What I've been working on the past 7 months (many pics, 56k death)

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What I've been working on the past 7 months (many pics, 56k death)

October 08, 2006, 11:04:19 AM

As some of you know, I bought a 100 year old house last March. Being 100 years old it was well overdue for some renovations, so that's what I've been doing the past seven months. This house has essentially been gutted and rebuild on the inside. To give an example of the scope of the work involved:

144 sheets of drywall and about two dozen buckets of plaster have gone into the place.
All windows have been "rebuilt" (broken panes replaced, frames stripped and painted)
one bedroom sacrificed to make dining room bigger (who ever heard of a bedroom off a dining room anyway?)
Bathroom completely replaced including addition of whirlpool tub
Garden door added to dining room
60-amp electrical service replaced with 200-amp service, entire house rewired including satellite, phone & networking cables. All wiring brought up to current code including GFCI outlets where required
All new plumbing, the old lead and cast iron pipes replaced with modern copper and plastic
Electric heat has been added, providing three choices for neat now (wood, oil or electric)
And much, much more (new floors, light fixtures, etc)

This house has literally turned me inato a "jack of all trades". I did everything in these pictures, and I do mean everything, except the ceramic floor in the kitchen. I did all of the electrical (an electrician friend "signed off" on the permit), plumbing, drywalling, flooring, trim work, plastering, carpentry - ALL OF IT. I did have a helper (my best friend and business partner) but I was the brains and brawn behind the entire job. That explains why it's taken seven months to get this far.

So now, after seven extremely long months I am seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, and it is a good light. Allow me to take you on a photographic tour of the work that has been done:

First, we'll start off outside. This is the exterior of the rear of the house. The antenna was taken down and the window to the left of itb is now a double garden door, but otherwise it's the same:

Inside we have the livingroom. This is the "Before" pic:

The first thing to go was that panelling (note the holes in the walls for new wiring):

Once the panelling was removed the plaster was beyond repair, so new drywall:

I kinda liked the paint that was under the panelling, so I tried my best to match it:

And finally the finished product:

With the livingroom finished it was time to focus on the master bedroom:

Before (note, once again, the fake panelling):

Off it came, allowing me to run more wires:

New drywall:

And finished, including new floor:

The kitchen was next - this was the only room in the entire house that did not need new drywall, as it had been done recently. Still, the cushion floor, countertop and blue paint had to go:

My brother put ceramic tile down, and I'm still waiting for him to put a ceramic tile backsplash behind the counter top, which is why that is still white primer:

With the kitchen, livingroom and master bedroom finished I could now move in. Then it became time to address some of the other rooms.

First we'll start with the dining room.

This is a pic before I touched it (pardon the drywall dust on the camera lens):

You can't see in the above pics, but there is a small bedroom just off the dining room. The door to this bedroom was in the wall on the right hand side of the above pics. I would rather a big dining room than a small one with a bedroom off it, so the wall came down. I also wanted a garden door to open onto the patio area so a double door was installed.

I don't have any "during" pics of the dining room, but the "after" pics show the breathtaking results (I'm very proud of this room, I see it as the centerpiece to the whole house). All of the drywall was replaced (including the ceiling), wainscotting was added, Birch hardwood floor (I would rather have had something darker but it was given to me) and some new light fixtures:

...Now all I have to do is furnish it. That tiny table looks REALLY tiny in that big room :pbb:

The stairway was simply dripping in 1970's "old lady" design:

...So it was updated while keeping an antique look:

Still on my list is the bathroom, other bedroom, and office (where I make my sequencers and stuff). They are all about 1/2 finished, but I'll wait to post pics of them until they're done. Needless to say their transformation is even more dramatic, especially the bathroom.

What I've been working on the past 7 months (many pics, 56k death)

Reply #1 – October 08, 2006, 02:23:53 PM

Cool!
It looks like you're doing very well with the house. That's something I'll have to tackle in the future.

What I've been working on the past 7 months (many pics, 56k death)

Reply #2 – October 08, 2006, 05:47:30 PM

I cant believe you painted the trim around the door under the stairs! thats the only thing I'd change, the rest looks great.

I hate that chintzy wood pannaling, all but two rooms in my house have that , the exceptions have old granny wallpaper and real wood

One of these days when i'm big and rich like you i'll re-do it :p

What I've been working on the past 7 months (many pics, 56k death)

Reply #3 – October 08, 2006, 06:28:43 PM

Looks nice. I know alot of hard work goes into stuff like this.

I like doing things on the house as well....just need to get a better house to do things on now :p

What I've been working on the past 7 months (many pics, 56k death)

Reply #4 – October 08, 2006, 07:29:57 PM

Quote from: tbirdscott;107511

I cant believe you painted the trim around the door under the stairs! thats the only thing I'd change, the rest looks great.

Believe me, I'd rather have left it original, but the pics do not show the condition that wood trim was in. The nicotene was caked on so thick it was cracking. It took a good deal of sing and filling the millions of thumbtack holes and carpet staple holes before that wood was even suitable for painting.

What I've been working on the past 7 months (many pics, 56k death)

Reply #5 – October 08, 2006, 07:32:26 PM

it looks really nice!! it doesnt even look 100 years old.
but is it haunted though?

What I've been working on the past 7 months (many pics, 56k death)

Reply #6 – October 08, 2006, 07:54:15 PM

Not to my knowledge, tho the basp00get is kinda creepy and the "stairway to nowhere" was absolutely spine tingling before I redid it (no pics of that yet, but the difference is unbelievable). It's not a stairway to nowhere anymore, for one thing - the previous owners had boarded up the lower entrance (into the kitchen) to put cabinets in, but I made an opening in a wall so it comes out in the laundry room (you can see the laundry room in the kitchen pics)

What I've been working on the past 7 months (many pics, 56k death)

Reply #7 – October 08, 2006, 08:10:41 PM

looking good. So when can we come over for a cook out?

When ever my grandfather dies I get his house so I'll be doing alot of this stuff at somepoint as well. His house has dark wood paneling and lime green furnature:yuck: . That stuff has to go.

What I've been working on the past 7 months (many pics, 56k death)

Reply #8 – October 08, 2006, 08:23:38 PM

Quote from: Thunder Chicken;107517

The nicotene was caked on so thick it was cracking.

Nicotene?

What I've been working on the past 7 months (many pics, 56k death)

Reply #9 – October 08, 2006, 08:25:02 PM

Reminds me of back home in Vermont, very good work. Can't wait to see the finished product.

What I've been working on the past 7 months (many pics, 56k death)

Reply #10 – October 08, 2006, 09:56:17 PM

looking good, nice work:) Keep the updates coming I like reading home improvement stuff..

I have my house up for sale right now, so when I get my next one I'll have work to do again. Houses are like cars once they are done and all modded up they get boring and want to do up another..

What I've been working on the past 7 months (many pics, 56k death)

Reply #11 – October 08, 2006, 10:19:19 PM

looks awesome man, keep up the freakin awesome work

What I've been working on the past 7 months (many pics, 56k death)

Reply #12 – October 08, 2006, 10:22:21 PM

looks great. im desperately trying to dabble myself. we are flip flopping on weather or not to buy, build one myself or set up for a modular. thats if we can realy find a way to afford one.

What I've been working on the past 7 months (many pics, 56k death)

Reply #13 – October 08, 2006, 10:27:07 PM

My family is working on our house too. We have lived here for about 2 1/2 years and it was built in 1899. But your house it truly awsome. I wish my hosue was half that nice when it's done

What I've been working on the past 7 months (many pics, 56k death)

Reply #14 – October 08, 2006, 10:50:53 PM

Woah, Excellent Job Sir! Congrats...

And you say you cant do a T5 swap or a HO conversion ? Yu´r da man!