And here's how I spent my summer, stripping paint. Our parlor has, or had original blue paint on the trim and paneling, but the previous owners painted over it with shiny blue paint, and of course primer. So I have been patiently heat scrapping off every last scrap. It so fun laying on the floor and scrapping the baseboard! But so worth it, I love the deep cerulean blue.
And here's little Freckles, looking a little unsure of why I'm making her sit here, but hey the obedience school stuff is working. Good girl!
Do you know how exciting this is? These 18th C floorboards were sitting in my garage attic for 5 years, and today we finally were ready to haul them down and lay them. Guess what, they have beautiful mustard paint, and I had completely forgotten! Wow!
Here is a shot of the upper cabinets that Cy just got built. We used poplar, a hardwood that finishes up nicely. I'm working on a nice antique looking dark brown paint finish. I also like the tin chandelier I bought a while ago at Brim from Frank Gaglio, thanks again Frank. And can you see the 200 year old chestnut beams we added from a barn down the road that was sadly torn down.
Well, here's part of our latest project, still not done. I thought it would be nice to add a few raised beds and a small fence to connect the barn and the house. Easy, no? Well it took all summer and its still not done. However, along the way we met a delightful neighbor who runs a 19th C. sawmill down the road and sold us the oak 2 x8 s for the beds and the oak posts, and delivered them in his 1920s tractor, and we got a tour of his 19th C sawmill. Then of course the muddy path between the beds was not the greatest entrance to the shop, so maybe a few stones? Well, we discovered the best quarry down the road with a view that goes for miles, and great piles of granite stones you can clamber over and pick out your favorites. Of course, they are heavy, and then you have to excavate yet more boulders to get them laid nicely. Do you believe that the stones in the little spot above weigh more than a ton? And its not half done yet. Yikes!
Here's the last big project of the summer, just move a few windows in the kitchen. When the addition where we are putting our kitchen was built in the '70s, they just randomly added the windows, in such a way there was no wall space anywhere, just windows 3' apart. So we decided to take out the one on your right, and moved the two on your left next to each other so we have room on the wall to the right for the ovens and refrig, and more light on the left where the table and chairs will be. Here you can see the windows are moved, now we have to close up the wall, re shingle, trim, prime, paint, and sheetrock and trim on the inside. Just a few trifles!
So here we're making a little progress on the kitchen cabinets. We're using poplar, an easy to work hardwood, and look how we concealed the dishwasher, which I must tell you also makes it a little quieter. A little more work, but I personally hate to see exposed appliances in a period kitchen. And I like the way it bumps out to break up the long line of cabinets which looks so modern.
OK, this is a picture for all you non New Englanders. This is a picture of a new herb garden I dug over next to the shop, before planting the herbs. If you will look at all those stones on the edge of the bed, you will see the remarkable story of New England gardening. All of those stones came out of that tiny little bed. What a chore! And you say you want to move out east? Think again! Of course, I guess I'm lucky, I only had this dinky little bed to clear. I am not a pioneer who was trying to farm this land for his living. Think how hard to was to originally clear our meadow!
This is Thanksgiving, this is what I am thankful for, drawers!
Who knew that a drawer could be so wonderful. I can stand in one place and reach down and open a drawer and take out a spatula. Wow! No more running around from room to room trying to remember, are the spatulas with the spoons in that cardboard box piled in the new kitchen, or are they with the silverware in the recycled drawer on top on the washing machine in the old kitchen? No more rummaging in yucky cardboard boxes. Now, I know my drawers not pretty yet, but they are all handy and have the most wonderful easy slides, a revelation.
And look at that counter, OK so its currently a humble piece of plywood, but its a full 44" from the stove top to the sink. My old kitchen had exactly 9" of counter space. Think of the possiblilites! I can prop up a cookbook, make the praline topping for the pumpkin cheescake, and prepare the brussels sprouts, all at the same time on the same counter. Whoa, what a time saver. Who invented these things? What a genius!
Well, thats all from the remodeling front. Hope you all had a great thanksgiving, ate too much, and rested well.
How can I say this? After moving a table and chairs into the new kitchen and sitting in them, I realized we did not have a view of the best part of the yard, the gardens and bird feeders, etc. So we redid the design, redid the wiring on the back wall once again, and cut a big hole for the new French doors. OK its not period, but this is in a new addition(c 1970's) to the original house, and hey, I like my birds. They have a lot more kinds of birds here in CT than they do in MN. Don't you love the attractive 1970's chandelier?
While Cy was working on the new kitchen, I stripped off ALL the flowery wallpaper from the house, Cy helped on this room. What a relief! Here is part of the wall in the downstairs bedroom. Look at the remains of the dark blue paint on the original plaster. I am thinking about keeping it. It kind of makes me feel like I'm sleeping in Pompeii. Now if the good fairies would only come and scrape off that light blue paint that covers up the original blue paint on all the trim in the house.
Here is a pic of the guys inserting a new old beam under our house, a 24' piece of yellow pine 6"x8", quite heavy. I don't know if you know, but these old houses are built on 4 beams resting on dry laid stones, and then they build up from there. So if something happens to those beams, you are in big trouble. Our old beams were suffering from rot due to carpenter ants and water damage from lack of a drip cap on the parlor door. The water ran down the front of the door, and over 200 years just rotted the beam out like it was cut out by a saw directly under the door. So we had to have the house jacked up, all the studs and joist pockets in the beam cut out, and the newer beam put in, and the studs and joists reattached, and then the siding replaced on top. What a job!
Here is a picture of my husband Cy driving our new old soapstone sink to the front door, all cleaned up and ready to install.
Does it really take four guys to pick up a sink? Yes, they are REALLY heavy. Sorry for the blurry pic, I was just so excited.
July 26th What a thrill! After 6 months of waiting and planning and dreaming, we are really starting on gutting the "new room". Actually it's the room that housed the old kitchen, which was a shed that was moved and added onto our 3/4 cape in the 1920's, we think. I am calling it the new room, as I'm not sure what exactly it will be used for when it's done. Yes, it will hide the washer and dryer, and the well pump. But what else? It's in between the keeping room and the kitchen, so that's a hint. Well, stay tuned! All will be revealed.
Finally, at last our new kitchen is done. Don't you love the wide chestnut floor boards in old mustard paint? How about the wonderful plank counters? I can't tell you how happy I am to just be able to enjoy a well functioning, modernly equipped kitchen that looks old. Can you see the hidden stove and dishwasher and refrig and more? How about the hidden TV? For lots more pictures of the kitchen, all of its details, please go to my blog, http://bluedogantiques.blogspot.com/2009/10/my-new-kitchen.html
