Two weeks into the project and we have already dramatically altered the appearance of the home. The plaster and wood lath has been ripped out of most of the rooms. We are down to the bones of the home. Most carpeting has been ripped out. We stand to still rip out the kitchen cabinets (carefully so we are able to reuse them elsewhere).
The project has taken to a complete snowball effect. It started simple enough. We knew we needed to redo the kitchen before we moved in. However, once we broke into the wood-panelling of one of the upstairs bedrooms, we found some bad plaster (instead of drywall) that needed to taken down. Under the plaster and wood lath we did not find any sort of insulation. That inspired us to redo all the walls with drywall and insulation.
Besides the work in the inside of the home, we have replaced the gutter and soffit. This work was subcontracted, since we 1) wanted to make sure the channels were sealed properly, and, 2) the house is way too tall to accommodate.
What we are to do with the window situation is still up for debate. There are only 3 windows that really need to be replaced. Replacing all of the windows would be a great energy savings, make the house more attractive and increase the home’s resale value. However, replacing all the windows with a good solid window would be quite expensive. Being the month of November, fast approaching December, doesnt leave us much time to muddle over the decision (most windows take at least 2-3 weeks to arrive to the distributor).
Other inspirations can be found on the Remodelling Ideas page.
2 responses so far ↓
jenni // February 25, 2009 at 1:29 am |
There are a lot of articles,posts out there about the benefits of your old windows. See Tiny Old House blog and House in Progress, blog.
Sorry I do not have enough time to find the link.
bungalowbliss // February 26, 2009 at 1:03 am |
My vote goes to keeping your windows! The charm and quality cannot be duplicated. I am in the process of stripping paint from mine and resealing them. It’s a pain in the rear, yes, but halfway through this project, I’m so glad I didn’t replace them. They completely alter the appearance of a home (from both the inside and the outside), more than I ever thought.