Exterior Rear: Before, During, and After

Before

During

Here, we've dug a hole for a proper foundation.

We tore off the bumped-out section because it wasn't really useful the way it was and had practically no foundation.

This is what was serving as the "foundation" for that part of the house.  It was a porch stoop, a large pantry closet, and a tiny storage cupboard.

The footer, with gravel in place for a French drain.

Laying block.  This space is accessible through a trap door in the floor.

Tarred and feathered.  Looks like dad's checking for level.

My brother, working on the floor joists.

The new bump-out is built and now we're starting the dormers. 

One of those small square windows will later be replaced with a larger one.  It was a bit of work we weren't expecting, but it ended up being for the better.  

 Dad may have been kicking himself for suggesting them because they were a monstrous amount of work, but the difference they made, both inside and out, made it all worthwhile!

Prepping for shingles!

After

Before & After

Exterior Front: Before, During, and After

Before

Dad, standing on the front porch (such as it was) either shortly before or shortly after the house was purchased... summer 2015.

November or December, 2015

November or December, 2015

During

We removed 2 layers of siding, soffit, and facia (aluminium on top and the original wood underneath) and wrapped the house with Tyvek.  Beneath and between the layers was an unbelievable mess of peeling paint, blown-in insulation, lady bugs (living and dead) and dirt.  What miserable, hard, and time-consuming work it was!  

  As you can see, a lot of work as been done.  We stripped the old shingles, repaired any weak spots in the roof, and re-shingled. We've begun installing the new siding, which is vinyl, while the soffit and facia are a hybrid of aluminum and vinyl.  We also replaced the original, 1920's-era windows.  The yard is torn up... in this particular case, due to having buried the electric lines (which looks infinitely better than the rat's nest that was up above the side window when we started).

Here, the front porch as been removed (the roof is held up with boards) and I've cleaned out the crumbling mortar in the foundation.  Next, we will re-point the stone foundation with fresh mortar and build a new porch.   

After

Finished!  Well... almost.  We still need to install lattice along the underside of the porch, but it's otherwise finished.  Dad did a phenomenal job using Azek to replicate the original window trim.  The paint took months to cure because:  Azek doesn't absorb and moisture, the paint is heavily pigmented, and the summer was quite humid.  I was very concerned as to whether it would adhere to the Azek or not, but so far, so good!

Before and After

Some History

Sears used to sell kit houses.  They provided all of the materials, plans, and instructions and then you (or your carpenter) put it all together.  Some of them were quite fancy.  Others were not.  Ours is one of the smallest, least-fancy ones they offered.  As you can see, the original plans didn't even call include an indoor bathroom... nor did the house originally have one.  A previous owner converted one upstairs bedroom into a bath, the unfortunate result being that space for the toilet stack was cut directly into the floor joist, leaving less than an inch of wood to hold up that section of floor.  Later photos will show the plaster ceiling of the room below crumbling apart in that corner.

Welcome!

Dad, standing on the front porch either shortly before or shortly after purchasing the house.

I've created this blog mainly as a way of organizing the before, during, and after photos of this renovation project.  Unfortunately, it didn't cross my mind to chronicle the journey as a blog until after it was finished.  Otherwise, you could have followed along every step of the way as we risked plague, tetanus, hypothermia, lead poisoning, and more, all to make this house habitable once again.  You've also missed out on the long and torturous decision-making processes, as I debated between dozens of flooring samples, hundreds of paint chips, various cabinet and counter top options, and others, which I have conveniently blocked out of my memory.  In short, it would have made a much better story.

Since I didn't have the forethought to do that, this mostly serves as an annotated photo album for myself and any family and friends who are interested.  If anyone else cares to take a gander, seeking inspiration and whatnot, you are welcome!  I'll try to give the names of products, paint colors, etc where applicable, but if I miss something you are curious about, feel free to ask!