Standing Tall

The new chimneys are in, and are looking great.  Miller and Richard did an excellent job of reconstructing them while preserving their original look.  We also had them lined so that they will be functional.  I was thinking of how lovely a fireplace would be to sit in front of on a day like today.  If it has to snow in April, we might as well enjoy it in front of a fire.  :)

The final product.  A work of art!

Steve Keefer worked diligently rebuilding these.  We are very pleased with how they turned out.

Putting in the liner

A penny for your thoughts

As the chimneys have been going up outside, we have been making headway within the house. We've been plenty busy, but most of the work is behind the walls, so it's hard to see progress.  While rooms are being wired by the men (young and old), my mother-in-law has been helping me scrape wallpaper from the rooms downstairs.  She often comes many days a week to help with this tedious work, and has been a huge blessing to us.

While she was helping Jack in an upstairs bedroom, a coin between two floorboards caught her eye.  She pulled it up and found this 1904 Indian head penny, in great condition.  What a great find!  It isn't really valuable in the monetary sense, but it's unique and will be a piece of history for us to treasure.

Movin' On Up

One big project that needs done before we can tackle the roof is repairing the chimneys.  These brick beauties have withstood the elements for 115 years, and it shows.  Jack is capable of doing masonry, but we decided to leave this big project to the experts.  Our friends at Miller & Richard Masonry are capable of restoring them not only to look great, like they were original to the house, but perfectly functional too.  We plan on using gas inserts in the fireplaces, and will cover them with the original cast iron covers.

This week when I saw the Miller & Richard trailer pulled in front of our home, I was really excited.  We have put in countless hours there already, but seeing someone else putting some TLC into the house really made me feel like progress is happening on a bigger level.  Once the chimneys are repaired, and Jack is on break for school, we can take on the biggest project yet: the roof.  It really is in dire need of replacement; the shingles are literally just crumbling away.  

I find myself driving by a couple of times a day, just because it's so good to see the old girl getting a makeover.  She deserves it. 

Miller & Richard to the rescue!

Climbing the scaffold is not for the faint of heart.

You can see how the bricks are coming apart

Kind of like the Castle Park...for adults

115 years later