Concrete For Christmas

Bill filling cement behind the form to create a new wall.

We have purchased a pallet of concrete for Christmas this year, to create a dry kitchen crawl space under Christian's farmhouse. The cement mixer is out of the barn and luckily all of the forms will be filled from inside the house, while Bill, Alex and Leif are around to help with the work. Christmas day a long wall was built using 13 bags of Sakrete poured behind staked/ braced; plastic lined forms made of plywood and 2" X 4" wood. The hammer is used to tap out air bubbles in the concrete. 

Merry Christmas!

Crawl Space Dig Done

A proper crawl space beneath a house is important because 40%-70% of the air you breath in the house originates from there. The idea of cross venting this space awhile back actually compounded mold issues and trapped poor air feeding into the house. We will build forms to pour cement walls filling in vents and shoring-up old stone foundation walls. Deeper excavation of this space by hand digging has allowed for a cement floor as well and easier access to the kitchen plumbing.

Digging Out A Crawl Space

Alex is down from Boston this week and we are digging out a crawl space beneath the kitchen of Christian's farmhouse. First the center floor boards were pulled with plywood boards cut to cover the hole between digging sessions. Debris and old insulation cleared next so the hot water line could be made smaller for faster delivery to the kitchen sink. Now we are digging the clay out deeper so that new concrete walls and floor can be poured.   

This project is the last big challenge in saving Christian's farmhouse and I bless the boys for their concerted efforts in such cold weather! We are burning the old sub-floor boards in the wood stove to help heat the house in the process. 

Metal Shed Roof

The boys managed to hand trailer an Ideal Pocket Ribbed custom cut roof into the big barn a night before our first winter snow. Early Saturday, the cool down shed roof Titanium Underlayment was cleared of snow and blown dry with a leaf blower, before panels were centered on it and screwed down. An insulated (black rubber strips) ridge cap was installed last and several inch overhang/drip edge custom cut with aviation shears. The lifetime of this light weight Canadian roof is about 50 years, cost $2.35 a sq. ft., and took a day for Alex, Bill and Christian to install.

Sanding Walls

Christian is sanding the spackled and repaired plaster walls here by hand with 120 grit paper and I've hung a drop cloth in the doorway to contain dust. The ceiling beam joints are being cleaned with a paint scraper. Although the walls and baseboard trim will be painted "White Dove", the lower half may later be painted "Linen White" to warm the room and add interest.

The french doors opening to the enclosed front porch needed a fixed knob inside and this black coated solid brass oval one came from discontinued inventory at our local hardware store. It was $12.00 as were the parts we needed for an old porcelain door knob nearby. Both finish the room beautifully.

The wall below is painted two colors with a line dividing them instead of a chair rail; as we may do. Bottom images via Pinterest.

 Green in a dining room is lovely and I'm anxious to finish painting the fireplace surround a deep green shade.

Spackling Plaster Walls

We are using "Easy Sand" 90 Minute Joint Compound to fill major holes in the dining room plaster walls here, before applying regular spackling compound once the walls are leveled. First, all of the loose paint and plaster were knocked free with putty knives and razor-like paint strippers. The walls will be painted Benjamin Moore "White Dove" and the fireplace surround Benjamin Moore "Boreal Forest" mixed in a marine quality enamel from Fine Paints of Europe.

  

Four Paints; Four Finishes

There are now four new paint finishes in this room; gloss on the ceiling, eggshell on the outer wall, flat exterior on the clapboards, and semi-gloss on the trim.

Most of the door knobs in this old farmhouse are smaller in scale; solid brass and not the same size as current door hardware. Luckily, House of Antique Hardware sells a conversion door latch which nearly fit a basement door knob hole as well as an old porcelain door knob set found here. Christian has cleaned the knob parts of rust and oiled them to match black coated solid brass rosettes from the same source and only 2" wide.

Two other door knob holes were wood filled first before chiseling out the latch hole for a rectangular part fit. It will be nice having antique  porcelain knobs on the door leading to the downstairs laundry and work space.

Now that the basement door has been flipped and a handrail added to the basement, this entire area is up to code.

Cool Down Shed Roof

A Sawzall was used to trim rafters even for a flush mounted fascia board.

Finally we have a weekend of no rain and are putting plywood sheathing on this cool down shed roof with a peel and stick Titanium Underlayment PSU 30 over it immediately. A forty pound roller or your own two feet give permanent adhesion. Ideal's Metal Pocket-Ribbed roof will be ordered and delivered from Canada in a week.

Christian plans to dig out topsoil which has accumulated inside this shed, and add gravel back in so wood can be stored here, until animals are in it. The building is 16' X 18' with two nice interior bays. The metal roof will be "Charcoal", and sides will be Benjamin Moore "Barn Red" with "White Dove" trim.

 

The Oldest Cape House

We are now finished restoring Old Farm the oldest house left in its' original footprint; never added on to or made public. An hour twenty min. from Boston, it is next to a large lake with beach access and 10 min from North & South ocean beaches or ferries to the islands. We have a large yard (part of 15 acres bought from the Indians). Click on photos to enlarge.