Whew! Only eleven days since we closed on our small-town Victorian (with Thanksgiving smack-dab in the middle), and Renaissance Man and I are being not-so-kindly reminded by our bodies that we are 13 years older than we were the last time we renovated a house!
What, pray tell, have we done? 😅
But don’t worry. This post isn’t about aches and pains, but about PROGRESS.
Even if you follow @smalltownvictorian on Instagram (thank you for that!), I promise blog posts will have a lot more pics and details, so here we go . . .
We knew when we bought the house that both HVAC units were long overdue for replacement, so right off the bat, we had to tackle that. It’s a real bummer when the first big cha-ching is spent on something invisible, but not only will it ensure we wake up in the morning [the flue was rusted out and gas was slowly leaking back into the house], but we’ll be a lot more energy-efficient as well as comfy-cozy.
We closed on a Friday, purchased supplies Friday evening, and spent Saturday and after church Sunday flooring and insulating a section of the attic in preparation for the Monday morning arrival of the crew.
Look at that beautiful old chimney brick! And look at that behemoth of an old HVAC. Bye-bye!
Because of the Thanksgiving holiday—and because there were two units to replace—that project took about a week. I’d like to tell you that crew is totally finished, but I can’t. Earlier this week we had really high winds, and when Renaissance Man felt how much air was coming down the fireplaces, we knew the two chimneys need to be capped. And so we’re waiting to learn when that can be done.
While the HVAC guys worked during the day, Renaissance Man worked at night sanding floors. For some crazy reason, it was a trend in the 1980s to paint perfectly good wood floors, and our house must’ve had trendy owners back then because the floors on the second floor and the little room on the third floor were all painted.
Real estate listing
Not anymore!
Hello, century-old heart pine floors! Enjoy breathing again…
Hmmm… I wonder why that hole is in the master bedroom floor. Old houses are full of surprises!
I’ll admit, I’m still trying to get used to the idea that we have this house—and that we’re going to move in before it’s fully renovated (or I’m fully ready). But we are—and I’ll get there.
To start embracing the process, I started removing wallpaper.
Sometimes it’s therapeutic . . . especially when you get lucky and it comes off easily! I might have done a happy dance . . . Of course, I know I won’t get so lucky in every room.
Previous owners’ dining room. Our living room.
I counted at least 6 old wallpapers in addition to the 1980s “beauty” plus 3 different colors of paint. Sounds about right for a house built 108 years ago. I’m thinking that beautiful long-hidden design needs to be reproduced somewhere in the house. Agree?
Speaking of old house surprises . . . Did you notice that patch to the right above the fireplace in the “stripped room” pic above? Look closer and you see a circle. The kind of circle left when a stove pipe is removed. I didn’t expect to see that. Wonder what I’ll find above the other fireplaces.
When I enter a house for the first time, I like to go in through the front door.
Not sure why I didn’t give you the same courtesy. Perhaps because the front door knob falls off!
Anyway, to the right of the entry hall is the room that’s been stripped of wallpaper. It will be our living room.
Real estate listing
And to the left will be our dining room.
Real estate listing. Previous owners’ living room.
Look closely. Last year’s-still-in-the-house-while-selling (huh?) Christmas tree may be the only one you see in this house this season. Sad, I know. We’ll have to see what the next few weeks bring.
After closer inspection, we think the downstairs floors were painted at one time. Unfortunately, someone (who didn’t know how to use a drum sander) sanded it off. We’ll probably tackle them, too, but we have a few questions, so we’re waiting on the pro we used in our last house to stop by for a quick consultation.
Tomorrow starts the security system install and more finish sanding—and then we’ve got to knock off for the weekend and start focusing on this. If you’re anywhere in the vicinity of Jefferson City, Tennessee on December 8, come join us!
Have you ever renovated an old house? Would you do it again?
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