Contending with Bees, Bats, 50 Shutters, Family Needs and the Heat as we Scrape, Repair, Prime and Paint our Nearly 200-Year Old House this Summer
When I first looked at this picture (taken the end of June 2012), the house looked scary in its "naked" state. Yet, in this current state, it looks a 100-times better than it did when we first purchased the house 17 years ago (June 1995). Our families thought we were crazy purchasing yet another "fixer-upper" (and this one worse than our first one). We saw the potential.
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| Summer 2012 |
Painting Allows Time for Thought and Reflection: Looking Back
That first summer required much work on our part, as well as the help of family and friends. Our boys, Sam and Max, were 6-and 3-years old and were real troopers, too! We hauled 3 tons of building materials, debris and an old furnace out of the house (I kid you not, the roll-off dumpster was weighed). Old appliances that could be donated were donated, materials that could be recycled were recycled, and the brush, shrubs and trees that were "hiding" the house were cut down and later burned in a bonfire. In retrospect, had we been thinking, we should have purchased stock in the company that made Calamine Lotion as sumac and poison ivy were prolific. Windows and doors were repaired and replaced, respectively. Our goal was to have the kitchen, one bathroom and one bedroom (for the boys) completed by August 1st, our official move in date as the lease on our temporary rental was over and, come September, the boys would be starting in a new school and preschool. We also needed to get to know our new neighbors and the community. Many people wanted to know who the crazy young couple was that bought the Old Tennis Club. We made the August 1st deadline, and a vacation in Arizona and California was our reward.
During that crazy first month of renovations and repairs in July 1995, many people stopped by to offer us their services. Unfortunately, for them, and although we appreciated their offers of service, we weren't looking to contract out the work. This was our project and we had a very tight budget. We put a lot of sweat-equity, as well as equity, into the house that first month. Painting the exterior needed to be done, but there just wasn't any time that summer of 1995; it would have to wait until the following summer.
Summer 2012
Now, 17 years later, and after many interior and exterior renovations and restorations, more sweat-equity and equity (including a complete scraping and painting of the house the summer of 1996 and a less-involved re-painting of the house the summer of 2005), it was time to really "attack" the exterior of the house. Our goal? Completion by August 1st, including repointing and glazing of the windows and painting of the tin roof. Our plan of attack? Complete one side at a time, beginning with the front of the house, and work as many hours of the week as the weather and our schedules would allow.
Work began in earnest on June 23rd. And, with the exception of five days spent visiting and helping an aunt in Vermont the July 4th week, we've kept our focus on the task. Our son Sam, who is now 23, came home for a few days to help even though he "hates" painting. His help was very much appreciated! Max, son number two, now 20, is scheduled to lend us a hand when he comes home after his college summer session classes and job are complete and before his fall term begins. His help will be appreciated, too! Other than our boys, it's been me and Lew working as a team to get the job done. As we take down shutters, scrape, prime and paint, we listen to music, chat and argue. We debate world and political issues, argue some more, drink tons of water and Gatorade, haul and hoist ladders, and try to avoid being stung by bees, hornets and wasps. We've, well really Lew has, cajoled bats sleeping behind the shutters to fly away. At about 8pm, when we've had enough and our shoulders and backs are aching, we clean up, have a beer and dinner, and admire the progress we've made.
Friends and neighbors have stopped by to say hello, check on the progress and encourage us to put the brushes down and come swimming in their pools--we've certainly appreciated those offers, especially since it's been exceedingly hot and dry.
In the beginning of this year's project, people asked if we had considered vinyl siding--"vinyl is final!" Yes, it is, but we quickly reminded them that although this is a time consuming project, the clapboards, curved cherry soffits, windows and shutters are original to the house and that we're preserving a bit of history and craftsmanship. And, by painting the house every ten years or so, we've helped support two local and independently owned hardware stores by purchasing the paint and supplies we've needed: a practice and belief that we decided to follow when we purchased the house. I have to say it's makes the experience so much more rewarding when you walk into a hardware store and the same person who helped you make the paint selections years ago knows exactly what paint you need, and can knowledgeably answer your questions and make helpful suggestions.
Those August 1st Deadlines
Our deadline has been extended. There just isn't enough time to get the roof painted before our self-imposed August 1st deadline. However, the main part of the house will be complete, just in time to help Sam move from his current apartment into his new apartment, and then we'll help Max get settled for his Junior year in college. Although they are older and are learning to live independently, they still need, on occasion, the time and help we can give them as they make their transitions into adulthood. Our reward? We like their company and will take any opportunity to hangout with them, oh, and a week at the Cape!...
Isn't it Interesting How Family and Homes Involve Nurturing & Attention
It's true, the hours spent painting allows for moments of deep thought and reflection as you dip your brush into a can of paint and repeat the back and forth motion while applying the paint. It can be very Zen-like, sparking moments of realization.
While sitting on top of the kitchen roof this past Sunday (July 22), dodging yellow jackets as I painted the westside soffit, Lew poked his head around the corner and announced that we were going to have a large pine tree in the front yard cut down the following weekend (something we've needed to have done given its proximity to the house) and,
"Oh, by the way, we need to replace the water pressure tank, it's leaking in the basement. Let's make sure we check it throughout the day and later we'll go buy the new tank. I'll install it this week unless it fails completely before then. You know where the shut-off valve is, right?"
At that moment, it occurred to me that homes are very much like kids: pay a little extra attention to one and the other(s) are going to need your attention, too!
•I'll post more updates and pictures when we are completely complete, but I will tell you, it's looking good! And, as a sidebar, I haven't lost the skill of re-pointing and glazing the windows: a skill I was taught the summer before I entered college. That's a story for later, but one I've been ruminating on as I've worked on our old house this summer....
