archive for July, 2008
July 1, 2008
a new old-fashioned handrail
We put in a handrail at the front steps because the city said that we had to. It took us 2 tries to get it right.
July 3, 2008
the neighbors will like this one
Picking up where we left off almost exactly 3 years ago, the last 2 days have been spent working on the siding on the most prominent corner of our house. This is the first work that we’ve done in a while that can be seen from the street. Thankfully we’ve definitely gotten better at putting up siding.
July 5, 2008
R•Home appreciates the genre
The summer issue of Richmond Magazine’s R•Home has a nice article on a southside ranch home-improvement blog. The article suggests a few other related sites, including our humble production, Bill Chapman’s Enon Hall, the house blogging central that is houseblogs.net, and our friends over in Jackson Ward.
July 5, 2008
pause for rain
They called for rain so I stayed off the house. It stayed dry until 8PM though, and I lamented losing the day. Yesterday ended with all of the wood in place, and now I’m just left to do the final prep work to get ready for the painting.
July 7, 2008
the first pink of summer
The first coat of color went up today on the front of the side wall, the big payoff for a while. Another coat should go on tomorrow and then after that I’ll repeat the process on the bump out along the same wall and then the front of the house.
July 9, 2008
moving to the front of the house
On-and-off rain today made the decision easy: work on the front of the house under the cover of the porch.
July 11, 2008
green lawnmower for sale $45
Older model Brill Lexus reel/push mower. Used on-and-off for a few years, and is in good working shape. Want it?
July 12, 2008
melting paint off of old doors
We’ve got two front doors, both of which are fairly detailed and also covered in 100+ years worth of paint. Ronni has taken it upon herself to get these clean as the rest of the front of the house gets some attention.
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July 14, 2008
painting progress
All of the area under the porch has the first coat of pink. Somehow this took 5 days (before)(before that, even)… (and, yes, that wall on the right still has the shingles.)
July 21, 2008
dry run for the rain barrel
I finally made it out southside to Roofing & Supplies for the some downspout. Like Siewers, this place has a specific range of items that are both exactly what we need and difficult to find elsewhere. And its a big plus that the store is on a funky section of Hull Street.
July 24, 2008
overnight rain barrel test
We’d pushed ahead on getting the rain barrels into place with the forecast of rain. Last night was the first test of the system, and it seems to have been a smashing success. With about 1 inch of rain overnight, the first barrel filled up completely and the other is about a quarter full.
July 25, 2008
another day on the ladders
With the siding on the front looking pretty good, the next and last wall to be pinked is the shortish wall that is the bump-out on the side. We primed today & ought to be able to get the first coat of pink on tomorrow. The old, dry wood really absorbs the primer; the pink goes on much faster, but takes 2 coats.
