Capitol II Theatre - Newton, Iowa

I snapped a quick picture while visiting the Capitol II Theatre in Newton, Iowa last week - the place does show its age in places, but it's really gorgeous and has great potential!
Newton is half an hour north of us, and the owners of the theater there are going through many of the same things that our group here in Knoxville is, or will be once we start renovations and the digital conversion at our theater. It's nice to have friends in the industry! :)
If you're in the area, stop by and check them out....you might even meet Joy, the family pig that helps with popcorn cleanup after showings!
Our project: Grand Theater - Knoxville, Iowa - PO Box 151, Knoxville, Iowa  50138
All donations are tax deductible, and we would LOVE to have your support! :)

Just the other day, we received a donation from this woman's granddaughter! This was the owner of two movie houses here in Knoxville through the 1930's and 40's - this photo (and several others she shared with us) were taken inside the Grand and will be tremendously useful during our renovation!

HUGE News! :)

So, a while back I showed a picture of our local Theater and mentioned that we would soon be purchasing the building and renovating/reopening it. That process took a BIG step yesterday morning when we were presented with a check large enough to secure ownership of the property and start in on our projects! :D 

A rather 'large' check, indeed!

Our hope is to not only update and modernize the interior systems (including electrical, HVAC, the restrooms, and new digital projection and sound equipment), but to bring back what history still exists in the building.
For example, this beautiful brick facade has simply been covered up for the last 75 years - first by large glass tiles in an Art Deco style, then by metal siding. We'll strip the siding off, re-point the brick where needed, and replace the short, wide window and bold, neon signage over the marquee.

So. Stinkin'. Exciting!
The Grand Theater

An investment in this project is an investment in the entire town and our future. Not only will the reopening of this business create a couple part-time jobs in its own right, but it will help to support and complement countless other businesses in town, not to mention boost local housing sales, and create a greater pull for new businesses and business expansion within the community.
Of course, the most direct benefit is that we'll have our theater back! The place we all went for our first dates; the place many of our grandparents went for their first dates! A place to take part in the shared experience of being entertained, educated, and expanded beyond our current possibilities. In addition to new and classic films and film festivals, we'll host smaller live performances and special community events, speakers and lecture series, poetry readings and community theater. It's going to be a true jewel for our Downtown District, and for the region as a whole. Once we're operational and sustaining ourselves, any net proceeds generated by this business - if not reinvested into the Foundation - will be poured right back into the community. Very, very cool.
Our total project goal is $500,000 - if you or someone you know would have any interest in contributing to this project, please let us know! We're a 501(c)(3) Public Charity, and any contributions made to our group will be tax-deductible and VERY well utilized!
The Grand Theater Foundation, PO Box 151, Knoxville, Iowa  50138

So happy :)

This is what we were starting from: the original beadboard barrel vaulted ceiling over the front door.
This was uncovered when we removed the steel siding and aluminum trim. I had seen it in old pictures of the house and wanted to put it back in place - luckily, it was still there! Dad attempted to remove the chipping paint, but this was more of a job than anyone wanted. So we installed new, freshly primed and painted beadboard in its place!

The underside of the overhang (and the wood face with the arch cut out) was wrapped in the same PVC I used for the trim everywhere else. This will be resistant to rot and will hopefully last a really long time!

After using a plumb bob to find where the center of the pillar would be, we got to drilling the hole for the lag bolt that would secure the base to the step. We actually just expanded the holes from the previous bolt holding the iron posts in place, which was much easier than drilling an entirely new hole in this solid old mortar.

One down. And the roof didn't even fall in! ;)

After bolting and gluing a piece of pressure treated (and primed) lumber to the step, we wrapped it in PVC and made this base to support the new pillar. We used a spade bit to drill a hole down into the base to receive a wooden dowel. There's a corresponding hole in the top plate as well. 

Voila! Snapped into place and fit perfectly on the first try!
We glued the dowels and pre-drilled and counter sunk four screws into the top and bottom of each pillar.
You could hang a (tiny) hammock from these babies!

On pillar (and day) number two, I started out solo when Dad was called into work.
Since we had already done all of the hard work in trying to figure out how best to do this job, the second pillar went much quicker!

My grandpa came over after we had lunch and helped me trim a half-inch off the bottom of the second pillar.
I failed to account for the the slope in the step from side to side to help with water runoff...so one of the bases is a tad higher than the other if you look closely.
No matter, though...we trimmed the pillar, installed the dowels into either end, and snapped this one into place all the same!

I couldn't stop looking at these yesterday - I was so happy with how everything turned out!

Mom and I filled the screw holes, sanded away any excess, and caulked all the joints or seams all around the ceiling, arch, and top and bottom of each column. After a coat of paint, this is going to look even better than it already does.
HUGE thanks to everyone who helped! This was the last big construction project around the house and it was such a weight off my shoulders to actually have these popped into place and finished that I was all of the sudden really inspired to throw down grass seed and start focusing on this ratty looking lawn of mine! ;)

Moonflower

Among the new plants in the ground at my house now is Moonflower - aptly named as they bloom at night and close back up during the day. They spread and spill out over the area where they're planted and fill an awful lot of space..which is nice for me right now because I have a good amount of space to fill! They also have great foliage, so they're pretty even when they're not blooming...as all of my plants are in the process of doing at the moment.
As you can probably tell, I took this picture when I pulled into the driveway last night...headlights and camera flash: ON!

Paint, painty paintpaintpaint

So, we got a TON of (but not all of the) exterior painting done this weekend!
It's going to look especially impressive if I show an old 'Before' picture, though :) 

Who could forget my old garage? ;)

Working our way up the front of the house.
The color is 'Slate' from Restoration Hardware, mixed by Sherwin-Williams

I was lucky enough to have several friends and family stop by Saturday and Sunday to help out.
They're the best :)

Many hands make light work...or so the saying goes.

Two days, two coats.
Boom.

Touching up to do here and there...but an enormous amount of work has been done!

Mantel Project

The mantel before: not bad, but room for improvement if I wanted it to fit with everything else I had going on in the house. As big as the fireplace is, I thought the mantel needed to be a little bulkier.
Plus, I still had a good bit of salvaged wood left in the garage :)

The profile of the original mantel.  

Removed the little strip of molding..

Planed, glued, clamped, sanded.. the boards I had in the garage. Square nails, knots, and all!

Wrapped a wider band around the existing mantel..

Top in position..

The final profile! The square nails are still showing through on some of these end pieces. 

I actually made that cove molding underneath on the table saw..
..couldn't find a router bit big enough to make it look the way I wanted it.
Improvising.

All done!
I might stain/oil it, or I might leave it raw like this. I'll decide later :)

Solarium: Start to Finish!

This is what the house looked like in the listing when I bought it - cute right?

Nice little sitting room right inside the front door and adjacent to the living room.

Then I saw this. Everything might have been easier...if I hadn't seen this. ;)

So, naturally, we ripped everything apart..

..and fixed the things that needed fixed..

Here's mom/former roommate finishing up the last of the insulation. As with the rest of the house, the wiring was completely redone in the solarium, as was all the insulation, wallboard, wood floors, and trim..though, a lot of the woodwork throughout the house was salvaged.

Hooray for drywall!

..well..sort of. See, I got a deal on some really nice windows; so, rather than replace the two that were there, I decided to take it back to the way it looked it that damned old picture.

Finishing up the new windows and front door.

All in!

Testing out my new grilles :)

Trim is up and ready for sanding (which left dust ALL over the house), priming, and painting!

As of last night: all painted and ready to go! (As you can also see, the greenhouse is in full swing..)

Looks pretty good, if I do say!