it would have been more work, more time, more money..without much benefit. The new HVAC system operates without the need for the vertical ventilation: win-win!

Keep checking back for more – we’re making huge, noticeable progress every day!