Ceiling down!

Yet another ceiling bit the dust.  It just couldn't fight the weight of the blown in above, the cracking and sagging was beyond repair.  Side note-it was RED at one point!

Under the wallpaper, over the fireplace and um, wow

I've been busy scraping the wallpaper in the hall and stairs

Under one the paper next to the door frame into the dormer bedroom there were some numbers and a word

And above the stairs on the wall

I think the "official" build date might be wrong.  This is the second time I've found what appears to be a date of 1923.  I am guessing this means April of 1923.  The other time was the dated lath.

The living room is coming together.  Finally the little bump out over the fireplace is done-it's framed with 2x4's then covered with osb and finally drywall.  There's an outlet and cable there ready for a flatscreen.  It looks SO much better in drywall!  And I kind of like the light gray.  I might paint the room this basic color with white trim.  It looks pretty classy with the fireplace.

Lastly, the um, wow.  This is what is left of a cottage I looked at before the Bungalow.  It was in rough shape and it was a little difficult to reach-only via staircase or water.  Apparently it was a little rougher than I thought.

More drywall and a before and during

Drywall is still progressing along.  I had some peeps promise and swear to help and bail, but one rock star is still going strong-and doing a damn good job!  I think I will probably be bidding this out next time since it doesn't pay to believe in some people.  It'll be quicker and leave me more time to focus on other things, like tile and trim and door repair-although I hope I don't find too many that have the doors this messed up!

Some pretty damn nice drywall mudding, that I did NOT do because I am actually quite bad at it

The downstairs half bath-the bottoms of the walls will be beadboard.  I think I decided on Sherwin Williams Sea Salt for the upper wall paint color.

(the kitchen isn't as blue as it looks for some reason-it's just the lighting)

This is the corner where the chimney cupboard was

This is the before of that corner from a little further back

From even further back

Why I need to focus on trim and door repair

Some progress on the built in

Did a bit of work on the built in today.  Added a little shelf above the fridge spot for bread or small items.  Instead of just buying some new plywood or something, a couple shelves from one of the old cabinets upstairs were repurposed into a new shelf.  They didn't fit perfectly tight, but I am leaving the gaps so some air can circulate behind the fridge for cooling.  Obviously this isn't done, but it's getting there.

This stamp was on one of the shelves.  I turned this piece upside down so when I paint the shelving it's preserved for the future:

Kitchen side

Den side:

Peeling the wallpaper

I am trying to decide if I want to skim the plaster in the hall/stairwell.  It's survived the best off all of the plaster and if I can save any, it will be this.  So I am peeling the wallpaper.

The neat part (to me) is that this area was never painted, so the plaster beneath it is "raw"-except for a little bit along the bottom where they got paint from the trim on it, before putting up the paper.

The ivy pattern was the second layer, there is another older layer below.

The plaster itself is really rough and wavy, so I might not find it effective to try to smooth it out.  But I might try anyway, since it's both a chance to learn how and a chance to save some original plaster!

How far it's come...

So it's been just a bit over two months since I officially became the owner of the Bungalow Project.  While I must admit I had hoped to be further along, it's still quite something to see the changes that have happened.

I'm going to just post the outside for now, since no single inside room is complete enough for me to feel it warrants a then and now comparision, although some are getting there.

Before, with the porch lattice but not showing the poor condition of the roof as well

Before, without the porch lattice, showing the roof.  I think I might have painted the porch trim by this point though.

This past weekend, with the new roof, siding, windows and landscape cleaned up a bit.  Still more to do, but it's getting there.  Thinking if taking the lattice off of the bump out.  As far as I can tell, there's nothing growing on it.  I didn't find any evidence in the garden and there were no bits of vine on it.

Siding and ceilings!

Siding is done!

Ceilings are starting to go up.  The kitchen ceiling presented a dilemma.  It had a bit of a "wave"-which of course wasn't a problem for plaster, they just put more on.  It presented more of a problem for drywall.  It was resolved with the removal of specific pieces of lath and 2x4's.

The dining room is hung.  On to mud, tape and sanding here!

A use for the unmudded gaps in drywall and a dark photo

I found a use for the "gaps" between sheets of drywall, pre-mud. I have been making myself crazy trying to settle on some paint colors, since I refuse to go the "typical flip" method of a) all white b) all beige with white trim or c) all gray with white trim. While I might have a gray room or two, I also want some blue/gray and green/gray. You know, some COLOR. Now that drywall is going up, the lighting is going back to the way it will be (drywall walls vs just open studs really changes the lighting and shadows). So, I have been sticking paint chips in the drywall gaps!

I also discovered a variation in the trim below the window sills between the upstairs and downstairs.  Upstairs it's straight, downstairs, there's a bit of detail

And finally, a photo of the outside with the new siding.  It was nighttime, but still...I just had to post it, I was so excited.