Restoring our 1905 former manse, one project at a time
The blog has been quiet not because there is nothing happening, but because progress is very slow. Being back at work means that the free time we do have we choose to spend with our daughter rather than renovate, so work happens in spurts of an hour at a time. We have also spent more… Continue reading New Year, and nothing to update! Lies!
I have a love affair with lighting for our house. When we first moved in I wanted modern lights with a nod to the vinatage. As I have spent time in the house, I have come to hate the new lights. They do not fit. They look too small, cheap and airy. I want lights… Continue reading New Lighting for the Foyer
So after a few days of work by Matt and other family members, the chimney was dropped to the second floor bathroom. This past Sunday we decided to make the big push to drop it all the way. After a long 12 hours of work, Matt and I were able to see from the attic… Continue reading The Chimney is Down… Mostly
I have already posted my feelings on how things must get worse before they get better. The staircase restoration has been true to the tale. We knew when we moved in, that there were a few dips in the floor, and that before we got too far into any real work we should take the… Continue reading The Chimney…
Renovations have taken a back seat this week as we have made a trip to Toronto. Between appointments, and a couple of Jay's games, we took visit to The Door Store. They have a wide assortment of antique hardware, archtechtuals, registers and and reproductions spread over two floors. I thoguht I had died and gone to… Continue reading Who would notice if I paid 125 dollars to restore the closet rods?
We are at the stage in the renovation where as we start to pull back the layers and make a big mess we start to wonder what we were thinking. At this point it has everything to do with timing. Nothing we are finding is surprising or alarming. Cracks (check) Repairs made with duct tape… Continue reading You can’t make omelettes without breaking eggs…
One of the most impressive things about the back yard was the large ash tree that dominated the back corner. We knew looking at it that it would eventually have to come down, but we were hoping it would be later rather than sooner. Unfortunately this spring in a wind storm, a large branch was… Continue reading The Tree
There are few things in renovations more annoying than having to remove wallpaper. (Except maybe scraping carpet glue from hardwood floors, but that is a different post for a different day). Most rooms in the house have more than their fair share of paper, with some rooms having as many as 11 different layers. That… Continue reading On Becoming a Wallpaper Enthusiast
The staircase was probably the reason we bought the house. Stepping in the front door made quite the first impression. With one problem. The same problem we have throughout the house: carpet. A quick peek during the home inspection confirmed two things: 1. The stairs were oak 2. Carpet had been glued down at some… Continue reading Rainy Day Staircase
We are hoping to document our adventures of renovating/ restoring our home. It was built around 1905-1908, as the Manse for St. Andrews United Church. We are collecting documentation to confirm the actual dates it was built. After viewing fire plans from 1911 we know that the house has undergone one addition. Inspection tells us… Continue reading Initial Musings
