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 full restoration of the space.
I previously mentioned we found some drywall patches (strike one), which prompted a closer look. Sure enough, the walls are covered in latex paint (strike two). Then there’s that base molding over there… Hmmmm —rotted floor joists falling out of their pockets (strike three).
None of this surprises us. We had a good sense of what we were getting into. Before purchasing the house, we thoroughly inspected it—above and below—and it was a mess. What does surprise me, though, is the extent of effort (and cost) that went into either covering up these issues or the sheer lack of knowledge and quality in the work that was done.
I try not to judge the previous renovation work too harshly. I don’t know who did it or what their situation was. But when I think about a potential, unsuspecting buyer, I get a little angry. I’ve often said the greatest risk to this home was the 2018 renovation. I’m not sure many buyers would have recognized what it takes to save this place—and some days, I’m not sure we do either.
That said, work continues. I’ve epoxied some of the damaged molding, reshaping and carving it back into form—good enough for now and ready for paint. We’re chemically stripping the latex paint to get back to the original lime plaster, which we plan to restore and likely finish with a limewash.
As for the floor, that’s still undecided. We’ll probably end up pulling it up and reframing the deck, but I need to finalize the foundation repairs first.
They say it’s one step forward, two steps back—and that about sums things up right now. A few glimmers of progress, followed by some significant setbacks; pretty consistent for the last 15 months. We’ll survive!
