Well......the countertops did not make it in by Thanksgiving but Charlie put plywood on top of the cabinets so I would have counter tops while I prepared our Thanksgiving meal.  We had 19 people for dinner and it was wonderful!  We use the huge foyer to seat everyone for dinner---I love that we can celebrate with family in a house with so much history!  We expect the counter tops to be installed this week or next at the latest and in the meantime, there is PLENTY still to do.  We kept the old farm style porcelain sink that was in the house when we bought it to use in our new kitchen.  It needs to be restored so that's in progress now also. 

     Charlie has moved to the inside now that the temperatures are below freezing at night.  Too cold to paint the new clapboard on the outside of the mudroom so Charlie will spend the next few weeks preparing the moulding in the kitchen for a coating of white paint. The white will really hightlight the beauty of this 80+ year old moulding!  He will also attach insulation under the flooring along the length of the house to help keep the cold out.  We will also look into some temporary insulation of the windows (such as heat shrinking plastic) to save a bit on the heating bill since we don't have the use of any of the fireplaces yet.  The spring will be a very busy time for Charlie as the steps in the front porch need to be replaced, a handrail for those steps needs to be installed, water pipes need to be run to finish the last of the half bath installation in the mudroom, and so on.....

     The mud room and kitchen now have new roofs and Charlie has installed the kitchen cabinets!  We chose Virginia soapstone countertops and they should be installed in the next couple of weeks.  The evolution of the kitchen has been particularly satisfying---probably because it had the most damage/rot/deterioration of all the rooms in the house.  I asked Charlie recently to come up with a list of everythign he had repaired/replaced/updated in the house since he began work over a year ago and there were more than 30 line items on his list!  We have been invited to speak at a November meeting of the King George Historical Society.  I will share this list of Charlie's with them---it will be a lot of fun talking with that group about the history of hte house. 
     The tours in September went very well.  We actually had a few people that visited the house several years ago and therefore, had an idea of just how much work has gone into the house.  We are hoping Charlie will get another couple of nice days to finish some pipe work underneath the house--then  our new half bath in the mudroom will be complete!  We have truly come to love this home---there are finishing touches that need to be completed all over the house but the big jobs have been completed with the exception of the two porch roofs.  That work will begin in the spring.  Now that Charlie is concentrating on indoor work, he wil move onto insulating the ceiling in the kitchen and installing the same bead board on the ceiling that we took off the kitchen over a year ago.  The addition of the insulation and bead board will make a big difference in the temperature in the kitchen. 

We continue to invite any and all to come by, have a chat about the historical significance of the house, and take a look around the house....hope to see you soon!   

The house is so comfortable now---it's hard to believe it was only a year ago when we realized there was so much to do that we had to list items on a white board and commit to finishing one item before we moved to the next.  Charlie found that once he began a project, many smaller projects related to the original project surfaced and he would lose track if he didn't develop a plan to ensure forward progress!  Since my last post, Charlie has finished installing the mouldings in the kitchen and mudroom, replaced the broken window panes in various locations all over the house, finished the installation of the half bath in the mudroom, replaced rotted clapboard on the front view of the kitchen and mudroom with new clapboard, finished the installation of one of two pantrys in the mudroom, and repaired the trim and facing on the mudroom and kitchen in preparation for the new roofing.  I know I've said it before but it is truly amazing to see what Charlie has accomplished on his own!!!  I get the easy job of cleaning the house and decorating it---he works non-stop on the house and then goes to work at his "real job".  He will begin the blockwork on the crawlspace under the kitchen and mudroom this weekend and expects the roofers to come out sometime in August/September to put the new roof on the kitchen and mudroom. 

The kitchen cabinets are on the way---I will miss using Charlie's work benches for counters but the new cabinets and counters will be beautiful!  I wil be posting pictures this weekend of all the latest work. 

Charlie still has a long list but he is finally able to see the massive amount of progress he's made over this past year.   One of our biggest challenges in the house is the costly electric bills in the winter.  The 12 foot ceilings and the fact that the house uses heat pumps makes for chilly winters.  We would like to have the fireplace in the living room opened up and relined but that's going to cost $10,000.00!!!  We are thinking that through!  :)   Look for pictures in the next few days!  

Once again, it's been a while since I've posted.  The kitchen has been the main focus for the last few months.  We finished the painting in the rest of the house and it's beautiful!  Charlie and Chas spent a week or so installing the wood flooring we received from Ms. McCarty's house in the Chancellor area.  After reading about our purchase of the house last year, she contacted us to offer us anything we wanted from her house as she was in the process of having it demolished.  It was built in 1930 and while the three rooms of flooring was not as old as the original flooring in our house, it is Heart Pine and much better to use than anything new we might have used.  We also relieved her of many of the mouldings from the house, a few pieces of furniture, and an old cast iron wood stove. 

Once the flooring was installed, we hired Sullivan's Flooring of King George to come over and sand it---it was gorgeous after Mr. Sullivan sanded it.  Charlie then applied a super matte finish - a  "Smart Shoe" product - and we now have a beautiful kitchen floor that we like to stand around and stare at!  If you remember, that room was originally gutted down to the dirt crawlspace due to rot and termite damage, so to see it finished is amazing.  Charlie is now finishing the room with mouldings and framing for the windows and doors, the appliances are in, and while we are waiting for the cabinets, we have two wooden work benches to use for counter space.  I actually love using the workbenches so much, I told Charlie we can take our time with the cabinets! 

We sat down to eat in the kitchen for the first time last week and it was wonderful to see the view of the back yard while having dinner!  The kitchen has always been the heart of our home and going eight months without a kitchen has been trying to say the least.  Charlie will finsh the kitchen and move on to the porch roof repairs so that we can have the roofer back out to install new roofing over the kitchen, porches, and mud room.  That will complete the five priority restorations/repairs that the banker and the State required. 

Well, it's been quite some time since I've posted an entry and there's been lots of progress!  Charlie is still working almost all the time he is not at his day job and the house is beautiful because of it.  All the walls in the stairways and landings have been painted a khaki color, the foyer has been painted a rosy/terra cotta color, and the kitchen has been painted a light yellow.  The rosy/terra cotta color was on the foyer walls some time ago---Charlie found the color inside the ceiling while working on the ceiling.  Several of the outlets have been repaired and of course all new electrical and ductwork was put nto the kitchen before drywalling,  The front porch roof, back porch roof, and mud room roof will all be replaced sometime in late spring/early summer.  

Once Charlie is finished with repairing the hurricane damage from the 2011 summer on the foyer wall, he will move into the kitchen and install the wood flooring.  I have to admit I am DYING without my kitchen! My mom figured out today it's been 7 months since we had a functional kitchen!  When I think of how Charlie has done most of this work himself, it jsut amazes me.....it's been just over a year since we bought this house and with the exception of the heating bills, it's been a wonderful year!!!  

It's been a busy month!  We were in Florida for a week with our youngest for his soccer tournament, the house passed the last inspection until completion, we decorated the house for Christmas for the first time, and Charlie began hanging drywall in the kitchen this weekend!!!  

Wow--I have seriously neglected this website so let me catch you up:  Although Charlie found even more damage in the kitchen beams and associated studs, he succeeded in jacking up the walls and replacing all beams in the foundation of the kitchen.  The kitchen door now opens/closes perfectly due to leveling the beam and floor beneath the door.  After replacing one of the windows in the kitchen and installing another window the State allowed us to add, Charlie used Advantech plywood for the subfloor in the kitchen and is almost ready to install the hardwood flooring over it.  

Charlie replaced the mudroom door with a door and frame he received from Delphia McCarty.  She is the very generous lady who allowed us to remove anything we wanted from an old house of hers in the Chancellor area before she has the house levelled.  Her house was built around 1930 so while it is not quite as old as our house, we are grateful to her for the flooring, doors, windows, and frames she donated.  Charlie is using a total of three of Delphia's doors.  One for the pantry he will build in the mudroom, one for the mudroom door that leads to the yard on the side of the house, and one for the half bath he is installing in the mudroom so there is a bathroom on both sides of the house.  

Charlie has also run electric and plumbing to the mudroom and kitchen and after the next inspection from the County, he will get moving on the installation of the flooring.   .I am pushing him a little harder than usual so that I can cook Thanksgiving dinner in our new kitchen!  

We have had to have the compressor associated with the downstairs heat pump replaced and a fan motor replaced on the unit in the crawl space but aside from those repairs, the heat is working well and the house is very comfortable.   Charlie and I are amazed that we have actually filled this house with furniture---I don't know how it all fit in the old house! 

The next plan of action is for me to get back to painting the rooms that still need paint, have the one fireplace that isn't bricked in inspected so we may use it if we lose power over the winter; install the flooring in the kitchen, and plug any more holes in this old house with insulation to block the drafts.  Chas is happy in his attic but he is BEGGING Charlie to insulate the attic NOW so it can be heated and cooled.  I tell Chas to wait his turn----we need our kitchen first!!!  More later....

Well, we've been in the house over a month now and boy, have things changed!  Charlie works on the house almost every minute he is awake.  His progress is simply amazing.  He repaired the roof in the mud room snd then replaced the floor and installed linoleum.  The floor is now ready for the appliances.  He has replaced all beams along the foundation of the kitchen except for the oak beam that sits at the bottom of the wall that connects the kitchen to the main house.  That beam will be replaced this weekend.  He has all but one piece of the plywood flooring down in the kitchen--he used Advantach plywood for the subfloor and will lay the 1910 era pine flooring over it.  Delphia McCarty donated the flooring from an old house of hers in Chancellor that is soon to be demolished.  

It's VERY exciting to think the kitchen will be finished in plenty of time to cook Thanksgiving dinner in it.  I have to confess that Charlie is doing all the work right now---I need to get back to the painting!

We've had a great time showing the house to the tourists who visit the house as part of the Booth Tours.  We have two tours left this fall and then none until April 2013.  

Chas has toughed it out in the attic--even when the temps were crazy hot---he loves it up there as he has a huge amount of space for his bedroom, video game area, etc.  He is eager to help his dad put insulation and wallboard int he attic this winter so that the air conditioning can be turned on next summer!  

The upstairs bathroom is functional but we will not renovate it until some time next spring more than likely---we will be busy with the kitchen, porches, etc. until then.  All that work may sound like a chore but we are happy to be here and have a list of things to do!  

We moved in this past Sunday and it's wonderful to finally be in the house full time!  Charlie has been working like a mad man getting the downstairs bathroom finished so that we could make the move. It's amazing how many details there are to each process in the building of these rooms---of course everything takes longer than you think.  The bathroom turned out beautifully and now Charlie will move onto the kitchen and mud room.  The kids are working at setting up their rooms...they were responsible for spackling, sanding, and painting their own rooms. There are pictures in the slide show of Audrey and Madi's rooms.  Our pets love the house and while they are only your standard house pets (one dog and two cats), they are loving being there.  While my post sounds a bit rosy, there have been plenty of "not so rosy" moments.  Wondering how to fit clothes and linen into a house with no closets is not so much fun; having to do dishes in the tub because there is no kitchen sink is a bit arduous; six people jockying for the one available shower is trying; finding out more outlets don't work than do work is more than frustrating; and knowing it might be a couple of weeks before I can do laundry at  the house makes me sigh.....  On a brighter note, Charlie's mom loves her room and spends time on the front porch rocker almost every day! 

I haven't mentioned ghosts in the house for a while sooooooo:  Madi swore there was a ghost in her room the other night.  She said she was sleeping on her stomach and she felt something push on her back just once.  When she raised up to look, there was no one there.  I had to remind her of our cat that looks more like a Bobcat and almost hurts you when he lands on you due to his weight.  She realized right away it was the cat because he'd done it before...but I think she really is convinced there are ghosts in our house!!!

We had a great picnic with the King George Historical Society and the Chamber of Commerce on the 21st of June!  It was great sharing the house and property with people who really appreciate the history. I feel terrible that it's taking me so long to post to this blog but time just flies as we work!  

We really thought we would be in the house by now but the downstairs bathroom took more time than we anticipated.  Charlie is feverishly working to finish the bathroom and install the hot water heater and we hope to be in on the weekend of the 14th.  Of course we have an inspection to get through and I'm still painting like a crazy person !  The hard part is seeing all the little things that you know need to be done but aren't on the priority list at all--much less on the top of the list.  We've learned not to let ourselves become distracted but it's not easy...

Charlie came up with a great idea to use the bead board we took out of the kitchen and use it as wainscoting in the downstairs bathroom.   We decided to paint the wainscoting a dusty sage and paint the wall above it a very pale buttery color.  The vanity, toilet, shower, and trim is white---it should be really pretty.