I've been in Alabama for a few weeks now, so time for an update.
Outside, Phase I vegetation removal is done, and podocarpus hedge has been planted along crumbling fence.
319 Podocarpus hedge by
James McInnis, on Flickr
Stucco (2nd story) has been painted (Behr 'Riviera Beach'). It's a warmer color than it appears on the chip, but I like it.
319 stucco painted dusk by
James McInnis, on Flickr
I couldn't reach the area over the 2nd-story windows from the ladder without plunging to my death, so today my mission is to get the top half of the windows unstuck and paint from the inside. I find getting windows freed up immensely gratifying, particularly since I lived in this house for over a week in Gulf-Coast July with all the windows sealed shut, the only ventilation coming from the screen doors. Ahhhhh... AIR!
Speaking of which, I removed the front screen door, which was hopelessly out of square, and set aside the louvers to include in the replacement door. I was informed by the historical commission that, since louvers are not included among acceptable screen-door designs, I would need to submit an application to the commission. The director of the commission thinks my reasoning is legitimate and that it would add character to the neighborhood, so it will probably pass. She made me copies of the original plans (my house is Type 5R-2S - five rooms, two stories, I assume) which are nice to have, plus I can see what the original door was like - 12 panes of glass over a horizontal panel at the bottom. I also learned that the small building in the back, which I had speculated in a previous thread might have been a privy, is a coal shed. The blueprints are dated August 21, 1919 (construction date of the house is listed as 1918), and show a design that is the mirror of my house.
In this region, it rains almost every day, so it's hard to decide on a time to paint. (For example, it's raining now.) Fortunately, there's plenty to do indoors, for starters, getting rid of the grime. Yesterday, talking with a friend on the phone, I commented on the foul smell that came from the carpet in the 1950s addition when I vacuumed. "That rug has to go" was all he said, but yesterday afternoon, after an unproductive day trying to chase down a door for the storage shed ($900? I think not.) I looked at that grubby carpet and said, "Yup." First I washed down the knotty pine-paneled walls with mineral spirits, letting the carpet serve as a drop-cloth. The carpet and disintegrating foam backing held a prodigious amount of filth; I must have mopped that floor upwards of thirty million times. No exaggeration. I now have a slightly banged-up - but CLEAN - 1950s tile floor with nary a hint of an aroma.
awomanwithahammer wrote:...I'd rather build a house than clean one. At least when you build it, it stays built!
Bonnie, I quoted you to a friend yesterday.
Well, back to window-crackin'!