Okay. Now it's time to take off the rose colored glasses (in our case, fully opaque goggles) and drop some Visine.
Like I mentioned before, the house (and shed and barn) are in rough shape. I'm just going to let the pictures do most of the talking.
This is one of the handful of windows in the worst condition. You can see that it is literally falling apart.
The bottom of the lower sash has completely rotted away and the glass had dropped down to rest on the sill.
Most of the siding is in fair shape. Mostly just dirty with mildew, and alligator cracked paint. This is a bad area on the south side of the house but is shaded by large trees.
The good news? We don't need this chimney (one of four). This one will get demolished.
Structural framing has rotted away all around this house on the bottom floor. You can see that the left end of the joist at the center of this picture is totally gone.
Apparently squirrels have been a problem. The previous owner put up some 1/4" screen to block entry. The squirrels just moved a corner out of the way. I think they are offended that people are wandering around their house.
Porch floor boards that have rotted away. There are not gutters around 90% of the house. Most of this damage is from rain water. It has also affected the outer rim joists.
Floor collapse due to moisture issues in the crawl space under the kitchen and insect activity. The foundation of the house is mostly stacked stone piers with what was originally a brick skirt wall. It will all have to be replaced.
Some of the original skirt wall. At some point in the life of the house, someone added the crawlspace vents and covered the brick with parging, painted gray.
Concrete steps at one of the three front doors. More rotted porch floor boards. The rim joist here is in particularly bad shape.
Floor collapse in the dining room. This is very near the collapsed porch floor shown in the earlier photo.
The other side of the dining room floor has also collapsed. The holes were filled with folded rugs.
The 70's kitchen. Definitely showing it's age. If only a kitchen renovation was the only thing that needed to be done!
No railing on the stairs! We've heard two stories. First, that squatters used the railing for fire wood during the 1960's when the house sat empty. Second, that the stairs were removed and installed in an apartment building in Thomasville. We have not been able to confirm either story yet. In either case, we need to restore this.
The bead board in this room has been covered with a reed type wallpaper and glued on acoustic tile on the ceiling.
The bead board in this room has been covered with paneling and more acoustic tiles. They used spray foam to fill gaps. At least they kept the original door and window trim.
This used to be a bathroom. I have no idea why they removed all the fixtures. Maybe they were remodeling it and stopped when the roof started leaking through the ceiling.
Our charming mailbox. I think I'll replace this first. Tiny steps.
So this is a broad swath of what we're up against. If you're reading this, congrats, you didn't fall over from laughing. Or you're sitting there wondering in a shocked stupor why I haven't used the word "bulldozer" in a sentence yet after 4 posts.
Like I mentioned before, the house (and shed and barn) are in rough shape. I'm just going to let the pictures do most of the talking.
This is one of the handful of windows in the worst condition. You can see that it is literally falling apart.
The bottom of the lower sash has completely rotted away and the glass had dropped down to rest on the sill.
Most of the siding is in fair shape. Mostly just dirty with mildew, and alligator cracked paint. This is a bad area on the south side of the house but is shaded by large trees.
The good news? We don't need this chimney (one of four). This one will get demolished.
Structural framing has rotted away all around this house on the bottom floor. You can see that the left end of the joist at the center of this picture is totally gone.
Apparently squirrels have been a problem. The previous owner put up some 1/4" screen to block entry. The squirrels just moved a corner out of the way. I think they are offended that people are wandering around their house.
Porch floor boards that have rotted away. There are not gutters around 90% of the house. Most of this damage is from rain water. It has also affected the outer rim joists.
Floor collapse due to moisture issues in the crawl space under the kitchen and insect activity. The foundation of the house is mostly stacked stone piers with what was originally a brick skirt wall. It will all have to be replaced.
Some of the original skirt wall. At some point in the life of the house, someone added the crawlspace vents and covered the brick with parging, painted gray.
Concrete steps at one of the three front doors. More rotted porch floor boards. The rim joist here is in particularly bad shape.
Floor collapse in the dining room. This is very near the collapsed porch floor shown in the earlier photo.
The other side of the dining room floor has also collapsed. The holes were filled with folded rugs.
The 70's kitchen. Definitely showing it's age. If only a kitchen renovation was the only thing that needed to be done!
No railing on the stairs! We've heard two stories. First, that squatters used the railing for fire wood during the 1960's when the house sat empty. Second, that the stairs were removed and installed in an apartment building in Thomasville. We have not been able to confirm either story yet. In either case, we need to restore this.
The bead board in this room has been covered with a reed type wallpaper and glued on acoustic tile on the ceiling.
The bead board in this room has been covered with paneling and more acoustic tiles. They used spray foam to fill gaps. At least they kept the original door and window trim.
This used to be a bathroom. I have no idea why they removed all the fixtures. Maybe they were remodeling it and stopped when the roof started leaking through the ceiling.
Our charming mailbox. I think I'll replace this first. Tiny steps.
So this is a broad swath of what we're up against. If you're reading this, congrats, you didn't fall over from laughing. Or you're sitting there wondering in a shocked stupor why I haven't used the word "bulldozer" in a sentence yet after 4 posts.
Fritz, first I truly applaud your guts for taking this one on. Perhaps 35 years ago, I took on an old house, not nearly in this "condition", and 3 years later I still wasn't done. Honestly, another year came and went, circumstances change, and I had to sell it and move on.
ReplyDeleteThese things are a work of love, familial commitment, and most of all, money.
I don't know you real well, but know enough to see you're detail oriented, focused, hard working, and obviously love your family deeply. With that said, You're Nuts!
I enjoyed your blog and will continue to follow it, and hope to see more pictures, especially a full view from outside, to give us a sense of what this grand lady has survived through.
Good luck, my friend.
Rich Wright & Lesley Migliorato
Thanks Rich! We're hoping to keep the money part smaller than what might be typical for a project like this, which is why I've taken it on full time. If there's a picture of anything you want to see in particular, just let me know.
DeleteYou will want to give up, then get a burst of energy, then want to wail and commit yourself to an institution, then see a ray of hope, then think you should still bulldoze! I know. There were times while our house was in the works, I would come home from work and go lay down in our horse trailer's sleeping quarters and cry. I also remember taking my carryout or delivery dinner to the middle of my bed to eat because it was the only "safe and comfortable" place in the house LOL! Thirteen years later and now we are fine tuning it with some "little" extras. Have fun and know you will reap the finest harvest when finished. I will certainly follow your blog. Karen Reed.
ReplyDeleteThanks Karen! While not exactly inspirational, haha, I'm sure your experience will help Amy and I stay the course to reach the finished home, and when needed, we will take a little break. Like you, I doubt that we will ever be totally finished. Upon reflection, I can't think of many houses that are.
ReplyDelete