Posted inDemo
Letting Go of Old Roots
The past several days have been awash in noise and commotion—in what has become a never-ending saga of surprise after surprise. On Sunday, while mowing the grass, I noticed a…
Posted inPlanning Progress Update Restoration
140-Year-Old Brick, Bad Drainage, and a Weekend of Digging and Repointing
More masonry work this past weekend—and everything hurts… We’ve started digging around the perimeter of the house to repoint the brick about 6–8 inches below grade, where the mortar has…
Posted inDemo Progress Update Restoration
First Attempt at Masonry (and What We Found Along the Way)
Work has picked back up in the parlor/office after a few weeks of delays for family commitments. From the beginning, it was obvious something was hiding within the fireplace wall…
Posted inDemo Progress Update Restoration
Restoring the Old Parlor: Update
Another month has passed, and we’re still renovating the office. What started as a simple “let’s freshen things up with some paint” has escalated into what will likely be a…
Posted inDemo Progress Update Restoration
One Room at a Time: Restoring the Old Parlor
For the past several weeks, it’s been demolition and restoration work in the office—what may have originally been the home’s parlor. There’s still a lot to tackle in this space.…
Digging Deeper: The Hidden Bricks of Proctor Place
So, one of the mysteries now has an answer... For years, the history of Proctor Place included this claim: "The footings of the house are of brick-five rows of brick…
Posted inMoney Pit Moments Planning
Foundations and Faith: One Year of Stewardship
As of today, it’s been one year since we became stewards of ole Milton—and I’ve got to say, he’s been a bit of a grumpy old soul. In many ways,…
Posted inPlanning Progress Update
A Year later: We Passed!
Outside of early planning, I believe demo began in late March or April '25 for a garage project I optimistically thought would be wrapped up by late June or July.…
Posted inProgress Update
The Never-Ending Garage Saga
From the Land of Cursed Construction… For whatever reason, we just can’t seem to wrap up construction on the garage. Just before the New Year, the plumber and electrician finished…
Posted inProgress Update
Heat, Gutters, and Hard Choices: December at the Old House
Another month, and there’s still not a lot that feels “big” enough to report on, but things are moving along. The HVAC is installed, so the heat is on and…