Inglenook Tales

Ahhh!

2010-10-13T16:51:00.000-07:00

Here is what our home looked like last year....

and here is what it looks like now!

The house finally got the paint job it deserved.

Gone is the monochromatic color scheme slopped on, with a mop, by the previous owner.

We love the new look.

It was not easy to keep three little savages inside and out of the way of the painters for eight full weeks, but we survived. I'm still recovering from the process.

Warning: If you do not like before and after pictures, do not look.

2010-08-23T15:40:00.000-07:00

This is what the dining room looked like a year ago when we looked at the house with the realtor. The old bicycle was charming.

After demolition.

And here it is now!

Like the dog cage in the corner? I thought it was a good choice.

I could not commit to chandelier. So, I got my mom's old light fixture. I'll find something I like at some point in time. Until then, this will work.

Our table looks miniature in the new room.

We put recessed lighting above the buffet and in the bay window. I like it.

See the junk piled up on the buffet? I can't bring myself to go through it... so there it sits.

Here's another view.

PB&J anyone?

Caillou's House

2010-08-17T08:30:00.000-07:00

We've decided it is time to paint The Green House. It's a huge project. We've hired a painter, now we have to choose colors.  Just thinking of choosing colors is enough to make me nauseated.  We, or maybe I should say I, decided to save our marriage and hire a color consultant.  Our consultant is a professor at the University of Michigan and does historic color consulting on the side. I'm at peace now.

Our color consultant says that our house is Dutch Colonial Revival and needs 5-6 colors.  The only Dutch Colonial I have ever seen painted in such a way is Caillou's House. For those of you who don't know who Caillou is, count yourself as lucky.

For those of you that have driven by recently, I'm sure you have noticed the large TV that is visible through our front window. The Mister loves the TV. I accept the TV.  After much discussion last year The Mister decided to order the TV for the basement of our Sweet Little House. The day after he ordered it, I decided that if he was going to get a TV, I should get something for myself..... So I made an appointment with the realtor to look at this house. I think I came out OK on the deal.

It seems appropriate that daily, I watch a show about a whiny little boy who lives in a Dutch Colonial.   If only I could be as patient as Caillou's mom....

I love Our Savages.

And yes, I know I need to post pictures of the interior, but we live here now.

Things are a bit messy. We are still trying to get settled. It's gonna be a while!

Moved In

2010-06-26T19:35:00.000-07:00

Wow! It has been over a month since my last post!

We moved into the Green House May 22, sort of. The Mister began living in The Green House full time when our things were moved in. The Little Savages and I moved in a few weeks later....after the kitchen sink was hooked up, and the stove had arrived.

Saying goodbye to our Sweet Little House was difficult. I'm a postpartum sap. I loved that house. But, it felt good to give the keys to a happy young couple.

We are happy to be at The Green House now.  Unpacking is taking some time.  We live on our front porch. The boys eat at their little picnic table daily. They love romping in the big yard and shouting hello to all of our new neighbors. We're a bit of a curiosity in the neighborhood. We get a lot of stares from passers-by who are not used to The Green House being inhabited.  We get lots of thank yous for fixing the place up. That feels good.

I love it here.  This is a happy home with a happy soul. We feel blessed to be here and to make The Green House our home.

Number Three

2010-05-13T19:27:00.000-07:00

We welcomed our third Little Savage on May 3rd.

His birth was amazing.

He's sweet. He's cute. He's cuddly.

He's not a real Little Savage yet. But he will be soon. His brothers will teach him.

Paint! Part 2

2010-04-17T19:02:00.000-07:00

Painting the interior at The Green House has been a long process, and a messy process... obviously.

Our Oldest Savage said, "Wow! Baby's room orange." The orange might be one of my more unfortunate color choices.

He likes his new room, painted Colts blue and gray. We plan on putting a Colts logo on one wall, and a Cubs logo on the opposite wall.

Our Oldest Savage wanted a pink room. We told him that since he will be sharing a room with his little brother, we would choose the color. I have a plan to work in the pink at some point in the future, if he still wants it.

The trim is going up. We discarded the old trim, caked in lead based paint, and are putting up fresh new trim. The carpenter will have to redo some of the trim he put up, so that it looks more similar to the original trim. It is important to me that the trim looks as original as possible. I've given him pictures, so he should get it right.

The Mister is still working on removing the glue that held down the linoleum from the hardwood floors in the kitchen. Removing glue with a wallpaper steamer is proving to be a time consuming task, but not a labor intensive task.

We still have lots of work to do at The Green House. With the help of our family, we plan to move in in mid May! We accepted an offer on our Sweet Little House. If all goes as planned we will have to be out before the end of May.

I have lots to do before then.... like give birth.

Lord help me.

Paint!

2010-04-02T00:55:00.000-07:00

Now that the plaster is done, it's time for paint! Every waking moment that The Mister isn't working, he's painting. Oh how I love him! OK, he takes breaks to watch basketball games. But still.... I miss him.

The house is primed. The ceilings are painted. I love bright white ceilings. They feel so clean.

It's time for color.

The living room will be Carmel.

The dining room will be a light gray blue. The color on the right, which ironically, is the same color it was when we bought the house.

And, The Green House, now has a green kitchen! The kitchen is done.

Ohh, and guess what The Mister found under the awful linoleum in the kitchen?

He found hardwood floors in the kitchen that match the floors in the dining room and living room. He plans to rent a wallpaper steamer to remove the glue.

We will see how it goes!

I'll try to keep you updated.

Kitchen Cabinets

2010-03-16T13:03:00.000-07:00

We drove to Cincinnati Sunday. IKEA is having a big kitchen sale.

These are the cabinets we chose. We got the hardware pictured, and the refrigerator.

If we bought three appliances, along with our cabinets, we got 20% off of the entire kitchen. So we bought the refrigerator, microwave, and dishwasher. The appliances are made by Whirlpool, but were designed by IKEA. They have a five year warranty, which was a selling point for us.

I really liked the range, but it has dials on the front, within reach of the Little Savages. Picture the Little Savages playing with the stove.... not a good scenerio.

The microwave/hood we bought is nothing special.

The refrigerator we chose is not spectacular either. The handles match our hardware.

But, the dishwasher we chose is cool. The door matches our cabinets, so it blends right in. The buttons are out of reach of The Little Savages, which is helpful. And it is stainless steel on the inside. I like that.

IKEA was lots of fun, but was a lot of walking for this very pregnant woman. There was plenty to inspire me as I attempt to furnish our new home.

I see several trips to IKEA in our near future. Honey, we need a minivan....

The Real Reason We're Moving....

2010-03-15T12:21:00.000-07:00

We must have room for the train table.

Think it will look great in front of the Inglenook?

Happy Birthday To Me

2010-03-12T18:57:00.000-08:00

Today is my birthday.

I'm thirty-four if you must know.

I've been telling everyone I'm thirty-four for the past year. The Mister corrected me a few months ago. I literally forgot how old I was.

The Little Savages are with their grandparents for the night, so The Mister took me out to dinner. We went to The Loft at Traders Point Creamery. Nothing like a good organic dinner after a sausage, egg, and cheese McGriddle for breakfast, followed by a lunch of two chili cheese dogs from Rally's.

Try not to judge. I told you it was my birthday.

Drywall, Heat, and Water, Oh My!

2010-03-11T16:55:00.000-08:00

We worked really hard to get this sticker.

The drywall, and the crew, arrived yesterday!!

By 7:00 PM this evening, the walls were completely covered. I was so happy I could have cried.... I'm a bit emotional at this point in time, blame it on the pregnancy hormones. The poor Mister.

The drywall looks great, so far, but the dust has yet to settle.

Tomorrow they begin finishing. We had to turn the heat on for the putty and mud to stick and form. Ahh, heat. I don't want to know when the last time The Green House had heat. It is truly and momentous day.

I have to admit, as nice as it is to see walls, there is something missing at The Green House now. We decided to cover as much of the hardwood floors and woodwork as possible. Falling drywall and flying dust are not good for one-hundred-year-old wood.

I miss seeing the scratched up old floors, and the dinged up trim.

In time, it will all come together.

Our Reward

2010-03-09T09:58:00.000-08:00

This is what the yard at The Green House looked like when we bought it in October.

This is what the yard looked like after we cleaned it up.

This is the pile of crap we uncovered after the yard was cleared. The pile is what is left of a garage that fell down... like ten years ago.

So what do we get for cleaning up an overgrown lot and fixing up a dilapidated historical home? A nice letter from the county health department about a pile of crap that has been there for at least ten years.

So The Mister and my dad cleaned the pile up on Saturday. At least it was a nice day. The pile did turn out to be a health hazard. Dad, the veterinarian is not easily disgusted. But, if there is one thing dad detests and can recognize immediately, it's racoon poop. It turns out the pile was at one time a racoon latrine (despite being nasty animals, racoons like to return to the same spot to poop).

So now I have to keep The Lilttle Savages away from that corner of our yard. Of all of the problems that we could have at The Green House, racoon poop was just not something that I ever would have thought of.

Insulation!

2010-03-06T19:30:00.000-08:00

Insulation was completed this past week.

It is strange to have walls in The Green House again.

It is so quiet in the house now.

I no longer hear my footsteps... and I'm a huge pregnant lady.

We chose to put batting in between the floors and interior room walls. We wanted batting between the floors because we have hardwood floors that can be loud when people, especially little savages, run on them. We decided to put the batting between rooms because in our sweet little house we live in now we have to be very careful to not wake the Little Savages while napping. What I mean is our showers wake The Savages, and we don't dare flush during nap. It's not pleasant (waking them during nap AND not flushing). We hope to not have this issue at The Green House.

So bring on the baby monitors.

We'll need a couple!

I might accidentally turn them off a time or two...

Peace and quiet will be scarce in house with a herd of Little Savages.

Green Light, Finally...

2010-03-03T19:28:00.000-08:00

We finally got the green light yesterday to begin insulation. Woo Hoo!

It was a long long road getting here. We are amateurs at this rehab stuff. We have good intentions, but sometimes we make mistakes. I'm happy we have building codes. Really, I am. But inspections have been frustrating.

After our first inspection we had to stop work for a few hours until we got a structural permit. Yesterday, we had a subsequent inspection. We were told to add a dryer vent, put more tape on the duct work, and there was a third minor thing we needed to fix. Anyway, the problems have been fixed and we got the green light to begin insulation, despite there being a big pink sign on our front door that says VIOLATION. The inspector will return after the insulation is up.

Water Main Break

2010-03-02T08:10:00.000-08:00

We had a huge puddle suddenly appear in our yard a few weeks ago. We didn't think much of it at first. The water company had said that they would not turn on our water until we had heat. Apparently, they changed their mind, or turned on our water accidentally. Communication is not a priority at the water company. Whatever, one way or another, our water was turned on and a huge puddle appeared.

My big fear was realized, our water main is broke.

We are going to attempt to repair the main. If the repair does not work, the whole thing will be replaced.

Look out neighbors! The heavy equipment arrives on Friday.

31 Weeks

2010-02-27T16:00:00.000-08:00

I'm huge. I'm tired... everyone tells me how tired I look. I'm happy. I'm healthy.

Baby boy Oops has turned. He's a mover and a shaker. My belly dances as I sit on the couch in the evening. It makes the Little Savages laugh to see my belly shake.

Some women I know are fretting that the baby's room isn't ready at 31 weeks gestation. Then there is me. This little guy's room does not even have walls and insulation yet.  And paint and decor.... Ummm, I've given it little thought. I don't know if we will be living at The Green House when this little guy arrives.

It's soo much different with the third kid. I'm not worried. I know this kid will have lots of love, a roof over his head (somewhere), food, and clothes.  That's really all they need after all.

It's nice to not worry.

Furring Out

2010-02-23T09:48:00.000-08:00

We're furring out!

Furring out, not freaking out.

When the carpenter furrs out, he puts plywood strips on the studs.

We're furring out because the plaster and lathe was an inch thick. The drywall we are about to hang is a half an inch thick. If we don't fur out, that half an inch difference will be visible at every door jam, and behind every piece of original trim we put back up. We didn't want ugly gaps to mar our beautiful woodwork.

The woodwork is what makes the house.

The woodwork is a huge part of why we bought the house.

The studs in old houses are not always even. Wavy studs could mean wavy drywall. We don't want wavy drywall. Some of the furring strips are handcrafted to create an even surface to hang the drywall on.

We are looking forward to hanging drywall.... delays.... too many delays.

The Project That Grew and Grew

2010-02-19T23:34:00.000-08:00

One of the things that The Mister really loved about The Green house when we first looked at it was the attic. He had always dreamed of a house with a usable attic. Our plan was, and is, to make the attic a suite for The Little Savages... someday.

When we began demolition we decided not to gut the attic. It was a cost saving measure. Our thought was, we won't use the space for a while so we will put that project off until we need the space.

Then the electrician came along. I have to tell you, Dave has done a great job at The Green House. He is my favorite contractor.... by far. Anyway, Dave said that if we wanted lights in the attic, we needed to take out some of the drywall. The attic was the only place in the house with drywall.

So, then we decided to take out ALL of the drywall. Why wait until later? It would be very messy to try to do that in a house that was being lived in. So we gutted the attic like we did the rest of the house. Now we can insulate the attic, and truthfully, that will save lots of money.

Then the plumber came along. It was not going to cost that much more to plumb for a bathroom in the attic. It would cost much more to do that later. So we plumbed for a bathroom in the attic... just a simple rough in, nothing big.

Then came the carpenter. "How about if I build an extra wall over there to close off that bathroom. While I'm up here, I could build some knee walls too. "

"Uhhh sure," we said.

So then we got to thinking. We didn't want an attic room that nobody wanted to use. You know, those rooms that get too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter because they aren't properly heated or cooled. There was no way we were going to put a window air conditioner in The Green House.

So we sprung for a nice stand alone heating and cooling unit just for the attic. The duct work will be hidden away in the walls, just like the rest of the house.

So, Tah-Dah. Our attic will be a fully functional third floor by the time we are done.

I can tell The Mister is staking the attic out as his man cave.

Where else will he put his Larry Bird Bobble Head and his mini fridge full of beer?

Moving Slowly

2010-02-18T12:00:00.000-08:00

It seems that work at The Green House goes in spurts. It speeds up, then slows down.

We are presently at a very slow point. We were hoping to insulate today but inspections were delayed, and are not scheduled to happen until Monday.  We hope insulation will happen next week, if all goes well.

We had a mysterious puddle appear in the yard.  The water came from underground and the puddle grew and grew and melted the snow around it.

We called the water company.

The puddle is gone.

We assume the water company fixed the issue, or turned the water off.

The water company didn't find it necessary to communicate to us what the issue was. I really don't like the water company.  Is calling us too much to ask? They have a monopoly. Customer service is clearly not a priority.

Until the water company chooses to get their act together and COMMUNICATE, I am assuming the worst.... we have a leaky pipe in our front yard that needs to be dug up and replaced.

I can't complain, work has gone so smoothly. I honestly expected more bumps in the road, more surprises and issues. It's not too late for that to happen.

A Very Old House

2010-02-17T18:48:00.000-08:00

This is the house my grandmother grew up in. The house is in Wulmsdorf, Germany. That's northern Germany, near Bremen. Built in 1804, the home was in the family for generations before my grandmother, and is still in the family.

When I was sixteen, I was a foreign exchange student in Germany for a year. It's a long story, but after a series of events, I ended up going to school with one of my cousins, and living near my grandmother's family. My relatives were a huge support during my year abroad. Goodness, I was only sixteen. I would not have survived without them. But my year as an exchange student brought about relationships with my relatives that would have otherwise been lost to time and distance.

Heinz-Dieter presently owns the family home. Our grandmothers were sisters. The home was passed down from my great grandmother, to my great aunt, then to her son, then to his son. I love that in our family, the home and farm seems to go to the daughter as frequently it goes to the son.

Heinz-Dieter, and his partner, Frank, opened a cafe in the part of the house that was originally the barn. Isn't it beautiful! I would like to bring Heinz-Dieter here to start my garden. His flowers are always gorgeous and the whole house is always spotless. The family home is truly in good hands.

While I realize my home will never be as spectacular as this, it is nice to have Grandma's house as something to aspire to.

What Style Is This?

2010-02-11T00:01:00.000-08:00

What style is this?

This has been a lingering question, but it did not really matter, until now.

The real estate listing said Tudor. I don't typicially like Tudor. Tudor is stuffy. Stuffy is not a characteristic I look for in a house, but I liked this house. The only thing Tudor about this house is the diamond pattern on the windows.

So then I did a little bit of research on my own. I thought the house might be Shingle Style. The house has shingles on the peaks. Shingle Style is a variation on Queen Anne, but a little more relaxed. I admit I was not really in love with this defintion either. Relaxed or not Queen Anne is fussy and I don't like fuss.

Unable to settle on any of the styles that I read about I asked a local blogging architect what he thought. He said our house was Craftsman with a Neoclassical porch and a Gambrel roof, but definitely Craftsman due to the era the house was built and other elements present.

I like the Craftsman definition. I like straight forward, honest, and strong. Those are all positive attributes that I can live with.

All was good until I e-mailed the Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commitee yesterday about exterior lighting. They told me, "the house is not an ‘Arts and Crafts’ style. It tends more toward the ‘Queen Anne’ style with a bit of ‘Tudor Revival’ influence. We would recommend you look for a Victorian style light fixture. This would be more appropriate for your house."

How dare she call my house Queen Anne! And Victorian style lighting... yuck. I shouldn't complain. I asked for advice. But come on people.

So here we go again.

What do all of you think?

Should I give in and buy some fussy Victorian light fixtures?

Plumb Perfect

2010-02-10T08:12:00.000-08:00

We have new plumbing at The Green House. In case any potential thieves are reading this, NO COPPER is in The Green House. Our new pipes are PEX. Don't ask me about PEX.... I really don't know why, just that the plumber said it is better than PVC and The Mister agreed.

We had to drop the ceiling in our back hallway, between the dining room and kitchen, about a foot to accommodate the new plumbing. I wasn't thrilled about dropping the ceiling, but it is in a small and insignificant area. It seemed like a small price to pay for new plumbing.

I'm in love with the old claw foot tub centered beneath the window. The shower looks cool next to the chimney now, but soon the chimney will be covered up. We kept the old laundry shoot... I mean chute. I loved my grandma's laundry shoot and it's so practical. I don't know why new houses are not built with them.

The water company's last record of service at our address in 1985. I love facts like that about our house.

The water company has not been as easy to work with as the gas company. Our particular situation seems to befuddle the water company. They give four hour windows for service, and don't typically call ahead before they arrive. We can't wait four hours in our cold house for them to arrive. After a very long conversation, the water company agreed to call 15 minutes before arriving, but still seemed confused about what we want and why we have an unheated house.

I'll feel so much better once the water service to the house has been tested and OK'd. I'll be shocked if we don't have to dig up and replace pipes outside.

Ladies and Gentlemen, The Most Beautiful Door Ever

2010-02-09T10:53:00.000-08:00

We knew we had a pocket door between the living room and dining room when we bought the house. But, we did not know what the door looked like. The door was stuck, so we could see very little of it. A little bit of adjusting some screws, add some lubricant, suck out some debris, and TAH DAH.

The door is no longer stuck! It moves, and it is beautiful.

The door is quarter sawn oak on the living room side and...

cherry veneer on the dining room side.

I'm in love. It has to be the most gorgeous door known to man.

The swinging door between the dining room and back hall is also cherry veneer on the dining room side, and well, we don't know what it is on the other side becuause it has been painted.

I'm looking forward to having doors that will close off the dining room. Not only are the pocket doors beautiful, but they will be functional. Yes, our old house is FUNCTIONAL, for all of the old house nay sayers.

The Littlest Savage is quite the climber. I have found him standing on the dining room table more times than I care to admit. We have to put the dining room chairs in the bedroom to keep him safe. In the Green House we will be able to close the pocket door and the dining room chairs will be off limits.

Pocket door. I can't say it enough.

The Magic Is Back!

2010-02-08T18:01:00.000-08:00

I went to the Green House Sunday morning. The sun was bouncing off of the fresh snow. The workmen were gone. The Little Savages were with The Mister. It was just me and my house.

It was magical.

It was beautiful, and I couldn't have been happier.

We are nearing the end of the construction phase and The Green House is looking great. It is rare to see a one-hundred-year-old house with the structure exposed as ours is now.

I wanted to savor it. I wanted to document it for anyone who might be interested in the future.

I have enjoyed the comments contractors have made over the past few months when they see the structure. I have learned to admire the wood and the craftsmanship that went into the framing of our house.

A roofing guy said, "this place is built like a fortress."

The structural engineer said, "the roof beams are made of native hardwood."

The electrician said, "this is the hardest wood I have ever worked with. I'll go through three drill bits on this house."

Several people have commented that our house was built with real 2x4's. Which always cracks me up because shouldn't a 2x4 always be a 2x4?

Quite a bit has been done on our house in the last couple of weeks and I hope to write more about that this week.

Tomorrow I will show you the coolest thing ever.

Exterior Lighting

2010-01-29T01:44:00.000-08:00

I cannot find any evidence of exterior lighting at The Green House. This is not good. I am stumped as to what to do. I drove through the neighborhood last night, after a late night trip to the grocery store, looking at what other houses in our neighborhood have in terms of exterior lighting. Most people have a simple light next to the door. Some people have a light or lantern mounted to the ceiling of their front porch.

I like the look of a simple light next to the door. But, I'm afraid that this won't work for The Green House. Our front porch is deep and has high ceilings. We need more light than a simple light by the door can provide. At the moment we have the front porch wired for two hanging lanterns, one between each pillar. We have the balcony above the porch wired for a light by the door. I can't decide if this is the right choice.

I have seen few houses like The Green House. I have very little to go on. Our neighbors who have a similar wide and tall front porch have a large hanging light on their front porch and then a smaller light on the side where their porch wraps around. Their hanging lights look more like school house lights. I have not seen lights like theirs anywhere.

Once again....any advice?

Our Style

2010-01-26T12:22:00.000-08:00

Since the last post on being overwhelmed by the number of decisions I have to make, I have decided to take a step back and answer a basic question. What is our style? The answer is easy. We like Arts & Crafts. This is a good thing because The Green House's interior is definitely Arts & Crafts. We love the bones of our new home. It is what attracted us to the house. It's part of what made us feel at home immediately when we walked in.

To top it all off we already have many Arts & Crafts pieces throughout our present home.

I love the emphasis on the natural beauty of the wood.  I love the warmth of the dark wood and the simple straight forward lines.

I like the emphasis on simple, because I tend to be a clutter bug.

That said, I don't want to over do it with the Arts & Crafts look.  Arts & Crafts is naturally a bit on the masculine side, which seems appropriate, given that the dog and I will be the only females living in the house, along side The Mister and three Little Savages.

BUT I want a touch of femininity here and there.

I want the house to say, a woman lives here.

I want a surprising touch here and there.

I want a bit of estrogen infused into the place.

I want balance, because heaven knows that a house with three sons and no daughters is going to be a bit on the weird side from the start.

Lord have mercy! I shouldn't think about this... I'm getting a bit scared.

HELP!

2010-01-25T12:45:00.000-08:00

We're getting close to the point in construction where, "the fun stuff" begins. I thought I was looking forward to this point. I thought I knew what I wanted. It turns out I don't. Choosing wall color, kitchen cabinets, appliances, and light fixtures is a huge task. I don't even know where to begin. I have a budget, and I am attempting to be wise

Lets face it, I wasn't expecting to be six months pregnant at this point in time either. Pushing the Sit-n-Stand stroller around Menards on Sunday was a chore. Let me repeat, it was not fun. But I needed to look. I needed to get an idea of what I like, and what I will have to spend.

So maybe all of you could tell me what you think.

Here is a partial list....

Kitchen Cabinets... Do I go with IKEA? Or should I just buy the in-stock ready to finish cabinets at Lowes?

Refrigerator... Should we go with the standard side-by-side, or the french door? The french door is much more expensive.

Lighting....Do you like this? Is it too much for the top landing of the stairs? I can't decide if it is the right style.

Updates

2010-01-21T17:14:00.000-08:00

Work is going smoothly at The Green House.

Electrical
We have two comparable, and reasonable, quotes to bury the power lines. This pleases me. The electrician told me that burying them would be too expensive and would require directional boring due to the large stumps and tree roots near the house. Not the case. I am determined to have those lines buried. They are soo unsightly, and are a pet peeve of mine.

Heating and Cooling
The heating and cooling people have installed the black gas pipe. The oil tanks are finally gone, after being drained. Woo Hoo! They still need to vent the exhaust fans in the bathroom and install the air conditioner and heater.

Plumbing
We have hired a plumber. He says he will have the plumbing done by the end of January. I have to admit I'm skeptical, but it is a good goal to have. We decided to plumb for a bathroom in the attic. The attic will eventually be The Little Savage's Suite. I am no closer to convincing The Mister we need a urinal in the house... despite learning that we have a third savage on the way. Errr!

I'll be happy when the water is turned on and flowing. One of my big fears is that the water lines will no longer be good and we will have to dig them up and replace them like I have seen so many do in our neighborhood.

The Roof
We've had a couple of companies look at the roof. There is a leak in the master bedroom. The area that leaks is flat. Two different companies. Two different approaches to fixing the leak. We're going with the cheaper and less elaborate of the two. I hope it is the right decision. We'll know in a couple of years.

I'm happy that things appear to be moving quickly on most fronts!

Pretty Little Closets

2010-01-19T18:35:00.000-08:00

Someone took a great deal of pride in decorating the little linen closets at The Green House.

I love these pretty little closets.

Gotta love the fringe!

It's almost like decoupage.

That's fabric nailed to the shelves.

Oh soo nice!

We could not preserve this wonderful decorative work during demolition.

So, I, with my wonderful sense of intuition and foresight (see previous post comments), saved pieces of the shelving paper, along with other pieces of fabric and wallpaper, and made a shadowbox collage.

Last but not least is this....

The kitchen pantry / coat closet.

Not very exciting you might say.

But wait 'til you see what we found inside.

That's the Mister proudly holding an old newspaper.

I was nice enough to show this to him.

You have to understand the role that college sports plays in our relationship.

Here is a closer look at the relevent headline The Mister is so proud of.

Wait, it gets better...

Here is the story at the bottom of the paper.

Then there are the standings if you look real close...

Ahhh yes.

I'm a Purdue grad that married a Notre Dame and IU grad.

It's complicated.

Very Real

2010-01-17T10:31:00.000-08:00

Work is moving along at a swift pace at The Green House. This is a good thing.  This baby is coming  in late April. It would be nice to move in before this little guy arrives.

Duct work is complete.  Rewiring is almost done, and carpentry work is ongoing. We hope to start plumbing soon.

Here's the problem. Going over to The Green House is no longer a dreamy la la la experience. It's real. It's here, and if you can't tell, it's a bit overwhelming.  A simple conversation with a contractor about closet size turns into, "you're wasting money paying me to patch this siding that won't last another year. We need to do $3,000.00 worth of work to get the upstairs ready for drywall." Only contractors never say it that simply. They use contractor talk I don't understand.  I get confused, and feel pushed, and tell them to talk to The Mister.

Then I climb in my car to leave and listen to reports on the devastation in Haiti. My "problems" are not really problems at all. My problems are the result of having too much. We own more homes at the moment than I wish we did... but there are parents in Haiti without a place to tuck their babies in bed.  I whine about the shock of learning I'm not just pregnant... I'm 24 weeks pregnant... but then I remember couples that struggle to conceive and carry a child. How can I complain about being pregnant? How can I complain about breezing through pregnancy?

I'm lucky.

Perspective is everything.

Coming Soon: More Testosterone

2010-01-14T20:22:00.000-08:00

It's a boy!

Another one of these. That makes three Little Savages at The Green House. If I thought I was swimming in a vat of testosterone before, I'm in really deep now.

I'm Mean

2010-01-13T17:21:00.000-08:00

I was patient when the window shattered....

when the chandelier I had promised to a friend was broke...

when this pretty little chair left by the previous owners was broke, and when the trim that was so neatly sorted by the carpenter was piled like a heap of Pixie Stix.

But I lost it the other day. Blame it on the pregnancy hormones.

I hung this sign.

GAS STAINS. Three big gas stains on my beautiful hardwood floors in the living room. Gentlemen, I know you need to keep warm while working. But gas stains on my floor are unacceptable. Put something under that darn heater!

They're not even in a place that will be covered by a rug. I put baking soda on it, but that did nothing. I don't think sanding and refinishing will even remove these suckers. We are thinking of moving some of the wood floors from another spot to get rid of the stains.

Anyone have a better solution? Other than hurting the contractor?

Quarter Sawn Oak

2010-01-12T19:45:00.000-08:00

I love our foyer and living room. We have the most beautiful staircase, and these wonderful columns in our living room. The wood that these elements are made of has the most gorgeous flecked pattern. This same pattern appears on the trim in the foyer, living room, and dining room. I had seen this sort of wood before but never took the time to learn about what makes it so beautiful.

The wood is ordinary white oak. But it is cut in a special way. It is called Quarter Sawn Oak. To get this pattern a tree is cut vertically, first in half, then in fourths. The boards are then cut from these quarters. Quarter Sawn Oak is stronger than wood cut in a typical method and is more expensive because less wood is yielded from each tree.

From what I have read, Quarter Sawn Oak is a hallmark of the Arts and Crafts movement. I was happy to learn this. We like Arts and Crafts furniture. Our sweet little house we live in now is filled with Arts and Crafts furniture, thanks to my father-in-law, the woodworker.

We can't wait to move our furniture into our new living room.

The Engineer Says....

2010-01-10T18:34:00.000-08:00

We had the structural engineer come take a second look after demolition was complete.

He says.....

The main beam supporting the front porch is twisted, but it's still sound..... We can either make it look straight or actually try to make it straight. Either or.

He didn't like the way the porch is attached to the house. We need to install joist hangers.

Some of the beams under the porch are still sound. Other beams need to be "sistered." I guess that that means bolt a good beam to a bad beam.

The cause of my crooked hallway is unknown. He suggested driving wedges between the beams and the floor boards. I think they call this shimming. We were warned to not expect perfect leveling. The sobriety test stands!

The beam above the Inglenook is fine. It's rock solid, but sags ever so slightly. We are putting some sort of bracket in the upper left hand corner, just for reinforcement.

There is some nasty termite damage in this corner. We have to tear that out and rebuild part of it.

Last but not least is the master bedroom closet. It is barely wide enough to put a hanger in. I really had my heart set on making the closet larger. The Green House felt differently. There are these little things called supporting walls that should not be eliminated. The engineer vetoed my closet redesign project. Closet space or a structurally sound house? Hmmm. OK. He wins.

Work Continues

2010-01-09T10:29:00.000-08:00

We now have three contractors working simultaneously on The Green House. It's truly amazing.

The electrician began a few days ago. Dave is making quick progress. He should have most of the wiring roughed in by the end of the weekend. Go Dave!

Heating and cooling is crawling along at a snail's pace. The radiators and old pipes have been removed. The old boilers are gone. The cold air return duct is in, as are several other ducts. We're not happy with the placement of the vents in the kitchen and bath. Communication does not seem to be a priority with these guys. We're not sure what is taking so long. I know this is somewhat of a busy season for heating and cooling, but gee. We're learning about contractor time...

The carpenter has begun. His list of things to fix is long.

On the to do list.... we need to line up a plumber..... find someone to dig a trench to bury the electrical and phone lines.... begin getting estimates for insulation and drywall. Once we have estimates for drywall and insulation, I will know how much money I can sink into the kitchen and bathrooms.

The construction phase has been educational, but.... plumbing, electrical work, carpentry.... a bit boring. I'm looking forward to the fun stuff. I'm ready to pick out paint and countertops.

The Last To Know

2010-01-07T14:20:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks before Christmas I took the Little Savages to a playdate. A lady asked me if I knew if it was a boy or girl. I looked at her puzzled, "Oh, no. I'm not expecting. I just need to lose weight." I felt bad for the poor lady.

I had been gaining weight in recent months.  Not only were the holidays causing me to gain weight, but I had given up breastfeeding a few months earlier. Breastfeeding allows you to consume extra calories. That was why I was gaining weight. I stopped breastfeeding and didn't change my diet.

I was having strange side pains of the feminine nature. I read up on ovarian cysts and got worried. That was the problem.  I scheduled a check up. The Mister commented, ever so delicately, that my belly was "protruding." Nice. I told him that women in my family carry weight around the midsection. My grandma Dora had a big tummy and little bird legs. I take after her.

The final straw was when The Mister walked up behind me after he had eaten mac-n-cheese with lots of catsup.  I couldn't stand the smell of his breath, and I let him know it.

"You are so pregnant," was his comment. I insisted that was impossible, but he was persistent. I decided to go to the store that minute to buy a pee stick test and put an end to that accusation. The Little Savages were in bed. There was no way I was going to wait until morning and drag my two-and-a-half year old and my fourteen-month-old to the store to buy a stinkin pregnancy test. People would think I'm nuts!

So I ran to CVS, then made a bee line from the front door to the bathroom.  The word pregnant quickly appeared on the screen. I balled, "Huuh, Huuh, Huuh, Huuh." The Mister held me and laughed.

I hate it when he's right.

Now we both can't stop laughing.  Three kids in three years. It's absolute CRAZINESS.

My Obsession Part 5

2010-01-05T18:44:00.000-08:00

Both The Mister and I were in love with the house, and wanted to raise our family in "The Green House." We knew that the house had issues, but we were unsure how expensive the problems would be to fix. Enter my parents. Mom and Dad were less than thrilled. "Oh honey, you don't want this house," was Dad's comment. I have to admit the water damage and mold were intimidating. The holes in the bathroom floor were dangerous. The lack of duct work, working plumbing, and working electricity presented serious issues.

Most people in our position choose a new house in the burbs as a solution to their space issues. That has its advantages: new wiring, new pipes, closet space, "good" public schools, and so on. On the other hand, such houses come with beige vinyl siding, are built in a subdivisions that recently were treeless cornfields, and require a 45 minute commute to downtown. Although that's what people like us are supposed to do, we love our old neighborhood and city location. We liked the idea of taking an older home and making it ours.

Enter Billy to the rescue. Billy saved our dream. I could kiss Billy. Billy was recruited by my Dad to come look at The Green House. Billy gave us confidence that this project could work. He gave us an approximate estimate of what it would cost to put new plumbing, electrical, and heating and cooling in the house. He explained the mold was dead, that the rotting beams could be easily fixed. He loved the house.

I did a happy dance in the basement, out of the realtor's sight, then walked upstairs with a grim face and said to Sandi, "there's asbestos." As if that were a deal breaker.

Raccoon Poop

2010-01-03T18:33:00.000-08:00

This is my Dad. My Dad is a veterinarian. Keep in mind he grew up on a farm, a swine farm.

When I was born the Obstetrician in the delivery room said, "what a cute little German Shepherd puppy." When I was eight-years-old and broke my arm, dad took an x-ray at his vet clinic before taking me to the emergency room. We have story after story like this. The baby in a dog cage picture is mandatory in our family.

Dad was a good small animal veterinarian and supported his family very well.

I made the mistake of telling my Dad one of the many stories I had heard about The Green House. This particular story involved the previous owner being attacked by a family of raccoons when he entered the attic.

My Dad is rarely one to overreact. The man loves his grandchildren deeply. The idea that his grandchildren are about to move to a house that was once infested by raccoons was more than Dad could handle.

Raccoons can have nasty roundworms. The worms are spread by eggs in their poop. These eggs can live a very long time and are very difficult to kill. Some children have died after ingesting these eggs. Other children have become paralyzed or lost their vision due to raccoon roundworm. This is all very rare. There is an even smaller chance that there might be remnants of raccoon poop, or small round worm eggs, in some nook or cranny when we move our Little Savages in to The Green House.

Dad decided to go to a veterinarian seminar about raccoon poop. While he was there he mentioned that he was concerned about his daughter who wanted to buy an old house in Irvington that has been empty for 28 years. Out of the blue, one of the other veterinarians said, "is that the green house?" This was when we realized that The Green House is infamous. The other veterinarian turned out to be the father of one of my neighbors. My dad and this guy were in vet school at the same time and, don't laugh, they were frat brothers at Farm House Fraternity. Small small world.

In the end Dad agreed to get off my case about the raccoon poop, and I agreed to steam clean the wood floors in the attic where the raccoons took up residence. I learned that I have a unique bond with one of my neighbors. There are some things only the daughter of a veterinarian can understand.

What Santa Brought

2009-12-29T05:17:00.000-08:00

We received our very first item for our new house. A few months ago my mother called to tell me that JC Penney was having a 50% off rug sale. "Merry Christmas," mom said, "pick something out for your new lilving room." Mom is all about bargains.

This is what I chose. The diamond pattern on the rug echos the diamond pattern on the leaded glass window in the living room.

I love this window. I wish there were more windows in The Green House like it.

The rug comes in three different palletts. I chose Spice. Warm colors go well with the stained quarter sawn white oak we have through out the foyer and living room. The colors in the rug are also dark enough to hide the copious amounts of dirt our good dog, Sierra, will track in. I'm happy with my choice.

The electrician begins work today!!! Time for some real light.

My Obsession Part 4

2009-12-28T07:48:00.000-08:00

I pushed the boys daily in the double jogger, and we always walked past The Green House. I became a serious stalker. I ran into the lawn guy one day. He told me that the house was owned by a family that had owned several properties in Irvington. The man went on to explain that the gentleman that owned the house had died several years ago, and his family was selling the house. He should have received commission for selling the house!

The morning we were to look at the house Sandi, our realtor, called to tell me that the house had serious interior damage. She said that there had been several offers on the house that had been accepted, but had fallen through. No one had been able to get a loan. My heart sank. She asked if we still wanted to see the house, and I responded yes. "Good" she said, "they just lowered the price $10,000." YIPPIE!

I stepped foot in the house, and it was our house. I could see my little savages walking down the staircase Christmas morning, and the turkey on the dinner table. I could see stockings hanging over the fireplace . I could picture our kids building forts in the backyard. There was more than enough room in The Green House for the large family The Mister and I had always dreamed of.

The Mister, always the negotiator, had firmly warned me that I was not to be overly enthusiastic about the house. In fact I was to be negative. I tried, I really tried. But when you see your children playing in the yard, and coming down the staircase Christmas morning, it's difficult to wear a poker face.

Luminaria

2009-12-22T13:43:00.000-08:00

Irvington had the annual neighborhood luminaria on Sunday evening. Our new block was lit up. It was beautiful. This is a new tradition for our family. We will look forward to the luminaria every year.

We also had the chance to meet and get to know more of our neighbors. What nice people! The Little Savages also made some new friends. Thank you so much. We're looking forward to the block party this summer.

My Obsession Part 3

2009-12-17T21:17:00.000-08:00

I was bored staying home with the kids day in and day out. I decided to take a peek at the listing for The Green House again. I was shocked at the new price and called The Mister. "Lets take a look at that house honey. I'll call the realtor." "Sure," he said without hesitation. He was probably playing along to make me happy.

I made the appointment with a realtor I selected at random (Sandi turned out to be a good choice) for a week later. The week between the time I made the appointment and the evening we looked at the house was torture. My obsession grew and grew. I stalked the house daily. I grew anxious when I saw other people looking at the house.

I peeked in the windows and fell in love with the staircase. My face prints are still on the window that I peeked through. I laugh when ever I see these prints.

I took my camera over one day so that I could take pictures through the windows to show The Mister. I was a serious nut. The Mister was surprisingly supportive. He liked the idea. He liked what he saw in the pictures. He secretly became obsessed too.

Porch Problems

2009-12-17T01:00:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite things about The Green House is the beautiful wide front porch . At some point in time someone decided to build a sitting room above the porch. I think I would like the exterior appearance of the house better if this addition had not been made.

But, the addition has created a nice interior space off of the master bedroom.

When we were negotiating the purchase of the house we hired a structural engineer to inspect the house. The engineer said that it looked like the beams above the porch were rotting.

He advised us to tear out the bead board on the ceiling of the porch so that we could examine the beams underneath. After obtaining the Certificate of Appropriateness from the Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission, we tore out the bead board.

We found rot, lots of rot.

We found some haphazard fixes. I'm know very little about this sort of thing, but I know that this is not the way this is supposed to look.

The porch needs work, lots of work. It's fixable. It's salvageable. We were prepared for this. We knew it was coming. The beams will be repaired and the bead board will go back up. It will be as good as new. The porch still needs new concrete. We will save that project for another day.

Gas Issues

2009-12-15T01:00:00.000-08:00

When we bought The Green House, the real estate listing specifically stated that there was gas heat, and a gas water heater.

The water heater is electric.

The boiler was powered by oil.

No gas. No gas line. No gas hook up.

We have had numerous contractors in and out of The Green House. Three of them have been heating and cooling contractors. Not one has ever pointed out that the house is not hooked up to gas. That is until Forrest came along. Forrest and his company will begin installing the heating and cooling system in The Green House today. Yeah Forrest!

The Mister called the gas company. The conversation went something like this.

"We don't have gas at our house."

"What is your address? I can't see your house on our aerial photograph."

"Look for the overgrown lot. You might see a bit of a dark roof."

"Oh yes, I can see it. Barely. All of the homes around you have gas."

The Mister was told that it takes 2-4 weeks for the gas company to install the gas line. It could take even longer if the ground froze.

We were happy to see that the gas company had marked the ground and put up flags early last week.

Saturday, The Mister met with a contractor at The Green House, only to discover that the post for the gas meter had been installed and more gravel had been poured on the driveway. Yippie.

The driveway really needed more gravel. Thanks gas company!

The gas company left this note on the meter post for us.

The only place the ground appears to have been disturbed is accross the street, where we were told our gas line would connect. It looks like the gas company chewed up the beautiful old stone curb in front of our neighbors house....errrr! I really don't like that, and I doubt my neighbors appreciate it. I'm sorry.

My main concern with the gas line was cost. It turns out that when you install gas, with our company, you get fifty free feet of line if you agree to use a gas water heater for 6 months. You then get another one-hundred free feet of line if you use a gas furnace. So we get 150 feet of free line. We think that will cover us, but have not yet received a statement. We still have to pay for the interior gas line. It's an unexpected expense I'm not thrilled about. But, we were prepared for the unexpected when we took on this house. It's part of the deal.

I'm happy that we are getting closer to having heat in The Green House. I have not stepped foot in the house in over a week. The thought of going inside right now is bone chilling. So I dream of living there next December. With a tree. With lights. With garland on the staircase. I can't wait.

My Obsession Part 2

2009-12-14T00:00:00.000-08:00

The Green House as the neighbors call it did go on the market a few years later. I was deeply disappointed that my dream home was on the market. The timing was just plain bad. I peeked at the listing. Five bedrooms, two bathrooms, Inglenook fireplace, and original woodwork. The for sale sign came down, then went up again, then came down and went up several times. I began taking fewer walks and focused my attention elsewhere. Gestating and lactating took over my life.

We had two sweet baby boys in 17 months. The last thing I had the energy to do was sell our house and renovate another.

But as our sweet baby boys grew into Little Savages, our sweet little two bedroom home became a bit crowded. I began taking long walks around the neighborhood again, this time with The Little Savages. The for sale sign was up in front of The Green House and my interests were stirred once again.

Newel Post

2009-12-12T21:28:00.000-08:00

I learn things in the oddest places. I think of things in the most random situations. The Mister and I were watching "National Lampoons Christmas Vacation." Yeah, I learned something about our house while watching "Christmas Vacation." Go figure. There is a scene where Clark Griswold cuts off the top of the post at the top of the stairs. He says, "I just fixed the newel post!" This scene is a tribute to the loose knob at the top of the stairs in "It's A Wonderful Life." Anyway, those words, newel post meant something to me.

I had done some earlier research on this strange light wired into the staircase at The Green House. I learned it was called a newel post lamp. I really had no frame of reference for what a newel post was so the name meant very little to me. I know so little about architecture.

When The Mister and I were done watching "Christmas Vacation" I Googled newel post. Here is what I learned, "in stairs having straight flights, it is the principal post at the foot of a staircase or the intermediate posts in the center, but never the ones at the landings." I found this to be of some interest, but it was the next sentence that piqued my interests. "In historic homes, the house plans were placed in the newel upon completion of the house before the newel was capped." It would be so cool if we were able to find the original house plans hidden in the newel. It's like a treasure hunt. I can't wait to go poke around and see what might be in there!!

Has anyone ever heard of this tradition before? Has anyone ever found house plans hidden away like this? I'm probably excited over nothing, but it's nice to dream.

My Obsession Part 1: My Introduction to The Green House

2009-12-12T00:00:00.000-08:00

During our pre-baby years, when we were skinny newly-weds, with time for ourselves, I frequently took walks around the neighborhood with our good little puppy. I had always admired a certain large white house with pillars. As I was walking along I began talking to a woman who lived near this beautiful white house. I asked her about the big white house and she explained that it was occupied by a family and being renovated.

The woman went on to explain that the house next door to it was a house that she had always admired and felt would go on the market within the next few years. She said the house had a unique fireplace and beautiful original woodwork. Very few updates had taken place over the years. I had never noticed this particular house before. It was green and sat far back from the street. The lot was overgrown and the house blended into the trees. The house seemed a bit spooky, but stirred my imagination.

My obsession began.

A Usable Attic

2009-12-10T00:00:00.000-08:00

One of the things The Mister has always dreamed of having in a home is a usable attic.

The attic is large and consists of one large room with two smaller rooms off of it. We plan on making the attic a suite for our Little Savages someday. Installing a bathroom is part of that plan. I think the Little Savages will love having an area of their own to be crazy adolescents in. I like that their mess will be upstairs and out of view.

I like that the Little Savages, who will someday be crazy adolescents, will have to walk past my room, and down the sloping hallway, to get to the attic. No one will be sneaking up there, and no one will be sneaking out. That makes me happy. (Watch me eat my words someday).

There is one little problem. The stairway to the attic is narrow, and has a 90 degree turn. Tall people have to duck when climbing the stairs. Getting furniture up to the attic is going to be difficult. I think Crazy Adolescent Savages will be happy with a couple of twin mattresses, a bed that can be brought up in pieces, and bean bags. Am I right?

While we have talked about making the stairway larger, there does not appear to be an easy way to do it. Someday we will probably kick ourselves for not making the stairway larger. Right now it seems like too much trouble. We just want to move in.

Radiators

2009-12-08T01:00:00.000-08:00

One of the biggest challenges we face in The Green House, is heating and cooling. The house still has steam heat and original radiators.

The radiators are beautiful. They have intricate scroll work on them. The radiators add a great deal of character and charm to the house. They are however, caked in lead based paint and rusted in many places due to water intrusion from a leaky roof.

The boiler is not in working condition. The one estimate we received to replace the boiler was $15,000. Keep in mind that figure does not include repairing leaky pipes and radiators, or removing lead based paint from radiators, or the cost of a cooling system. I think we would have liked steam heat. Warm, but not dry like forced air..... sounds great.

It pains me to remove these beautiful radiators from our 100-year-old home, but we simply cannot justify, or afford, the expense. Some of the radiators are massive. Removing them will give us more usable space, but I will miss them a great deal. Removing the massive boiler from the basement will give us more storage space too.

Goodbye radiators. Goodbye stinky boiler. We hope to begin removing the old equipment next week.

Urinal, or No Urinal?

2009-12-06T07:45:00.000-08:00

Our upstairs bathroom is surprisingly large.

This is our laundry shoot. We love the laundry shoot. I predict the Little Savages will have lots of fun with the laundry shoot, as I did, when I visited my grandma's house as a child.

The clawfoot tub is beautiful, or it will be. We don't know if it needs to be re-glazed yet. I'd like to try cleaning it up first. The Little Savages will be taking baths for a few years still and I can't wait to get pictures of them in this thing.

So the plan is to put a small shower in the corner, then put a sink and toilet next to it. The clawfoot tub will be centered beneath the window. The Mister and I agree on this floor plan. But I, the mother of two Little Savages, like dry toilet seats.

I would like to install a urinal for the use of our Little Savages who will be learning the art of aiming and accuracy over the next few years. The Mister objects to this plan. He says urinals are gross and he refuses to use one in his own home. I say anything our Little Savages use will be gross. I would prefer to keep my toilet, and my seat, dry and clean. Urinals are inexpensive and we have room for one.

Renovation tests a marriage. Isn't it fun? But, I will give my husband credit for this. He is very good about putting the seat down. His mother taught him well.

Gertrude's Kitchen

2009-12-04T16:12:00.000-08:00

Whenever I think about the kitchen, I think of Gertrude. Gertrude was The Davidson's servant reported in the 1920 census.  Her kitchen has been the most difficult room to plan in our house. We have three doors in our kitchen. One door is the back door, one door leads to the foyer, and one door goes to a back hallway.


We have two windows that drop very low and make it impossible to install counter tops underneath. And yes, we could take out windows to make things more convenient, or we could remove the pantry and open the kitchen onto the dining room to make it more modern. But we're not going to do that.

Forgive me for going on a rant. We bought an old house. We like our old house. If we liked new houses, we would have built one in the suburbs.   I was a foreign exchange student for a year in Germany, at the age of 16. I found that most Germans have small eat in kitchens.  German kitchens are very simple compared to American standards. The kitchens typically have doors that close them off from the rest of the house, like Gertrude's kitchen in The Green House. Ironically, Germans don't go out to eat as often as Americans. They don't buy as much prepared food as Americans. They spend more time preparing fresh healthy meals in their kitchens. I would love to see research on a possible correlation between the expanding American kitchen and the expanding American waistline. Is it healthy to sit on the couch within view the fridge? I wouldn't survive the temptation. Maybe all of that convenience isn't such a good thing. Trust me, my waistline needs all the help it can get.

Doors on a kitchen sound nice to this hausfrau.... peaceful even. I have two small savages after all. Doors on the kitchen will allow me to make cabbage and not stink up the whole house. The mister will be able to make tuna salad (YUCK) and I won't be forced to smell it... which, by the way, was the source of our very first fight as a married couple.

So we are leaving Gertrude's kitchen as is, sort of. We don't plan on this being our last and final kitchen. Sometimes, you need to live in a space before you decide how it will work best for you. I reserve the right to change my mind after all.

The Davidson Family

2009-12-02T14:20:00.000-08:00

The log of previous owners maintained at The Irvington Historical Society in The Bona Thompson Center.

I was informed at the closing by the previous owner that The Green House was known as The Davidson House. I already knew a little about the Davidson family from research that I had done. The Davidson Family occupied The Green House from approximately 1910 -1930. according to information obtained from the Irvington Historical Society.

Indianapolis 1933, Lemcke Building in Red

Robert Franklin Davidson and his wife, Mary Galvin, were both students at Butler. I found this account of their wedding in The Scroll of Phi Delta Theta, "Robert Franklin Davidson '92 married Miss Mary Bemis Galvin on April 18, (1900) in Irvington, IN. Miss Mary Galvin was a KKG at Butler and has recently been YWCA secretary at Schenectady NY. After a trip south Mr. and Mrs. Davidson will return to Indianapolis to reside at 1406 Park Ave. Bro Davidson is an attorney with offices in the Lemcke Building."

We have been able to find some evidence of Mr. Davidson's legal career.  In his most notable case, Mr. Davidson represented the Western Union Telegraph Co. in a regulatory case. The case went to the US Supreme Court in 1919, Mr. Davidson lost.

The 1920 census report reveals that Mr. and Mrs. Davidson, their three daughters, and a servant, Gertrude, resided in The Green House.  I believe that the Davidson's also had a son who died in 1917 and is buried at Crown Hill along side their middle daughter, Mary, who also died young. The Davidson's had a few difficult years. As a parent, I can't imagine what losing two children, so close together, would have been like.

I am fascinated with the Davidson family.  What were their political views? What did they think of the DC Stephenson case? Did the daughters attend Butler?  Would they have known The Oberholzer Family? What about the servant, Gertrude? Was she treated well?  Did she have a room in the attic?

I have a picture in my mind of who The Davidson family was, or at least who I want them to have been.  I think of The Davidson Family often as I visit The Green House.  I don't have a housekeeper. So, I'll be Mrs. Davidson and Gertrude rolled into one. I'll cook in Gertrude's kitchen and attempt to keep the house clean. Although, I'm sure Gertrude was a more competent housekeeper than I. I'll decorate like Mrs. Davidson, and accept callers on Tuesday afternoon. The Mister will be Mr. Davidson, the attorney, who goes to his downtown office just a block from Mr. Davidson's office.  I'm just missing the daughters... only Little Savages here. We'll have to work on that one.

Bare Beams

2009-11-30T16:35:00.000-08:00

Now that demolition of the plaster on The Green House is complete, we can see the structure. We were afraid of what we were going find. The structure is rock solid!

The beam above the Inglenook is in fact sagging, as we suspected, but ever so slightly. One has to look very close to see it. One carpenter has told us to leave it as is. He said that there is not much that can be done. We plan to have the structural engineer, that inspected the house when we were negotiating the purchase, come look at the structure a second time.

It is amazing what such a slight sag in a beam can do to a house. Our upstairs hallway is slanted because of this beam. I really want my hallway fixed. How am I supposed to walk to bed after a few glasses of Pinot Noir when the hallway slopes? On second thought, a sloping hallway might come in handy as The Little Savages grow into young men. A built in sobriety test! Don't try to pull any fast ones... your Mama is thinking ahead.

Tearing out the plaster was a stressful experience. In the end, we are glad we did it. We can now see the structure. We know what we have. We know it is solid. We are confident moving forward.

Now on to putting this house back together.

Home

2009-11-27T06:53:00.000-08:00

Mom and Dad built this house. We moved in in the fall of 1979, when I was three-years-old. This is The Richards Family Home. It is a place we cherish. Our home reflects who we are and what is important to our family.

It was a wonderful place to grow up. We fished and skated on the lake. We caught lightening bugs in the yard. We celebrated birthdays and graduations on the deck. We mourned my brother's death here. We celebrated the births of our children here. My mother's cancer was healed here.

My parents have lived between the same two families for over thirty years. The Youngs are my second family. We get on each other's nerves and make each other mad, just like siblings. We always know we can count on The Young Family in a crisis. Mom and Dad have built a strong web of friends in the town of Avon. For my parents, Avon is still the same small town they moved to almost 40 years ago, despite the explosion of growth that has taken place over the the past decade.  Mom and Dad have invested their time, energy, and love in their community and in their church.  They take loving their neighbor seriously, and that love has been returned many times over during the past few of years as my mother battled pancreatic cancer and my brother died.


I can't imagine my parents living anywhere else. Their home is a part of them.  Their community is a part of them.  Home was a wonderful gift that Mom and Dad gave to my siblings and I. It is the gift that we hope to give to our children.

This is your home. This is your community. This is where you belong.

The Basement

2009-11-24T00:00:00.000-08:00

When we looked at The Green House the first time, we weren't expecting much from the basement. We were expecting more of a cellar. We were in for a surprise.

What we found was unlike anything we had ever seen. Our basement is lined with subway block. These cement blocks have the most beautiful blue green glaze.

I actually look forward to doing laundry in the basement. The subway block does not appear to be original. We have a brick foundation. The brick foundation pokes through the cement block in one corner. Of course it happens to be my corner, the laundry corner.

Sure, our basement seeps when it rains, just like most basements in the area. We hope to solve that problem with some exterior grading at some point in the future.

Then there is this awful drop ceiling that is ancient. It was filled with all sorts of filth. We had walnuts up there. The ancestors to Irvington's present day squirrel population used our drop ceiling to store food twenty years ago. I honestly don't want to disgust anyone with a further description of what was in that ceiling. The ceiling is gone now, along with the filth.

That makes me smile.

Studs

2009-11-22T00:00:00.000-08:00

We are making progress at The Green House.

The second floor has been gutted down to the studs.

The studs look good to me.

They will have to shim the studs to put up drywall.

They shim because the studs are not always even, and a flat surface is needed to hang drywall on.

I really don't know what I am talking about, only what others have told me.

During the process of demolition on the second floor it was discovered that our roof leaked.

It's not a huge surprise.

The roof is not old.

It was just poorly done, not to mention ugly.

Replace it or fix it?

We have decisions to make.

Now that we are working on the first floor, demolition is a bit more difficult.

We have columns in our living room that can easily be harmed.

We have our Inglenook Fireplace that is a bit fragile,

and we have our staircase that I am in love with.

I hope and pray that these things will be protected as demolition continues.

I wish I could say that everything has gone well.

We've had a few things break, and I was disappointed.

But, those things will be fixed.

Demolition should be done in a week, then we will begin electrical and carpentry work.
I'll be happy when demolition is done.
Putting the house together the way we want it will be fun!

Big Mama Ginkgo

2009-11-20T00:00:00.000-08:00

What's that smell?

We checked the Littlest Savage.

He's not the culprit, this time.

Did you walk in front of The Green House?

We have a little problem.

Actually, she's a BIG problem.

We have a female Ginkgo tree.

She is big. She is beautiful.

We understand each other well.

She is one fertile Mama, and has scattered her offspring throughout our yard.

She brings balance to our house full of testosterone.

She is old, and has beautiful leaves.

The man who built The Green House in 1905 was a Landscape Architect.

We speculate that he was the one who planted Big Mama Ginkgo.

Big Mama Ginkgo would be much more pleasant if she didn't produce these.

They're soft seeds that drop on the sidewalk.

The seeds burst when people walk on them.

When the seeds burst, they smell putrid.

Big Mama Ginkgo is not done dropping her seeds for the year.

We hope to help Her become more pleasant next year.

We would like to give her birth control.
Yes, there is birth control for trees!

I think an Arborist can inject it, but I need to learn more.

I don't want to harm Big Mama Ginkgo.
I just want to help her out a little.

Demolition continues at The Green House.
More on that in the next post.

DEMOLITION!

2009-11-18T00:00:00.000-08:00

Matt and his crew began to remove the plaster from The Green House Monday.

Removing the plaster makes me somewhat sad.

The plaster is 100 years old.

I like things that are old.

I like plaster.

It was a tough decision.

Some of our plaster was moldy and had heavy water damage.

Our house has not been temperature controlled in 28 years.

That's not good for plaster.

We plan on living the rest of our lives in The Green House.

We don't want the plaster to crash in on us one day.

Removing the plaster allows us to insulate, which saves money,

lots of money over the next 30 years.

We also want to re-wire, and re-plumb.

Those things are easier done when there are no walls.

So we made the decision to remove the plaster, and I hope it was the right decision.

The mess is a bit disturbing and exciting at the same time.

We're finally making progress!

We are also removing and discarding the painted trim.

It's covered with lead base paint and will be easy to replace.

The stained trim will be labeled and preserved.

The interior doors are staying.

They'll be repainted.

I could do a whole post about how much I love these doors.

I could do another post about how much I love the hardware.

Another day.

For now we are happy to be making progress.

We are one step closer to making The Green House habitable

and one step closer to moving in.

Yippie!

An Ingle What?

2009-11-16T11:10:00.000-08:00

The Green House has some funky characteristics that make it unlike any other house I have been in.

One of my favorite characteristics is the fireplace.

It's a little room off of the living room.

It's called an Inglenook Fireplace.

That's where the blog gets its funny name.

Ours has built in benches.

It's very cozy.

Some changes have taken place over the years.

The beam above is sagging.
We plan to have that fixed, soon.

The sagging beam is causing the trim to bow.

The trim is wimpy and not original.

The opening at the top does not match the height of the opening to the dining room

or the opening to the foyer.

Which leads us to believe that there must have been a piece of trim at the top,

that was probably dislodged when the beam began to sag.

It's a bit or a mystery.

Then there is the brick.

The brickwork has some nice details.

The edges are nice and curved, except on top where it is blunt.

What was originally up there?

Could the brick have originally gone to the ceiling?

Or was there a wood mantle?

We have our work cutout for us, and some research to do.

Any advice?

Matt and his crew began demolition of the plaster today.
It's very exciting, and scary at the same time.
I promise pictures in the next post.

The Mister and Power Tools

2009-11-14T19:10:00.000-08:00

There are lots of trees at The Green House.

Which means lots of leaves.

The Mister and I tried to rake the old fashion way a few weeks ago.

We didn't make much of a dent.

My dad loaned us his blower.

The Mister felt very manly.

He had lots of fun.
He even missed a few football games!

Can you guess what is on The Mister's Christmas list?

He bagged lots of leaves.
That makes me happy.

It makes the neighbors happy too.

They sometimes applaud as they drive by.

You would have to know The Green House to understand.

The End.

PS I promise something more exciting in the next post.

I'm hoping for sledgehammers and demolition Monday.

Tree Removal

2009-11-12T18:40:00.000-08:00

Timothy Paul removed a few trees for us last week.

Timmy was cheap.

Timmy did a great job.

Here is what The Green House looked like before.

Here is what the Green House looks like now.

Timmy took away this beautiful tree.

It was old. It was falling.

These had to go too,

as did these,

becuause they caused this lovely interior damage.

We were excited to get rid of this brush pile,

only to discover this pile of junk hiding behind it.

Dumpster please!

We like what we can see now, even if it looks a little dilapidated.

All is well at The Green House.

Our Little Savages agree.

Hi! We Just Bought The Heap of Crap Next Door

2009-11-10T18:59:00.000-08:00

Meeting our new neighbors has been a thrill. Everyone has been warm and welcoming. I was a bit nervous. I was afraid that they would think we are nuts. They probably do think we are nuts.

Let me explain. The house we just bought is commonly referred to in the neighborhood as "The Green House." Everyone knows The Green House. The neighborhood kids think the house is spooky. It sat empty for the last 28 years. The ninety-year-old man that owned the house was a bit "eccentric" with a long white beard, and only used the house as storage. The Green House has no working heat, electrictricity, or plumbing.

I'm in love with this 100 year old house. I can't wait to raise our two Little Savages there. I can't wait to spend the next 30 years there with The Mister. But we have a lot to do first. Like, making The Green House livable and safe for two Little Savages.

Come laugh with us as we attempt to make this work.