Drywall is Done!!

Hello, blog fans! Unlike other times when we simply haven't been hard at work, we've spent the last two months working on drywall. We're thrilled to say IT'S DONE! Even better, the finishers start tomorrow. TOMORROW! A huge thanks to Jamie K and Erika's brother Kevin for helping on the final push. Also a huge thanks to Christina and Erika's mom for helping to clean up the mess the drywallers (ahem) left behind.

You'll notice the columns - a new addition from a great spot, Historic Houseparts, in Rochester. We can't wait to see how it will look trimmed out, but already we're so excited about it.

We hope to post more often now, as we finish the big jobs and start the fun - paint, tile, and floor sanding. Happy New Year!!!

Back to Work!

If you've been following the blog, you've probably been wondering where we've been. In a word: FOOTBALL!!! Jason's team had a great season, but lost in the sectional semi-final last night. It was a great run, but we'd be lying if we said we aren't glad to have our husband/daddy back!

We waited most of September for our plumber to start, and are thrilled that the rough plumbing is done. Here is our bathtub and water heater. We chose an on-demand water heater which was more expensive upfront, but will be cheaper and more efficient in the long run.

We've also made progress on drywall. Jason's brothers were in town to help him out, and we also had a work day on 10/25. It was a great day with so many friends and family (see sidebar) helped us out. I definitely dropped the ball in getting pictures of the work crew (sorry guys!) but here are some photos of the work they did. Also note that the ladies spent the day in the garage assembling our kitchen cabinets. They were surprisingly easy, except that Lazy Susan corner cabinet. It was a rough one, and would not have made it together without Colleen's engineering mind!

Though we have LOTS of packing to do at Limeledge Rd (we close around 12/5) and bowling season is right around the corner, Jason will have more free time and we hope to step up the pace. We'll be back soon!

Antiquing!

The last couple of weeks have been pretty slow - Jason is working on the electrical work and hopes to have it finished this week. Our search for a plumber is ongoing, which is making Jason crazy! In the Village of Marcellus, you must have a Master Plumber do the work, so finding someone who is certified, affordable AND available has been a challenge. Every day he gets more frustrated that he can't do it himself. While we wait, we hope to do some drywall and redo the front porch.

Another way we have passed the time is to SHOP! We ordered our new kitchen cabinets a couple of weeks ago and heard yesterday that they have arrived. We also went to the Madison-Bouckville Antique Show a couple of weeks ago. We were so thrilled to find a beautiful new front door, two stained glass windows to go next to our fireplace, and a great chair/coat rack for the entry. Here are the photos!

Chimney Removal

When we bought the house, we knew one of our bigger projects was to fix the sloping floor. Once Jason began jacking it up in the basement, we realized that one of the major reasons for the slope was the chimney

Putting it back together....

Jason spent last weekend framing walls and on Monday, was able to get started the electrical work with the help of the AMAZING Dave. To give you some perspective, this house was built in 1925 and pretty much had never been updated. Anytime you have a circuit breaker labeled "Upstairs ?", you know you're in for some work. Luckily, J came home Monday evening proclaiming that he finally "got" electrical work, so I think we're on the road to completion. Here are some photos of the framed walls.

Demo!!

After closing on June 11th, I think we (well, I) were a little overwhelmed by the undertaking. Jason was still teaching, so our MVPs, my parents Carol and Bill, spent a lot of time with me and the kids at the house. We did some yard work, took off some wallpaper and generally go things ready for Jason. His work really started when school got out...


The demo was crazy and took us THE WHOLE MONTH! We had ideas of what we thought we were going to do, but we seemed to be constantly faced with the "well, shouldn't we do this while we're at it?" question. We generally stuck to our original plan, but there was certainly some extra lath and plaster removed.

The best part about the demo were the pleasant surprises. We already knew they had lowered the ceilings in the dining and living rooms, but were thrilled to find that the stairwell ceiling was also higher. By far the best surprise was the archway we found behind the wood paneling. Though Bill was sad to see that wood paneling go, it looks so great in the entry now.

Here are the demo photos:

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road....

Apparently, Mrs. Murphy felt that they yellow paint was quite "cheery". We, um, disagreed. July 4th weekend was spent painting the trim on the house. Jason had to rent a lift early the next week to reach the peaks, but it was worth it! As soon as the started painting, the neighbors came out to thank us. It was then that we realized we probably could have charged per brush and gotten the job done A LOT faster!

We know you all think we're crazy....

....but we just LOVE real estate! We know many of you were shocked when we decided to buy 9 Chrisler Street in Marcellus, but we've always wanted to fix up an old house. Once we were in the house, we knew it was just the kind of project we've always wanted to take on.

At first, we didn't think anyone was too interested in our crazy project (you can admit it, you all think we are flat out nuts!), but more and more we're finding that our friends and family are actually curious and even (gasp!) supportive of our endeavor. We've toyed with starting the blog a few times, but now seems like the time. So, here it is. We'll get started with some photos of the house. I call this montage "Mrs. Murphy's House" for the little old lady we purchased it from...