House update: windows, wood, radiators and a working toliet

We have a working toilet, no walls to enclose it but hey, we’re not picky. Things are moving along, here’s the update.

(Yes it looks crazy, we know)

We hadn’t planned on changing the windows but Maureen found a deal on Craigslist for Andersens that we couldn’t pass up. They’re in great condition. We couldn’t believe someone would throw these out! Another person’s trash… that’s what they say, right? We managed to replace all windows on the first floor. The new ones bring in more light – I’m very happy with them. The pane style (on most) is French.  We’re going for a modern farmhouse look so these will work nicely.

You’ll notice a Bilco door – we were getting water in the basement so we needed this. We have another basement entrance that’s a full walk-through door, so I didn’t mind changing out this one pictured.

Above is one of the many gorgeous door knobs we’ve removed from the doors in the house. We have 27 solid wood doors but they’re covered in layers of paint. I’m sure you know, solid wood doors are very expensive. We decided to get them professionally stripped since these are of value. The doors went out this week. They’ll return in two – paint free. Matt will make wood repairs where needed, then it will be my job to sand and stain. I’ve been watching how-to youtube videos on this. It doesn’t seem terribly hard, but we’ll see.

For the past two months, Matt’s been putting together a wood shop in the bungalow. From reclaimed wood, he’s making all the moldings for the house– tables, and wall/floor repairs. Pictured is one of those repairs. Our bedroom is actually made up of a few different porches that were enclosed over the years, and they are not level. The floor boards are also going in different directions. So the idea here is to use an angled pattern to make this problem area into a design feature. It’s going to be beautiful when it’s sanded and stained. I’m so happy with it.

If you’ve spoke with me in the last two weeks, you know I’ve been working on cleaning these radiators. We have 15; 8 are done; it’s taking forever. The best technique is using a drill with a wire brush attachment. Since Matt is busy with wood repairs, this task is mine. I know a year from now, when I’m sipping wine in the dining room and I glance over at the radiator(s), I’ll be happy I did a thorough job. Until then, I just keep reminding myself… patience.

This isn’t about the renovations but I wanted to vent. Beach goers keep parking in front of our driveway! Maybe it’s the dumpster in the back  – they think we’re not using it?  Or they could just be assholes. Matt made this sign to fix the problem – it’s been successful. We need to re-cut the curb and paint it yellow to permanently deal with the problem but this doesn’t make the top of the list. I’ll put it on as item #578.