I previously wrote in July about how I had taken my own advice (It’s a great time to buy!) and purchased a second property here in Manitowish Waters. The better half and I are fixing the home up for extended family use this winter, but we plan on reselling it not too far down the road. So, it seems to me that this is not too soon to start talking about the property, and it especially seems appropriate to be writing about it as various aspects of the rehabbing seem to occupy my every available hour these days.
This home was in pretty sad shape when we purchased it and working on it has been a real challenge, but I really like what we have done so far. It was built in 1948 well before today’s “northwoodsy” look became the predominant style for homes in our area. “Country home” would perhaps be more historically and stylistically appropriate for this home, and so that is the approach the wife (hereafter to be referred to as "the boss") and I are taking. That means more paint and more drywall and less wood on the interior than the wood, wood, and more wood style that I prefer. But the boss and I both like how it is turning out anyway.
An illustration -- we picked up some new, name-brand vinyl windows for $50.00 a piece. Now, before this project, I would not have considered vinyl windows, but these seemed like such a great buy that we decided that we would make them work somehow. I trimmed out the windows with stained pine stool, apron, top cap, and jamb extensions, with casings of 1X4s with eased edges, rather than using the much simpler to install modern picture frame mitered corner style of casing, and I think it makes all the difference. I now realize that I like the look of the stark white vinyl in conjunction with the dark wood.
Consider the number of steps and time involved just to construct just one top cap.
1. Rip the board to width.
2. Cut the board to length.
3. Miter cut the end to create a return. Edge grain doesn’t look good stained, so a return is necessary for a proper job in my view. Extra credit for matching the grain.
4. Glue on the return pieces.
5. After glue dries, ease the edges with a round-over bit.
6. Sand
7. Stain
8. Three coats of polyurethane
With all the gluing, staining, and polyurethaning, this takes two days to accomplish. Installation takes 30 seconds.
So far we have installed a rubber roof on the shed dormer, re-sheetrocked portions of the kitchen and dining room, installed new light fixtures, installed 4 new exterior doors, 4 new windows, and 1 new interior door, upgraded the kitchen and basement wiring, repaired a lot of cat-clawed wood trim and paneling, cleaned and scrubbed and painted (lots!), started cleaning up the yard, and much more I don't even want to think about. Still a lot to do, including our big plans for the exterior, which I will get into later. No guarantees that all this expenditure of money, time, and blood (literally, remember the nail through the finger? http://www.vincehoehn.com/blogs/vince_hoehn/archive/2009/10/12/one-reason-to-let-someone-else-do-it.aspx) will pay off, but at this point we remain optomistic.