Repairing Old Downspouts

On the front of Christian's farmhouse are three distinctive downspouts in need of repair and replacing. Replacing all of them with copper downspouts was a thought, but since the gutters are hidden and the shapes of the spouts are very customized, keeping galvanized units to be painted seems the best choice.

Bill repaired the porch roof and installed a gutter here last summer to avoid any further water damage.

Eight inch wide lead flashing was installed behind the base of the long (3" round, ribbed/galvanized) downspouts; which will both connect to an underground PVC pipe we'll install leading down to the road...

Below is the first gutter completely replaced on the back of the house. It will also connect to a redirecting pipe.

Painting in the Barn

Bill and Christian are much happier to be out of the hot sun and painting house siding in the horse barn.

Some of these cedar boards are 18' long and I hauled them home on top of my wagon with a support board underneath. We plan to have few joints around the new front window, with the longer lengths.

Christian turned the barn fan on in the back wall, which works beautifully.

The Master Bath

The Master Bath was added to this old farmhouse much later than the original part of the house, and the bath tub here was installed plumb and level. The subway tile was started right from the tub to the ceiling which felt very lucky. The wall sconces have been installed for light, but will be mounted later in reverse with globes flaring upwards. They are "Double Bistro Sconces" from Restoration Hardware like those in the main bath, but will have a different look here.

Sunroom Slipcovers

I have just replaced two red leather art Deco style chairs in this sunroom, with white slip covered small arm chairs. I worried the leather was fading and since this is a seasonal room, the slipcovers instead can be removed, washed and stored for the winter.

The room itself remains partially restored, but still a favorite place.