Post Traumatic Home Repair Syndrome?

It's become apparent I have developed a severe case of Post Traumatic Home Repair Syndrome, my husband is also a victim! I cringe every time my contractor says, I have to talk to you! I reach for my wallet and anticipate the worst.

When we decided to paint the house we never thought that it would turn into a full blown exterior makeover. Yes, of course we anticipated replacing some cedar clapboards, we had budgeted a couple thousand dollars for the materials. We carefully looked over the house with our contractor to identify potential trouble spots. We felt well prepared going in.  We were all wrong. The hidden problems kept on coming! I'm a perfectionist and it's the little details that I always notice. Little details add up! Mind you, I don't regret replacing a single piece of trim, shutters, pillars, mailboxes, door knockers and lighting! What I do regret is underestimating my penchant for uttering the words replace all of it.

When you own an old home you have to learn to accept that it won't ever be perfect. The walls are never going to be straight, the wood will have marks on it. I'm afraid, I haven't come to grips with that reality. Yet, I love my old home, I wouldn't trade it for anything! I also believe that I have to respect the character and construction of the house and I will always replace the high quality materials used in the 1920s with high quality materials. After this makeover I'm confident this house will stand for another hundred years!

On another note, while on Pintrist last night I found an old picture of my house right before we bought it. It was on a website that highlighted the old homes of Buffalo, NY. This picture reminds me of why I bought this house. I love it, it's beautiful, it's my home! I can't wait to share my final exterior makeover picture!

 

 

A Few Thoughts.....

Work on the house continues, progress has been a bit hampered by materials that are on backorder! I also have a habit of uttering the words, "replace all of it", which leads to more materials having to be special ordered! Note to self, in the future purchase less of a "special" house.

To add more excitement to the mix, today I start classes again. This is all so overwhelming right now! I'm working full-time, rehabbing a house, and going back to school. I'm very much looking forward to embarking on this journey, I know I made the right decision to make this change, but right now I feel like I have way too much on my plate.
I know that once the house is done I'll feel a lot better and so will my husband.

This transition feels a bit like a slow breakup. For the next year I'm reporting to a job that I'm transitioning out of. I'm committed to fulfilling my contractual obligations, but at the same time I want to fully devote myself to my future.

For now I'm going to keep plugging away, doing the very best that I can do! If I need a rest I'll take it! I'm in this for the long haul and burn out is not an option!

On a Brighter Note....

It's amazing what a difference a day makes. Prior to leaving for work yesterday I couldn't help, but to feel discouraged given the state of disrepair my house was in. Normally, I take home improvement projects in stride. I'm usually excited to see the progress and I eager to start the next one.
It certainly hasn't been the case this time around.

I can't begin to express the sense of relief I felt pulling up to my house and seeing the new siding on the front. The transformation is amazing and I can't wait to see how nice the rest of the house is going to look after the painting is done and the new shutters are installed! On a side note: The siding of my house is cedar including the new boards.

One last board!

Front siding replacement is complete!
 

Tales of the Money Pit!

It's August and the painting of the house is still not complete!  This is in no way a reflection of the contractor, but rather a series of unfortunate events. Quite frankly, it's been an utter and complete nightmare.

In my earlier posts I may have mention that the previous owners of the home subscribed to a deferred maintenance policy. At the time of purchase at least thirty years had passed since routine maintenance had been completed. Leaks in the roof were hidden with additional ceilings, for example I have three in the bathroom! Leaking gutters were patched, never replaced. Serious water damage was a result.

The process of scraping the old paint, caused more than just paint to flake off. They found that some boards underneath were being held to together paint. At times the clapboard was reduced to powder or saw dust. The brutal winters of Buffalo, New York could very well have caused the front outside walls to collapse, under the weight of the moisture and snow. So while it's been very stressful to find this level of water damage, it would have been disastrous if we hadn't commenced the paint job.

In addition, to extensive water damage honeybees were also discovered! They had built a hive behind the rotted boards. I'm deeply sadden by the fact that we weren't able to relocate the hive. As the contractors removed the rotten boards, they found their way into the upstairs of the house. They also began swarming the crew! We were in no position to wait for a beekeeper to remove the bees, sadly many likely perished.




The grim discovery of the rotted boards.



Repair of the rotten headers and boards.

Extensive progress on the back of the house

Completed fire pit and landscaping

Torsten and I decided to try our hand at landscaping! Not bad for a couple of amateurs.

Let the painting commence!

I've been so eager to paint my house, really since I signed on the dotted line. I envisioned heather gray, with black and white trim and a deep purple door front door.
After several trips to Sherwin- Williams and many samples of gray. I've/we've come to the realization, that my vision may have been a bit flawed. My husband (Torsten) and decided to walk around the neighborhood and we noticed several houses are painted gray. I'm not sure if it's a case of selective perception or if there really are a lot of gray houses. The other factor that has come into consideration is the fact there are very few blue houses in the neighborhood.  Our house has always been blue. When we describe our home to friends and family we always refer to it as the blue colonial.

Now that we decided to keep the exterior blue we have to decide on a shade! So far here is what we have come up with:



After Much thought and deliberation- Smokey Blue the color above the two gray boards emerged as the winner.



Relaxing in Ponte Vedra, Florida before the painting begins.





Beautiful Sunrise in Ponte Vedra, Florida.