August
Just painting and more painting so far this month. We have one side of the house completely done and hopefully by weeks end we will be finished with it all..............well I can hope! We are really liking the color combination.  It took us a long time to figure it out and it was worth it. So glad we hired someone to paint the peaks!  It is way too high for us!

      Well here we are at the end of July, and the weather this year has been crummy.  We did not have a chance to do much outside in the spring and the summer is not doing all that better.  Will re-cap the last few months.

May Spent most of this month putting in the shower in our downstairs bathroom.  We had lots of tile to lay and grouting to do, but in the end it turned out GREAT.  We love it!  Also worked on the fireplace surround.  Putting up the Connemara marble from Ireland was so satisfying.  I have wanted to do this for such a long time.  We ran out of the marble and will have to get about 4 more pieces. In between rain showers we put in another raised bed and got the garden planted.  We also re-painted and re-wired a chandelier and put it up in the dining room.  Painted and put a medallion on the ceiling too.  Except for the floor and decorating, that room is done! Brian's cousin gave us their old swing set and we now have a great place for the grandkids to play.  Brian re-stained it and now it looks new again! Still need to finish landscaping around it...but the kids don't mind how it looks!

June   Worked on some little finishing projects, like the threshold between our bedroom and bathroom, and putting up more of the trim in the upstairs bathroom, hung some pictures and a mirror. Got outside on a few of the nice days and did some yard work and got the flag pole moved over by the garden.  It looks great there!  We have 3 flags up there now, the American Flag, The Chinook Tribe and the 4 provinces of Ireland. 

July   Back to scraping and painting the house.  We hired Chris D to do all the peaks as we do not really want to climb up that high on a ladder or crawl along the roof.  It is looking great. We are using 4 colors. a light grayish tan called Pewter Moon and a darker grey called Silver
spree. Then the trim around the windows is white and most of the gingerbread is a burgundy red.  I will post some pix soon!  One thing we had to do that was not so fun, was to tear apart the outside of the house because the new shower was leaking.  What a big job!  But it was better than tearing apart the tile.  Brian fixed the leak and we put it all back together again.  I bought an old table and sanded it and painted it for a vanity in the bathroom.  Also refinished and re-covered an old chair to match.  I have always wanted a vanity and now I have one.  We have also planted some bushes and have had fun harvesting some of our garden veggies.  The Dahlias are on early this year and are so colorful.  We have quite the crop. Bought all the flooring for the living room and dining room and will get it put in this fall.  Looking forward to that for sure...oh my aching knees! That is about it for now.....

Just figured out how to change the settings so people 

could leave comments on the blog!  So go for it, 

we would love to hear from you!

We have continued our restoration and have accomplished a lot on the past 5 months.  It's been busy around here for sure.  I had knee replacement surgery at the end of January, so I am still not doing ladders, but can do anything that does not include climbing.

Here are some of the things we have done:

November: Insulated the living room ceiling, then hired a friend of Heather and Adams that is a professional sheetrocker.......is that even a word?  Brian was his go-fer and they got all of the living room, dining room, stairwell and upper hallway done, complete with texturing, primer and a base coat of flat wall paint in a neutral color.  The house was so torn apart for the better part of two weeks, but the results were amazing! What a BIG difference it had made.

December: painted the wall by the fireplace green, and brought in the cabinets for the fireplace wall, also started painting and putting up the window and door trim in the living room.

January: Continued painting and putting up trim in the living room and dining room, put some insulation under the house...much more to do. Worked on finishing all of the trim in the kitchen including building a new utensil drawer, scraping, sanding and painting the rest of the wainscoting, and Brian built a great little knick knack shelf for me...even though he knows I will just fill it with "stuff". Painted the lower half of the dining room wall a dusty pink..looks great!

February: Tony (the sheetrocker) came back down for a weekend and did the back bathroom upstairs.  Brian did most of the painting as I was just not up to it yet.  Right now we are using it for a bedroom for a granddaughter as we have two of them living with us now...FUN! But this summer we will get the fixtures in and finally get that bathroom done!

March: Worked in the yard quite a bit as we had a week of spring like weather, nice to get outside. Also worked on finishing the trim in the conservatory and in our bedroom, nice to have those done. Lot's of cussing and caulking involved in putting up the crown molding in the bedroom...but it is so worth it.

April:  So far, this month has been spent painting and putting up crown molding in the living room.  Hired a pro to install it as it was a bit beyond us to do.  He did a GREAT job. Also painted more in the living room and upper dining room walls. 

As we were painting today Brian commented that the old girl  (how we sometimes refer to the house) must be feeling better with all this new paint...and that we first had to start with putting a new hat and shoes on her!  (the roof and foundation)  It's a good comparison!  Soon we will have a true Painted Lady!

It has been a busy few months! We have focused on getting the house painted, but what a job. As of this date we have about half of it scraped, sanded and painted with primer. About 10% has the actual finished colors on it. We have also added trim around the back door and some of the windows. It is looking good, but what a lot of work it has been. Will continue to work on it as we have nice fall days.
We have also finished the upstairs porch by sealing and painting the floor. Then we could finally replace the rotten boards in the hallway. So that is repaired and insulated and we will hopefully get it sheet rocked soon. Have put up more sheet rock in the living room and Brian has the fireplace surround just about finished. (with sheet rock) It looks great! It will be a good winter job to finish.
A lot of work has gone into the yard. We have grass planted on the side yard and hey it is growing really well. I guess the third time is the charm! We bought special soil called energy. And boy did the grass seed ever take off like wildfire!
We bought a 29 foot trailer to use for a bunkhouse when we have a lot of family here, and we will also be renting it out. So if you are interested, let us know!
Cleaned off the back hillside pulled down some trees and laid down lots of new dirt and rock, will finish that project in the spring by adding gravel to the new parking area and on the driveway. Made some new flower beds...or should I say Rock beds. Just something to make it look good and that the deer will not eat.
We had a great garden this year with lots of potatoes, tomatoes and onions. Also my dahlias were so bountiful and so pretty.
Got the back deck cleaned, sanded and the first coat of stain on it, will do the final coat when we finish the painting on the house. (too much of a chance of splatters!) We got one of the spires up on the witches peak! Looks great! (Thanks to Adam for climbing way up there!!!) Did some finishing work on my big closet upstairs. Added a light and sheet rock and paint. It is so organized! Love it!
That's about all I can think of right now...I just know the summer has just flown by!

Cannot believe I have not added to this blog since last November. We had a busy winter and really did accomplish a lot. Guess the easiest way to do it would be to just add a list.

Got the glass block shower put together in the downstairs bathroom, (still need to add the tile)

Tiled the back splash in the kitchen and put up and painted the trim around one window

Attached all the cabinets in the bathroom, built the vanity top, installed the tile and the sink!
(wow, so nice to have a sink in the bathroom now!)

Gutted, insulated and sheet rocked the old closet upstairs, painted, added trim and new flooring & built shelves and now we have a linen closet upstairs

Worked on the upstairs deck, replaced all the rotting boards and support columns, added a railing, and sealed and painted it.

Did some more sanding and painting in the kitchen

Insulated and put up a few pieces of sheet rock in the living room

Built new raised beds in the garden

Built a fire pit in the side yard

Picked out the house colors. Pewter Moon and Silver Spree, with white and burgundy trim

Started scraping, sanding and putting primer on the outside of the house. Hope to have it painted by the end of the summer.

Had 75 sheets of sheet rock delivered so we can get the downstairs and the hall sheet rocked

So that has all been in the last 6 months...not bad.....

Just finished caulking, sealing and putting a coat of primer on the outside of the front window. We had put some caulk on it last week, but it rained hard that night and washed it all away allowing water to leak inside. We have had a few days of sunny weather so cleaned off the rest of the old stuff and did it again. Should work this time! Lot's of sun to get it dry!
Brian also did some trim work in our bedroom so not too many little details left and that room will be done!
I have been busy painting a new (to us) nightstand for our bedroom. It should be ready to go in place tomorrow.

The front window is back in place! Yea! Still some work to do to finish insulating and get the trim up, but what a difference already! Darrel and Roberta happened to stop by just as we were about to do it, and it was so nice to have their help! It is doing nothing but raining, so it will be a while before we can finish the outside work, but work continues inside.

We have been lucky in October so far and have had such a beautiful weather month. Have been able to work outdoors most days. As a result we got a lot more yard work done including putting in new steps down to the Gazebo and doing some landscaping and planting grass in that area. Also transplanted another of the Barberry to the side of the house.
I finished putting the last coats of paint on the front window and just today did the last of the detailing. It is now ready to go back in place. Brian has re-built most of the inner frame work as it was pretty rotten! It is also painted and ready to go. But unfortunately the rain has arrived so will have to wait until a decent day to get it in. What a difference it will make.
Chuck came down and did the final inspection. So we are done with the items needed to be completed to get the building permit finalized. So good to have that item checked off our list.
Also finished scraping, sanding and painting the rest of the front porch. Got the steps done back in August, but now it is a completed job! Wooo Hooo! Good to use that word! Every project here seems to get to the "almost done" phase and then we move on to the next one. Nice to have something actually completed!

Ack! Here it is almost the end of September already. Still no time to update the website....will do that some dark and stormy day. Right now we are madly rushing to get the last little things done so the building inspector can come down and sign off on the building permit. The last two things were the earthquake straps for the hotwater heater, and the wired-in smoke alarms. Brian did the straps a few months ago but just finished the wiring and installation of the smoke alarms a few days ago. Will be so nice to have Chuck down here to sign off on the last of the work he has to see.
In the last few weeks we have also put up the siding and trim on the outside of the conservatory, painted the base of it, and Brian finished the outside stairs and railings. It looks just great!
Brian also added two lights in the attic, and I finished glazing the front window panes. That was a job that really took up a lot of my time this summer, from scraping, gluing and painting to finding a new matching pane, (cause I broke one) to the actual glazing job itself. The only thing left to do is put on a few coats of paint and then we can get it put back up in the front of the house where it belongs. Will have to get some family help for that project.
Now that the weather is iffy we will again turn to the inside jobs, and there are too many of those to list. The first big project will be to get our bathroom done! (at least it better be)

Amazing how fast this summer has gone by. We have been so busy that there has been no time to update the website or blog. So here goes:
We are in our bedroom (YEA) and it is almost done, just some trim to put up and then to decorate. Feels so good to have a lot of closet space and not be living out of totes anymore! Brian did a great job of putting the bed together, but we didn't realize how tall it would be, so he had to build us a couple of steps to get up into it!
We had a little work party over the 4th of July weekend, and really got a lot done. Here's a quick list.
Expanded our garden area by extending the fence so we can plant even more veggies and flowers next year. It has been nice to have some fresh veggies, herbs and fruit.
Tore down all the rest of the old wall board and ceiling tile in the living room and dining room.
Worked on restoring the front window
Planted some Barberry bushes
Other projects we have been busy with:
Finished the floor and did more trim work in the conservatory and actually moved furniture in there. It looks great!
Built the steps and railing outside the conservatory
Added more red rock, brick and steps to the side area
Added a few more flower beds around the gazebo and under a couple of trees
Planted lots of flowers and shrubs
Cleaned, scraped, sanded and painted the front steps (thanks Colleen for all the hard work sanding!) also replaced one rotten board.
We had a lot of company this summer, from Ireland and Switzerland, and of course our family from Seattle. Had grandkids here for most of the summer, so I am surprised we got anything done.
Fall is almost upon us and we have a lot to do before the weather turns. We will see how it goes!

The floor is done in the bedroom and the wardrobe is up! Most of the baseboard is down as is the crown molding. We ran out of both so will pick up more at Lowes this Friday. The bed is just about all painted and ready to set up. Brian needs to do a little more cutting to make it work. We hope to get moved in there over the weekend! Yippee!
Have been working outside a lot since the weather has been good. Changing some of the flower beds and paths. It is looking good!

Just finished updating the website, and adding new info and pictures. Since I did that we have continued to work on the bedroom, getting the crown molding up, and other trim pieces. I also fixed the sheet rock and put up wallpaper on one wall in the kitchen. We have also picked out the flooring for the conservatory, so the next few weeks should be dedicated to the flooring in the bedroom and conservatory. How fun! (so I say now before I spend a week on my knees!)

More pictures to come as we continue......

We have made a lot of progress in the past few months.
KITCHEN
Installed a new plate cupboard in the kitchen
A new shelf for the microwave
BEDROOM
Finished repairing floor
Finished insulating and caulking around windows
Ceiling tile in the bedroom is up and painted
Walls are sheet rocked, wallpapered and painted
Installed the rest of the bead board and painted it
Trim around windows and doors is all sanded and repainted
Finished off the closet and wallpapered
Sanded and painted the drawers for the bed
Sanded and painted the display case for the bedroom
DINING ROOM
Tore off all the old tiles and linoleum
Took down the old wallboard (thanks to Emily and crew)
Took down the old ceiling tiles

Cleaned out the garage & hauled a huge load to the dump (thanks to Heather & fam)

Put up shelving and cupboards in the big garage

We really want to get back into our bedroom so have been putting most of our energy towards that goal. Next comes the flooring!

We had our first nice day of spring yesterday so we were able to work out in the yard and even got part of our vegetable garden planted. Lot's of weeding and yard maintenance too.

Hopefully I will find the time soon to add new pictures and text to the website.

Looking back at 2007, and despite the setbacks, I can see that we really did make some big strides. The conservatory was one of them. It is almost finished, just some more trim and the flooring needs to be done, and then.....I can move furniture in there and actually do some decorating. We have taken care of the leaks and the only thing left to do on the outside is the siding and lattice. WOW!
Other than that we have our bedroom started. Most of the sheetrock is up, the subfloor and insulation are done and next comes the ceiling tile.
We also got the pantry built in the kitchen. It really makes a big difference. We can store so much in there that it makes a lot of room in the rest of the cupboards. I have been busy rearranging them to make things easier to get at.
We got the fence up around the secret garden area and even got a few trees and bushes planted. Cleaned and organized the garage...(but all we did was fill up the empty spaces with more stuff!)
A new updated water-system was put in and made a big difference in the water quality.
I have started working on my office and storage closet. I wanted to start the year out being able to find the desk and the floor. It needs more work, but it is a start.
Most of the rest of the work has been maintenence, but it's all part of the process.

We have been busy busy! Brian got all the wainscoting for the conservatory cut into lengths and now I am sanding and staining them. Need to do over 140 to complete the job. Also found a nice green paint for the wall so will get that done this week.
Started putting up the wainscoting in the bedroom, got it glued and nailed up. Also glued down the subfloor (one more small piece to go). A few more pieces of sheetrock went up too. It's getting there!

We have been making some major progress in the past few weeks. The 1/4 inch sheet rock arrived so we have been putting that up in the bedroom. Have also been scraping and sanding the window trim and sills to get them ready to paint. Brian has the sub floor almost finished and the wiring is complete. Still waiting on the ceiling tiles to get here. They are over a week overdue......
We have also been working in the conservatory. Got the gutters up, nice to have that job done. Spent hours sanding and scraping 112 years of paint off the outside of the house (which is now part of the inside of the conservatory). Got down to the bare wood in some places and could see the old salmon pink color that the house was first painted. Have the primer on it, just have to pick out a paint color now. Brian started cutting wainscoting in lengths to put around the inside of it, and I have been sanding and painting them, getting them ready to put up. Hopefully we will get some up before the kids get here for Thanksgiving.

After our vacation down the coast last week Brian and I got busy and got the roof finished on the conservatory. So VERY nice to have that part finished. Putting the last few panels in was pretty tricky, and it took some time and patience, but got it done. Now we need it to rain so we can see if it leaks. Brian also worked on some trim work to make it look finished and I did most of the caulking. The next day he put in some wiring so we can have electricity in there. Other than that we have the ceiling tiles ordered for the bedroom and the 1/4 inch sheet rock is still on back order....so we wait to work on that room. Meanwhile we are winterizing the yard.....always a big job.

The last few weeks have seen a big change. We moved upstairs to be able to tear apart and remodel our bedroom. I tore all the old paneling off and then Em and crew finished tearing the old ceiling tiles off and tore up the old sub floor. Underneath was the original fir floor, but one whole side was rotten. So we cannot use it and will continue with our original plans of putting down some new flooring. Brian put in some cross beams to replace the damaged ones and cut some boards to fill in the left side of the floor. I got busy and insulated wherever I could. Had to clean one area out that was full of birdseed and nuts and other nasty stuff...........ick. The mice had a ball filling that area up.
Brian and Jahn and Em also worked on the conservatory. Getting started on putting up the roof. The weather did not cooperate and we were unable to finish it because of the downpour. But maybe next weekend.
Also got some primer put on the exterior of the west side of the house.

Haven't posted in quite sometime as we haven't really been able to do much. We both hurt our knees, and have been gimping around. Also Brian's work schedule has been crazy and I have spent quite a bit of time in Seattle. So here's hoping the fall will prove to be more productive. Here is what we did do:
Finished putting up the fence (just the painting to do)
Painted some trim for the upstairs bathroom
Bought cabinets for the living room
Tried to keep up with the mowing and weeding

Well what a wild work party we had! So many people here to help! It was really nice to see everyone pitch in and try and get the job done. We got the conservatory sides and door in.....no roof yet. It was a lot harder than it looked. There was a lot of reading over the instructions and scratching of the head! But hey.....it's almost there! Also got started on the fence around the secret garden area. Got the back part up and the posts in for the front. Brian and I plan on doing the rest this week. Also got a lot of bark dust spread and a tree planted. Many thanks to all who helped!!!
Scott was here on Thursday and got the old chimney down and the roof patched. Thank goodness we won't have the leaks to deal with this winter! And the guy from the Water Doctor was here and installed the new system. The jury is out yet on the results. It seemed fine for the first few days, but it is back to smelling like rotten eggs again. Brian tried flushing out the hot water tank and bleaching it. Will see if that clears it up! So tired of having yucky water! Especially after all we have paid to get the system in.