just two more hours please

There simply are not enough hours in the day. If I were to be elected world leader I would start bay adding two more hours. A twenty six hour day, Sweet! Think of all of the things you could get done in those extra two hours. But I suppose as continuously tired we both are, we would just end up sleeping it away. So I suppose I shall think of a plan "B".

Speaking of B's

As they say, we are "making a Bee Line for home" We have given notice on our rental house and as of January first we have to be able to live in the big house.Which of course means we are working our butts off. Going early, staying late. In order to be able to move in we need a few essentials.
1.  A Kitchen
2.  A bathroom with a shower
3.  Some operable interior doors
4.  Heat

We are not asking for much. The Kitchen is on the move. Masking became the hateful word after we decided to spray the primer coat. Five days of masking. Green frog tape (Love Frog Tape) to seal all of the edges, followed by blue tape to hold the paper and plastics firm. Every edge, inside and out made ready for two coats of shellac based primer. And then Phillip sprayed...

And he sprayed...

And he sprayed...

And sprayed...

And then touched up and filled in with a brush... Nice Costume don't you think?

Soon the counter tops will arrive and we need be ready for them. We are testing paint. Oil base Enamel. We are not testing the color, we are testing the paint. It would seem that you can open a can of paint in the State of California and feed it to your kids for dinner. mmmmm, tasty! Good oil based paints are almost impossible to buy here, and the oil based products that have replaced them are questionable at best. I understand all of the controversy over V.O.C.'s, (volatile organic compounds), but sometimes I think this State has gone too far. It has led us to visit dark corners of mysterious alley's and whisper "pssst" over and over until the contact slithers into view. "psssst, need oil base"?. Where upon palms are rubbed and the elusive illegal paint makes its way to the trunk of the car.

Now we are doing a side by side comparison, and we shall determine which paint has the best look and feel.  Just remember when visiting our home... if you get hungry, don't eat the paint! instead head for the square for a tasty sandwich, as you never will know which paint we chose.

Moments from the recent past...

Halloween came and went and we had a fun and wonderful time. I just did not have a chance to get any pictures up, but here are a couple for fun.

and now, back to our program...

On a final note today I want to introduce you to a new friend of ours. He is long and sleek, a bit to the left, and a bit to the right. Sometimes he goes up, and sometimes down, but we feel strongly that he will always deliver! 

Please meet brand new, Mister Copper Water Main!

Was it a Good Witch, or a Bad Witch?

A few days ago I wrote the post entitled "Where the hell have you been?". In one of the photographs is a mysterious lady visiting the second floor, and I said you have to wait to find out who it is... "All in good time my pretty's, all in good time!"

It seems though that it wasn't a witch at all, or perhaps it was the Good Witch of Santa Rosa's Press Democrat, Meg McConahey.

Meg was visiting with us for the second time, a follow-up story (one year later). We hope to be visited by this strange apparition from the land of Santa Rosa again next year with hopes of "pretty house" things to show her.

Read the story by clicking HERE

Healdsburg City Council - Phooey!

Howdy folks! Today its time for a zing...

I have been ignored, and this has really ruffled my feathers. Two weeks ago I wrote via email to each and every city council member, including Mayor Jim Wood regarding a little known program in the state of California called the Mills Act. The Mills Act in a nutshell is a property tax abatement program for owners of qualifying historic homes, allowing up to sixty percent savings in property tax to the home owner providing the money is invested in the homes restoration and revitalization. For more information I have posted some of the information direct from the States website below, along with a link to the this information and more.

We are of course the poster children for the Mills Act in this city, and would gain from its adoption, as would many others. In this tough economic climate it is difficult for for people to put out the cash to improve or even upkeep their historic homes. The Mills Act provides a means for improving the visual aspect of our tourist driven wine country environment, setting the stage of the dream and painting our environment with beauty.

But that is not actually the reason for this post. This post is about reaching out to the city council members. Introducing myself and Phillip to them. Inviting them to visit the blog to see what we are doing. Asking them to please take a moment and look at the information on the State of California website to familiarize themselves with the Mills Act if they had not been aware of it before. Inviting each and everyone of them to share their thoughts on the Mills Act with me, the advantages and the disadvantages. An invitation to even say hey.

Well guess how many responses I have received from our very own City of Healdsburg Government... 
 

Sorry, I just thought this one was cute!

That's right folks... after two weeks not a single council member took the time to even jot a note back.
Too busy I suppose, but they sure are never to busy to shake my hand, and make sure I vote for them...

PHOOEY!

From the California State Website

Q:  What is the Mills Act Program?
A:  Economic incentives foster the preservation of residential neighborhoods and the revitalization of downtown commercial districts. The Mills Act is the single most important economic incentive program in California for the restoration and preservation of qualified historic buildings by private property owners. Enacted in 1972, the Mills Act legislation grants participating local governments (cities and counties) the authority to enter into contracts with owners of qualified historic properties who actively participate in the restoration and maintenance of their historic properties while receiving property tax relief.

Q:  How does the Mills Act benefit Local Governments?A;  The Mills Act allows local governments to design preservation programs to accommodate specific community needs and priorities for rehabilitating entire neighborhoods, encouraging seismic safety programs, contributing to affordable housing, promoting heritage tourism, or fostering pride of ownership. Local governments have adopted the Mills Act because they recognize the economic benefits of conserving resources and reinvestment as well as the important role historic preservation can play in revitalizing older areas, creating cultural tourism, building civic pride, and retaining the sense of place and continuity with the community’s past.

A formal agreement, generally known as a Mills Act or Historical Property Contract, is executed between the local government and the property owner for a minimum ten-year term. Contracts are automatically renewed each year and are transferred to new owners when the property is sold. Property owners agree to restore, maintain, and protect the property in accordance with specific historic preservation standards and conditions identified in the contract. Periodic inspections by city or county officials ensure proper maintenance of the property. Local authorities may impose penalties for breach of contract or failure to protect the historic property. The contract is binding to all owners during the contract period.
Q: How does the Mills Act benefit Owners of Historical Properties?

A: Owners of historic buildings may qualify for property tax relief if they pledge to rehabilitate and maintain the historical and architectural character of their properties for at least a ten-year period. The Mills Act program is especially beneficial for recent buyers of historic properties and for current owners of historic buildings who have made major improvements to their properties.

Mills Act participants may realize substantial property tax savings of between 40% and 60% each year for newly improved or purchased older properties because valuations of Mills Act properties are determined by the Income Approach to Value rather than by the standard Market Approach to Value. The income approach, divided by a capitalization rate, determines the assessed value of the property. In general, the income of an owner-occupied property is based on comparable rents for similar properties in the area, while the income amount on a commercial property is based on actual rent received. Because rental values vary from area to area, actual property savings vary from county to county. In addition, as County Assessors are required to assess all properties annually, Mills Act properties may realize slight increases in property taxes each year.

Q: Where can I get more information?

http://ohp.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=21412

 

Where the hell have you been?

You all know that I like to write with a twist, a funny bone tickler, or a zing at someone or something. Well it's been a bit ho hum around the old house lately. Hotter than hell, guess summer decided to visit us late this year, and we have been sweating our way through the master bedroom and bathroom. Not that exciting things have not been happening, but they are small step moments that are really only exciting to us... take for instance.

* News Flash *

another bathtub on the move at 227 north street

Four grown men, a rather expensive "come-along", and sheets of plywood screwed to the stairs, all mixed together to welcome the master bathroom bathtub on its journey from the first floor to the second. At least 300 pounds of cast iron found its way slowly and carefully up the front stairs.

Wasn't that exciting? Did you hold onto the edge of your seat? It has been weeks of very similar types of projects that are moving us forward, but they are not necessarily great writing material nor very pretty to look at. But nonetheless (I love a word that is a sentence all at the same time) we have been working hard everyday late into the evening.

A secret visitor to the second floor... all in good time my pretties, all in good time!

Phillip screwing away (hee hee I said "screwing")

We are finally sealed from the elements. The master bedroom doors are hung, and boarded shut, as there is a twenty one foot drop outside of them.

Every day a little further and the days are growing shorter. but carry on we will, installing drywall and learning to plaster in the dark. We are focused only on the new spaces of the house with great hopes of moving in sometime during the holidays. Keep your fingers crossed!

A blonde walks into a strip joint...

I have mentioned before that there is a blog I like to read written by Greg about his home known as the "the Petch House". I like his writing style and the things in his home he tackles with abandoned fear.
But now I have a bone to pick with him! He has a posting dated August 14, titled "Tips For Strippers"
where he speaks to his process of stripping shellac off of antique woodwork. Nice entry with his advice on products and methods for the cleanest removal of old shellac. I read merrily along until I came to this passage...

From "the Petch House" on blogspot.com

"Finally, and this really is the most important tip for would-be strippers. I don’t care what professional strippers tell you, do not do this job in a G-string and pasties. I found this tip on several professional stripper sites. Let me tell you, I tried it and it is not good. However, after seeing many of the woman who do wear this sort of attire while doing this job, the next time I will be hiring this work out."

Ok Greg... now we have a problem! I am the witty, sarcastic, irreverent house blogger, and you have overstepped your bounds!        Hee Hee... more comedy Greg, please!

So, I guess I must treat my entry about paint stripping very simple and straight forward. No mention of pasties and thongs, although I think we all would have a lot more readers if we posted photos of stripping while wearing a thong. So I am going to get Phillip to pose for us next time and I will then challenge Greg at the Petch House to do likewise. A "stripping in thong" pic off could be quite entertaining! So everyone head to your local hardware store and then to your favorite "underwear of questionable decorum" shop, and get to stripping. Send us your pictures and I will post them all here for everyone to vote on!

Now... no more stripper comedy, I promise...

The walls continue to close in

The cabinets are up and we have turned our attention to the breakfast room. We decided to repurpose some beadboard from the nasty old section of the house that was tore down, torn down, teared down... arg! dismantled. The beadboard formerly resided in the only semi working bathroom in the very back of the house, and that is putting it nicely. It was rotting, damp, moldy, and down right filthy. But the beadboard is three quarter inch, absolutely clear redwood, and just too good to pass up.

That is the beadboard on the walls in this photograph from two years ago.

This is how it looked a week ago

Cut to size and ready for the wood planer and stripping, 

dollar bills in the "cracks only" please!

An electric wood planer made fast work of cutting the ancient paint off of the surface. We connected the planer to a vacuum cleaner and all of the dust and residue ("OMG, is that lead paint? what about my children?") was sucked away as the surface was cleaned. A good chemical stripping of the edges and the v groove down the center of each board, followed by a thorough scrubbing and washing left us with beautiful, one hundred year old beadboard for a half wainscot on the walls of the breakfast room .

Piece by piece I coaxed the old lumber into position...

Add a bit of serious sanding, followed by some lovely blue board above, and we have... well, yet another unfinished room, but at least there is an end in sight! Now its time to prime that fresh wood.

The Day after the night before

Yesterday was a wonderful day! Quiet business as usual. We both work at home, yesterday Phillip was on the phone with the New York City office for hours and I on a project I am working on for the Music Center of Los Angeles. Phone calls came in from happy well wishers and emails and (that thing I am beginning to despise) "facebook". We went to the big house at six pm to begin our evening of work as usual. Phillip on insulation and I on a little side project of creating a cabinet for the stemware storage near the living room. At seven a couple of friends stopped by to say happy birthday, they brought a bottle of Champagne. Table saws and Champagne, great combination! About seven fifteen a couple of other friends were walking by and also stopped  in. Shortly thereafter another, and then another, and yet more friends just happen to be walking by. Well call me Einstein, I finally caught on and soon the friends, the wine, and the food were flowing. The lovely Ariel Ross arrived with a carload of her amazing cuisine, and a table was cobbled together out of two saw horses and a sheet of one inch thick plywood. A table cloth came out of a hidden sack, along with plates, napkins, forks, and knives all courtesy of the dollar store. Ever heard of a bring your own chair dinner? That is what it was and soon our very first dinner party was underway in the ruins.

I want to thank everyone for the kind words and extra thanks to all who were present last night and those that wanted to be. But mostly I want to share my love and thanks to my husband who put this together. A wonderful evening of great friends and Loved ones.

Special days all the way around

Today is September first... A day of special note for two reasons. First, it happens to be my birthday. Second, two years ago I received the best birthday present I could have ever wished for, Phillip and I were legally married September First 2008. Prop 8ers can stick that up there butts and shove it!

Ooops, did I say that out loud? I am sure that was inside voice.

We are striding toward moving in. A few rooms, but moving in we will. The past few weeks have been all about things we have never done before, and we started by turning our focus to the kitchen. Blocks between studs were first. Blocks for the bottom edge and top edge of the upper cabinets. Blocks for wainscot in the breakfast room and powder room. Blocks for baseboard, blocks, blocks, and more blocks, I was dreaming about two by four blocks night after night. The blocks for baseboards are the worst of the group as they are twelve inches off the floor and must be nailed really tight. Crawling around on hands and knees dragging the nail gun behind me was not my idea of a really spectacular time, especially when it dawned on me that this has to be done through out the entire house, every room, every wall. Do we really need them?... well,.... I have seen all too many baseboards applied to old uneven walls and only nailed where the studs happen to be. Holes and gaps, and lots of hunting for the two by four studs is what you are left with. With the addition of a continuous nailing rail we can have really tall baseboards that conform to the shape of every wall.

Kitchen and breakfast room getting a sprinkling of 2 x 4 blocks

And then the Pink stuff. I do wonder why it is that insulation materials just happen to come in a myriad of Pepto Bismal pinks? But pink it is! Pink and lavender. Two inch rigid foam in a lovely shade of lavender is applied to all soffit openings and then sealed around the edges with spray foam. This is to create an envelope around our living space that keeps the cool air in and the warm air out in the summer, and the opposite in the winter. This is so exciting. I am sure that as you read this you are on the edge of your seat! Well hang on and buckle in, cause it gits better!

Garry was with us again for a week and hand cut the foam to fit exactly in its new home.

* NEWS FLASH *

There is yet again another rumor running around Healdsburg that a delivery of plaster board was made to 227 North Street. We rushed over, with our camera in tow, just in time to witness the truth unfolding before our very eyes. The rumor is true! Below is a photograph of the first piece of blue board being lifted into its place as part of the kitchen ceiling.

And drywall we did. After days of carefully cutting and applying insulation to the wall cavities our first piece of plaster board made its way into the kitchen. We really had no idea how long these processes took. We really thought that insulation was really quick and easy, and that drywall would go up in the blink of an eye. An entire twelve hour day for two of us was devoted to insulating just the kitchen. Perhaps we are too anal (hee hee, I said "anal") about fitting the insulation, but its our home and not a contractor special and it will pay off in the end. Remember a moment ago when I said that drywall would go up in the blink of an eye? ok, two and a half days worth of blinking to be precise, and that was just one room... 16 spaces to go... arrrg!

And then it happened.... months of planning and drawing, researching and thinking, considering and reconsidering, came to a head. In they marched, box after box of custom made cabinets. There was no fooling us this time, we knew this was  going to be a big, and painfully slow job. Go ahead, I dare you, put a marble on any one of them and that marble will stay perfectly in place! The cabinets are more level than gravity itself.

Crown molding and three surface molding yet to come, but the reality of the kitchen dream is amazing

* AND NOW A LOOK TO THE FUTURE *

Far from finished, but the space feels exactly as we wanted it to. Open and modern, yet classic with a historic feel. The cabinets will all be painted in a pale tone on tone treatment with white trim and finished off on the bottoms with tall baseboards. The counter tops will be honed white marble and the farmhouse table in the photo is our version of an island, it was built by the same cabinet maker who did the wall units and now waits for the same marble as the counters to grace its top.


POST SCRIPT

Many of the blogs that I read and follow speak of the cost of things and how to reduce the dollar amounts involved. I quite often forget to mention that we are so out of money for our home and we are huge Suzy Savers! Take our Kitchen for example... All custom made by a very high profile and respected cabinet maker to our specifications. How could you possibly save money there? Well, you convince the cabinet maker that you are qualified to do the finishing (painting in our case) and the installation. "of course we know what we are doing!"... Not! But like everything else involved in our home, if we don't know how to do it we hit the books and ask every trade professional we come across lots of questions, and they do love to talk about themselves and what they do. I estimate we saved roughly forty percent on the cost of the cabinets, and we have a very nervous cabinet maker who has never, and I mean never, not installed a kitchen he created.

VIVA LA DIY!

Closing in and pursed lips

Yesterday, Wednesday August 11, 2010, goes down in the history of 227 North Street as the day of close-in. Scott Ward, our city building inspector, gave us the official sign off on Water, Sewer, Gas, and Electric. Close-in means we can literally start closing in walls. "Wall" strange word, 227 North Street does not recognize it as it has not seen walls for almost a year. Currently we have that very contemporary design feel called open floor plan, by which you can stand in the living room and see straight through the house to the Kitchen. Walls... wow! actual walls, it is a miracle we had begun to think would never happen. We begin with the Kitchen this weekend. Blocking to support the new cabinets, followed by insulation, and then installation of a form of drywall meant to be plastered on top of called "Blue Board".

As we move forward toward closed in spaces, I thought it appropriate to visit the past for some "Then and Now". As I looked through some of the "then" photos of the old girl, I realized we have forgotten how far we really have come, granted we have eons to go, but we certainly have dismissed the memory of the former wreckage. I will on occasion post a "then" picture and a "now" picture taken within a day of the posting.

Then and Now

THEN

Looking from the "then" kitchen toward the living room, and yes the door is hung upside down.

NOW

 The same shot now... looking from the new Kitchen, 

down the gallery (Dining room on the right) to the Living room.

 THEN

 The old Yeller room. Shot taken standing in what is now the Library 

(or perhaps the Drawing room) looking into the Study.

 NOW

 Pocket doors divide the Library/Drawing room from the Study, otherwise known as our office.

Sometimes you have to take  break from the dirty work and do something pretty. Now that we have power in the house we can have lights. We installed some of the electrified gas lights on the back of the house so that we can light the darkness of the deck, but also to have a sense of something that is decorative around us. 

Four fixtures across the North side of the house, four more to go on the West side. They still need glass and pretty light bulbs,
but they will
do for now.

It helps to be able to see as the days are getting shorter and I have moved my 

window workshop out of the Kitchen and onto the new deck space.

 *

 Interesting Tid Bits from around the house

Meet Nancy. She came with the house. Nancy is a wild cat that belonged to one of the former, "squatters" shall we say, that lived briefly in the house as "caretakers". When the lady left the house, she left Nancy behind with Martha next door in charge of her feeding and care. Nancy is only really friendly at feeding time when Phillip dutifully cleans out her dish and fills it with moist kitty food.

From the ruins a simple flower blooms. Pink ladies, a form of amaryllis. There hundreds of these bulbs scattered around the property.

 *

Humor for the day

 A couple of weekends ago, Phillip and I were outside the front of the house doing some clean up work and one of "those" women came strolling down the side walk. You know the type... fresh beauty shop wash and set, sensible low heeled pumps, pant suit appropriate for her status and age, face tastefully troweled on, and bright red pursed lips. She stopped to have a look, shifting her perfect purse from one arm to the other and pointing delicately at house. "absolutely wonderful job you are doing on this 'old' house". Of course we thanked her and had small chit chat about the work. She then inquired about "the guys", puzzled we just looked at her. "The guys, the guys that own the house, where do they live while the renovations are going on?"...

The two filthy workers in the yard slowly raised our hands and told her we were the guilty party, "the guys" as you say. Well, you could see a look of disgust rise up behind her eyes as she smiled through bright red pursed lips, and said how lovely it was to meet us and hurried off down North Street. I was soooo reminded of the "Little Britain" character, Maggie, that I had to post it here for your enjoyment.




An update to this post... I received an email from a friend who had read this post telling me that she thought it was very very funny, and that the woman in question was... Her MOTHER! Suffice it to say that Mummy wasn't as amused as daughter regarding my portrayal of herself! LOL!

The lights are on but nobody is home... Yet

It is Wednesday morning. The morning of power. The Healdsburg electric company is officially removing the power lines from our temporary power pole and dropping a new electric feed from a new power pole on Fitch street. No more one hundred foot extension cords snaking through the house. Every room has its own outlets and will soon have temporary light fixtures. 227 North street has never had power like this in its one hundred and forty year existence. Power first came to the house about 1905 and was minimal at best, with electric lines surface mounted on the the walls. In the early 50's the house was condemned because of the ancient electric service. Shortly there after a small service panel was mounted to the rear of the house and electric service provided for two rooms. Any other rooms that had power were fed by long orange extensions cords that ran from the back two rooms. But now... Power Up!

The stairs to the panel were completed on Saturday leaving an easy path for the City Inspector and Healdsburg Electric.

Redwood stairs waiting for paint, the posts are temporary stand-ins for the railing of the future.

  

The panel at the top of the steps, now easily accesible by the electric department, and the rock retaining wall built behind to hold the soil in place on the slope.

 *** News Flash ***

Sunday August First 2010. This morning the boys at 227 North Street connected the new water supply system in the house to live water service. Phillip, Mark, and Brent, ran around the rooms of the house as fast as they could looking for leaks in the system. Inside the house there was only one fitting that leaked and it was quickly repaired. Under the house was a different story. The new hot water manifold was leaking as were the connections for the hot water heater and the whole house filter. Shut down and try again. Quick runs to the hardware store, and flashing pipe wrenches managed to take care of every problem with the exception of the water heater. A stupid washer that had accidentally been mangled was the culprit, no one carried that size except a plumbing supply, and of course it was Sunday... not a single supply house was open. But a small water drip would not stop the boys from moving on toward the main event... Testing the sewer lines. An inflatable plug was put into the sewer line in the basement and a brand new water hose was snaked up through the house to the third floor where the end was put into a test hole and the water was turned on. Slowly watered gurgled down into the pipes filling them with thousands of gallons of water, from the basement to the top of the third floor. All three boys held their breaths and listened, moments ticked by and it became clear that all was quiet on the third floor...


*** BREAKING NEWS ***

This just in... while writing the news flash above U.S. District Judge, Vaughn Walker's ruling on Proposition 8 was made public. Judge Walker has declared California's prop 8 as unconstitutional!

A big congratulations goes out from the writing staff to all of our same sex couple, married friends!!!

Please read further by clicking here

We now return you to your regularly scheduled program.

*

All three boys held their breaths and listened carefully... All was quiet on the third floor... Quickly they moved through the third floor feeling pipes for wetness, then down to the second floor where the distinct sound of heavily dripping water could be heard... gasps of horror issued forth from all three as they tore through the second floor and down to the first to find a beautiful fountain of water dripping heavily from the ceiling straight down onto the brand new (unfinished) walnut floors. A second leak was pouring out of a wall nearby, a third in the kitchen, and one in the basement. "Bucket brigade" was shouted aloud as buckets and towels were quickly put to their intended use. Phillip and Brent rushed to the cellar to pull the plug. Brent stuck his fingers down in the main sewer line to release the pressure on the balloon that blocked the pipe and as it gave way all those thousands of gallons of water gave him a helping hand. The plug moved down the pipe rather than coming out of the clean-out hole, sufficiently blocking any chance the water might have had at heading for the city sewer lines. It instead burst straight up in the air into the basement with such force that the under side of the living room was completely soaked with water, along with the new furnace ducts, wiring, Phillip and Brent. Phillip pushed his hands down hard on the opening to stop the flow but the pressure of the water was so great that it simply went to the left and the right under his palms. The utility light exploded as Brent managed to grab the safety chain of the plug and pull it free of the sewer line. The last of the remaining water in the system went quietly down the pipe to the street. In the aftermath of hurricane Sewer pipe, Phillip and Brent crawled out into the sunlight soaked to the skin and covered in dirt like to two drowned rats determined to fight another day. The sewer lines that leaked were in the first section to be put in and many things were learned during that process. In hind sight, those DIYers should have gone back and thought about redoing the first of the drain system once they had learned how to handle, fit and glue it like the pros. The lines have been redone and Saturday morning the system will once again be filled with water to test the repairs, with luck all three will once again emerge into the sunlight, but this time dry as a bone.

  

  

PS... I am pretty sure everyone looking at this picture knows that I created it in Photoshop, but just in case I thought I should let it be known that... I created the above picture in Photoshop... I only say this because my Mom called all worried about how much damage all that water pouring out of the house had done.

Hee, Hee, Hee!