| The Process Cont. Page 30 |
| June 16, 2009 Day 1,372 |
It has been a busy past 21 days. My Mom has finally recovered and I moved her back home to her condo. My
daughter graduated from High School, which was a week long event. Then a few days later we took a two day
trip to her College for freshman orientation. Add in the end of the month at work and a lot of rain and I have
not been able to get much accomplished. I know enough of the excuses.
So just what have I accomplished?
All the trim work inside the breezeway is finished except for one window, which I plan to do today. I have
primed the bookcase and that too will be painted and finished and ready for a TV and knickknacks by
tonight. I have installed gravel for the driveway and will be using the same material for a temporary patio off
the breezeway. I leveled the dirt around the addition, added mulch and put down grass seed.
I also lowered the dinning room light over the table as a few people have mentioned it was too high and
Pattie agreed. One would think the electrician would have known the correct height to put a table light in but
no, and of course I have cut the lawn whenever it has stopped raining long enough to get out there.
So all things considered it has not been a totally wasted three weeks but not as productive as I would like. I
hope to be ready to start working on the outside of the house as in the siding by next week (Pattie wants it
done before the party).
daughter graduated from High School, which was a week long event. Then a few days later we took a two day
trip to her College for freshman orientation. Add in the end of the month at work and a lot of rain and I have
not been able to get much accomplished. I know enough of the excuses.
So just what have I accomplished?
All the trim work inside the breezeway is finished except for one window, which I plan to do today. I have
primed the bookcase and that too will be painted and finished and ready for a TV and knickknacks by
tonight. I have installed gravel for the driveway and will be using the same material for a temporary patio off
the breezeway. I leveled the dirt around the addition, added mulch and put down grass seed.
I also lowered the dinning room light over the table as a few people have mentioned it was too high and
Pattie agreed. One would think the electrician would have known the correct height to put a table light in but
no, and of course I have cut the lawn whenever it has stopped raining long enough to get out there.
So all things considered it has not been a totally wasted three weeks but not as productive as I would like. I
hope to be ready to start working on the outside of the house as in the siding by next week (Pattie wants it
done before the party).
 |
| |
 |
| July 7, 2009 Day 1,393 |
It has rained 31 out of the last 37 days. This has provided very little time to work on the outside of the
addition nor any real motivation to work on anything period. However I was able to trim out both garage doors
all the outside windows except one. So at least if the sun ever stays out long enough for me to hay my lawn
and then get to work on the building I will be able to start the corner boards and then the siding.
I have finished all the trim work inside in the breezeway and hope to have at least one of the two final coats
of paint on all the wood bu the end of today, it is too damp for the paint to dry fast enough to get two coats
on in one day.
It has been a very depressing time to live in Maine as we have not been able to enjoy but a few short
moments outside after a very long winter and here it is only 55 degrees outside and raining on the 7th of
July. The rain has really slowed down any progress we could make as mentioned prior. The lawn is so wet
that you spend any free moments trying to keep up with that let alone get any work down any where else in
the house.
Our party is in just a few short weeks away and already we are starting the beginning stages of getting the
place ready to entertain and serve 75 guest. So I do not anticipate much work to be accomplished between
now and the end of July.
Hopefully the weather will turn and we will be able to get some work done in August and September.
addition nor any real motivation to work on anything period. However I was able to trim out both garage doors
all the outside windows except one. So at least if the sun ever stays out long enough for me to hay my lawn
and then get to work on the building I will be able to start the corner boards and then the siding.
I have finished all the trim work inside in the breezeway and hope to have at least one of the two final coats
of paint on all the wood bu the end of today, it is too damp for the paint to dry fast enough to get two coats
on in one day.
It has been a very depressing time to live in Maine as we have not been able to enjoy but a few short
moments outside after a very long winter and here it is only 55 degrees outside and raining on the 7th of
July. The rain has really slowed down any progress we could make as mentioned prior. The lawn is so wet
that you spend any free moments trying to keep up with that let alone get any work down any where else in
the house.
Our party is in just a few short weeks away and already we are starting the beginning stages of getting the
place ready to entertain and serve 75 guest. So I do not anticipate much work to be accomplished between
now and the end of July.
Hopefully the weather will turn and we will be able to get some work done in August and September.
| Pattie wanted a Clydesdale but with the current economy we could only afford a Quarter Horse |
| Hay if you can't laugh what can you do? |
| August 5, 2009 |
The rain has finally stopped, the party is over and the guest are gone. Finally we get to start working on the
outside of the Carriage house. Pattie joined me as I installed the corner boards and the base trim and she
painted the boards with primer. We were able to get all the trim boards done except one corner in the back of
the house. It is a small start but a start just the same now we just have to wait for the siding to arrive and the
addition can start to look like a finished house.
outside of the Carriage house. Pattie joined me as I installed the corner boards and the base trim and she
painted the boards with primer. We were able to get all the trim boards done except one corner in the back of
the house. It is a small start but a start just the same now we just have to wait for the siding to arrive and the
addition can start to look like a finished house.
| August 13, 2009 Day 1,430 |
I have been spending my days off working on the siding. It is slow going but the front of the breezeway is all
sided and the front of the garage is sided up to the top of the garage doors. I hope on Sunday to get a good
portion of the front of the garage done. I need to pick up some wood sometime before I can get much further.
I also hope to have some photos uploaded soon. Unfortunately with the siding project it is just time consuming
and not much to talk about so my writing inputs are limited.
sided and the front of the garage is sided up to the top of the garage doors. I hope on Sunday to get a good
portion of the front of the garage done. I need to pick up some wood sometime before I can get much further.
I also hope to have some photos uploaded soon. Unfortunately with the siding project it is just time consuming
and not much to talk about so my writing inputs are limited.
| August 18,2009 Day 1,435 |
The weather has been brutal lately, we seem to get one extreme to another. This week it has been in the
nineties all week and humid. At least there is no rain! Sunday I worked on the siding until about 3:00 in the
afternoon. I was not able to get much accomplished as I was working around all the door trim and each piece
had to be cut with a jig saw to make all the curves around the trim. On one piece I had to cut both ends of the
board to fit in between the molding of both garage doors and after twenty minutes of cutting to make it fit my
last small cut made the board too short and I had to throw the board away. Then it was back to cutting again for
another twenty minutes. As you can imagine after twenty minutes in the heat and sun a few nice words were
exchanged as I threw the board in to the trash pile.
I am slowly making progress though as I worked on the house again last night after work. Today I plan on
heading out there in a few minutes and plan to get about 7 hours of work in. I need to cut my day short as Sam
and I are starting to train for a marathon and I need to go for a run this afternoon and then Pattie and I are off
to a play this evening. Yes I have to keep up the family life as well as be a house restorer. It would be easier to
blow off the family and work just on the house but they are the reason for the house, so I spilt my precious free
time with all of them. Besides, they (the family) have been so good during this project that I need to make time
for them now that we are no longer in pressure mood. As promised I have some photos on the recent photo of
the siding on the front of the house.
nineties all week and humid. At least there is no rain! Sunday I worked on the siding until about 3:00 in the
afternoon. I was not able to get much accomplished as I was working around all the door trim and each piece
had to be cut with a jig saw to make all the curves around the trim. On one piece I had to cut both ends of the
board to fit in between the molding of both garage doors and after twenty minutes of cutting to make it fit my
last small cut made the board too short and I had to throw the board away. Then it was back to cutting again for
another twenty minutes. As you can imagine after twenty minutes in the heat and sun a few nice words were
exchanged as I threw the board in to the trash pile.
I am slowly making progress though as I worked on the house again last night after work. Today I plan on
heading out there in a few minutes and plan to get about 7 hours of work in. I need to cut my day short as Sam
and I are starting to train for a marathon and I need to go for a run this afternoon and then Pattie and I are off
to a play this evening. Yes I have to keep up the family life as well as be a house restorer. It would be easier to
blow off the family and work just on the house but they are the reason for the house, so I spilt my precious free
time with all of them. Besides, they (the family) have been so good during this project that I need to make time
for them now that we are no longer in pressure mood. As promised I have some photos on the recent photo of
the siding on the front of the house.
| August 23, 2009 Day 1,440 |
Today I finished the siding on the front of the house. I still need to caulk it and give it two coats of paint but at
least the front is done. I spent the rest of the afternoon putting siding on up the side of the original house over
the roof of the Breezeway. This is a time consuming project as I have to go up and down ladders quite often
especially when I am working alone. This is where staging would help immensely but my source for stagging no
longer has them so I am left with ladders and roof planks. It will be a week from Tuesday before I am available
to install any more siding but at least when people drive by the house it looks finished minus the paint of course.
I put a new picture on the Home Page of the website so you can see the progress and I hope to have more
done a couple of weeks from now.
least the front is done. I spent the rest of the afternoon putting siding on up the side of the original house over
the roof of the Breezeway. This is a time consuming project as I have to go up and down ladders quite often
especially when I am working alone. This is where staging would help immensely but my source for stagging no
longer has them so I am left with ladders and roof planks. It will be a week from Tuesday before I am available
to install any more siding but at least when people drive by the house it looks finished minus the paint of course.
I put a new picture on the Home Page of the website so you can see the progress and I hope to have more
done a couple of weeks from now.
| September 7, 2009 Day 1,455 |
With the holiday, my normal days off and a vacation day I was able to put together a four day extravaganza of
work on the house. I am on day two, yesterday I was able to get in 10 and a half hours of work and I hope to
complete over 40 hours in the four days. Yesterday was Sunday and I spent the day painting and caulking. I
started up on the roof of the breezeway painting the siding above the roof on the original house. Then after the
first coat of paint was done I moved on to the front of the breezeway and Carriage house where I caulked all the
edges and joints of the siding. Then I primed the trim boards and then it was back on the roof again for the
second coat of paint on the original hose. Then back down off the roof and I painted the first coat of paint on
the front of the Breezeway and Carriage House. Pattie got home from work around 4PM and helped me finish
the final parts so that we were done by 5:30. I had hoped to get two full coats on the front yesterday but as
always things take longer than I plan.
Today I retire the paint brushes for the day and start siding the south side of the addition. I hope to have that
done today so Pattie and I can spend Tuesday painting both the front and the side of the additon.
Well it is time to start day two.
work on the house. I am on day two, yesterday I was able to get in 10 and a half hours of work and I hope to
complete over 40 hours in the four days. Yesterday was Sunday and I spent the day painting and caulking. I
started up on the roof of the breezeway painting the siding above the roof on the original house. Then after the
first coat of paint was done I moved on to the front of the breezeway and Carriage house where I caulked all the
edges and joints of the siding. Then I primed the trim boards and then it was back on the roof again for the
second coat of paint on the original hose. Then back down off the roof and I painted the first coat of paint on
the front of the Breezeway and Carriage House. Pattie got home from work around 4PM and helped me finish
the final parts so that we were done by 5:30. I had hoped to get two full coats on the front yesterday but as
always things take longer than I plan.
Today I retire the paint brushes for the day and start siding the south side of the addition. I hope to have that
done today so Pattie and I can spend Tuesday painting both the front and the side of the additon.
Well it is time to start day two.
| September 17, 2009 Day 1,465 |
The four days off proved to be very productive. I was able to get in a little over 40 hours of work. Pattie added
another ten hours herself and Sam helped out for about 5 hours. The weather was perfect as well and I was
very happy with the amount of work I had finished. I was able to get a little more work in on the following
Tuesday as well. So what did I accomplish you ask? The front of the house is completely finished. It is sided,
caulked and painted with two coats of paint. The side of the Carriage house is sided. The back of the house is
completely sided except for the peak of the Carriage house. The siding on the original part of the house over
the roof of the breezeway is 70% done. All in all I estimate I will need one and a half days more of siding and
then three days of painting to finish. The only wrench in the whole project will be being able to reach all the
siding on the original part of the house as there is no where to put a ladder like I did on the front of the house
and all I will have are roof jacks which limit my reach above my head. Sunday Sam and i will head up on the roof
and see what we can do.
another ten hours herself and Sam helped out for about 5 hours. The weather was perfect as well and I was
very happy with the amount of work I had finished. I was able to get a little more work in on the following
Tuesday as well. So what did I accomplish you ask? The front of the house is completely finished. It is sided,
caulked and painted with two coats of paint. The side of the Carriage house is sided. The back of the house is
completely sided except for the peak of the Carriage house. The siding on the original part of the house over
the roof of the breezeway is 70% done. All in all I estimate I will need one and a half days more of siding and
then three days of painting to finish. The only wrench in the whole project will be being able to reach all the
siding on the original part of the house as there is no where to put a ladder like I did on the front of the house
and all I will have are roof jacks which limit my reach above my head. Sunday Sam and i will head up on the roof
and see what we can do.