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What’s Left? (Alternate title: How Done Are We?)

kitchencomplete1

It is no secret that Blake Hill House is big. Really big. At over 4600 square feet, the size borders on ridiculous vs. functional. Over the past three years, we have made a lot of progress stabilizing, updating, and thoughtfully remodeling. Thanks in part to all of you who read this blog, we stay motivated to continue working through the joys and difficulties of owning a house that is over 130 years old.

Now that our progress is actually visible, invariably, people ask the question:  Are you done?  My answer of “no” almost always triggers these next questions: What percentage have you finished? How much is left? 

In other words: How done are we?

My inability to answer these questions is wholly unsatisfying to the asker, but alas, I do not have a more specific answer. We all know that the upkeep of a house is ongoing, and no one ever hits 100%, dusts off their hands with dramatic flair, and declares that “There shall be no more work henceforth.” That said, I will attempt to shed a little light on what’s left and answer the question of, How done are we? 

Roofs & Rot

In 2015, we paid for a new roof on the uppermost portion of BHH.  Now, we still need a new roof on both porches and above the leaded glass window in the dining room.

(Photos from 2016)

Benjamin Moore Hale Navy

Currently, I am still negotiating with a contractor for the roof rot, gutters, and flashing under the sleeping porch.

Also, there is that problem with the drainage.  Unfortunately, I have zero status reports on the ditch. We will get new gutters before winter, and that will solve most of the problem. In fact, it is possible that we might not even need a ditch once we have gutters. Fingers crossed.

Finally, the chimney on the back of the house is still falling down at a rate of two brick chunks per winter. How’s that for a measurement?

Inside Projects

Started, but not complete:

  1. The downstairs hall
  2. The living room
  3. The giant front door
  4. The Sun porch
  5. The laundry room

Untouched Rooms and Spaces:

  1. The upstairs halls
  2. The main bathroom
  3. One upstairs bedroom & adjoining bathroom
  4. The breakfast nook
  5. Most of the closets (9 total)
  6. The foyer & staircase
  7. The interior of the sleeping porch
  8. The interior of the front porch
  9. The master bedroom

Also, we still have a green carpet situation:

Even though we do not like the carpet even a little bit, it protects the stairs and the floors. Lastly, we still have painting to do everywhere, and when that is done, it will be time to start over.

Miscellaneous Projects:

  1. Remove acoustic tile ceiling from the guest room, laundry room, bedroom, and sun porch
  2. Window restoration (8-10 windows, at least)
  3. Fix cracked and broken balusters on the grand staircase
  4. Refinish the floors downstairs (About 1500 square feet)
  5. Rebuild the porch under the street side entrance
  6. Repair and paint the sagging ceiling of the main porch

Even though seeing these lists in full is exhausting, we really have come so far in just three years. Most importantly, BHH is now stable. She is not falling down on our watch. Also, we have managed to strike a pretty decent balance between projects we have to do vs. projects we want to do.

So, how done are we? Who knows? While there are many days that I wish I was only decorating instead of repairing or vice versa, BHH truly is a labor of love, and it is hard to put a percentage on that.

11 Comments

  • SH
    Posted September 12, 2017 at 3:18 pm

    You have accomplished far more than 3-DIY-years worth, and all while raising a family and, you know, having a life. That new roof and exterior painting really brought back life and energy to the house. And the dining room is still a favorite. Or maybe it’s the library now. Hmmm. Always enjoy seeing what you are up to next.

    • Post Author
      Stacy
      Posted September 13, 2017 at 7:35 am

      Sometimes it feels like more than one lifetime’s worth of DIY. 😀 I’m always glad to have to follow along, SH.

  • Kate
    Posted September 12, 2017 at 6:44 pm

    I love watching the repair this beautiful old home. It’s so wonderful to see an old home return to its original glamour. Wish there were more DIYers out there so committed to the restoration of their homes instead of just shipping out the old with the new. Love following this journey. 🙂 keep it up!

    • Post Author
      Stacy
      Posted September 13, 2017 at 7:35 am

      Thank you so much, Kate. This comment made my day.

  • Marti
    Posted September 12, 2017 at 9:30 pm

    Oooh, I love round-up posts like this! And I chortled at the “green carpet situation” – that runner kind of looks like nature is taking over your house.

    • Post Author
      Stacy
      Posted September 13, 2017 at 7:36 am

      Ha ha! Your comment made me think of Jumanji. 😀

      • Marti
        Posted September 13, 2017 at 10:15 am

        YES! I could not think of what movie it reminded me of – Jumanji is it!

  • Kalila
    Posted September 13, 2017 at 12:59 pm

    I’m so jealous of your house, not so much all of the projects. I’m positive the house is thanking you for all your hard work.

    • Post Author
      Stacy
      Posted September 14, 2017 at 5:01 pm

      What a kind thing to say, Kalila. <3 Thank you for the support.

  • Devyn
    Posted September 14, 2017 at 10:22 pm

    OK, So… At 2016 sq ft, our house is less than half the square footage, but I totally get the bit about it never actually being finished (of course we won’t officially move into our place until early next year). I have this vision that it will just magically be done one day, and then reality hits me and reminds me that it is a process…. A long process. But the payoff is priceless.

    Sometimes I think it is just easier to build a new house than to fix up on old one, but that is the crux between old house people and those who just don’t want to deal with it all…. Thanks for showing the warts with the successes. I can’t wait to fix up our old (new) house… Warts and all, and I look forward to reading about all of the challenges and successes in your renovations.

    • Post Author
      Stacy
      Posted September 15, 2017 at 8:04 am

      I absolutely agree that building a new house would be easier. In an old house, almost everything starts out quite filthy, and after that, retrofitting is a puzzle every time. I support people who just don’t want to deal with the headache. Some days, I sure do not want to deal with it. 🙂 Then, I look around at the details and character of BHH, and I get so excited that it is OURS. Three years later, I am still a little giddy. We own this piece of history. That is a special feeling.

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