Renovations

5 years ago we bought this old house out in the country. Not old like in an 'old country farmhouse' that is made of brick or stone and in some gala Victorian style but old like in a timber frame wood General Store circa 1800. We bought for the incredible land and location..the house was an added bonus or nightmare depending on how you looked at it. The buildings, house and barn, are situated on the side of the hill and roll down gracefully to the river below which borders our property along with ravines and woods. We have a cozy view of the farmers fields across the way and are sheltered from most winds and storms that roll in.

We spent the first few years cleaning up the land of previous owners debris, Nightshade, fallen trees and used that time on the house as our 'discovery' period. Too many 'closet handymen' have had their way with this old house-cutting support beams, covering timber sill plates with dirt so they would rot, and changing the top hill to a degree that it interrupted the underground streams of water so that now they spring up in inconvenient locations flooding our basement at will. We have dug by hand trenches to lay in Big 'O' to catch ground water and steer it away from our foundations and many, many other things to try and repair and correct what damages have been done.

This past summer we decided to set forth to replace windows (since most you cant see out of anymore) and the siding as the existing siding as seen more then its day. The windows we chose white vinyl single hung with grills in the top half. This would keep them in the style they were originally but with a bit of interest. The siding we spent more time on deciding. The earliest photos we found of our old place presented it as wood ship lap with a whitewash paint. I think back in the day, it was a common practice but I really didnt want to make back to that. Although vinyl siding has its bonuses, it wasnt a material we were interested in for this project. We just knew it had to be wood. Now Board and Batten is a popular practice these days and in fact our neighbour used this technique when he built his house 10+ years ago. Looking thru various magazines and such to find a style that appealed to us and was going to make it a bit unique for our parts, I came across two.

The first was a 4" red cedar ship lap. Absolutely rich and stunning looking. Red cedar is not common in these parts so I would be looking at shipping it in.....THIS I could really go for!

The second was pine log. After much searching and research, I found a company in north Michigan that created a half log siding that would be ideal. http://www.woodworkersshoppe.com/ One of the features that really appealed to us about going with this company was that they used a tongue and groove technique not only on the top and bottom of the log, BUT on all four sides! This feature would make installing not only easier but also would allow us to not have to worry about end cuts on posts or beams in the walls thus less waste...:) We have always loved logged homes and right now was our prime opportunity to create that look we both so loved. We opted for the 3x8" half log with full vertical log outside corners for the outside AND for a 2x8" quarter log for the exterior walls INSIDE for the greatroom, diningroom and kitchen for a full log effect.

(Picture from their website-NOT our home)

Before we can tackle the windows and siding, we have had to go underneath the main part of the house and jack up the floor joist to try and level out and repair previous damage plus a steel rod needs to be inserted into the the outside walls in the main and also the kitchen addition that was put on around 1840. The rod going thru the Greatroom will be going thru the walls upstairs and hidden within the handrail of the balcony that overlooks the greatroom down below. This will just add support and keep the house together hopefully for many years to come and to help compensate for the damage done by previous owners. The second rod will go thru the upstairs bedroom and actually pull the walls back in(they are bowing out and the roof is sagging in)and pop the roof back out so that new cross ties can be installed. This one will remain for a month or two and be cranked slowly to bring it all back together again. Once it is back in place and the new cross ties are in the ceiling, this rod will be removed...much to our daughters joy Im sure as this will be taking place in her room making occupancy most difficult. This whole process is on the agenda for this weekend..oh joy!

Before we can tackle the siding, we need to see what is under the present siding but first the deck that had been put on 2 sides of the house had to be lowered as, well, naturally it was put on too high letting snow and water seep into the doors and of course keeping the sill plate, well, wet! On the most part it should have been an easy job...thats if it were being done by anyone else or more so in any other location but here. Most of it rotten, of course, due to incorrect installation and lack of ventilation so off it came. That was not on the schedule or in the budget. So before installing the windows or replacing the siding, we are now replacing said deck with flagstone. This has proved to be a very time consuming process that with our limited time has kept us occupied for the past few weeks.

At times we can really get overwhelmed with the projects we have underway but its the vision of the final outcome and the knowledge that we are saving this old house. It is afterall the last remaining building of Wilsonburg, a town that was created and built by Ambrose Wilson back in 1820. Wilson came to our valley and built a sawmill with dreams of creating a flourishing town. Our home, the General Store, was built to accommodate the many men that worked the various mills that were incorporated upon our land. But as with so many of the towns and communities of that day, it succumbed to fires and floods which over time destroyed everything that was here...everything accept the store. Our land is now made up of lots and streetnames for the town that once thrived here. And our 'General Store' is finally getting a facelift it is so deserving of so it can look out over the valley for many more years to come...:)

So in between creating my paintings, I am hands on into these glorious renovations, spending absolute quality time with my family, with my fabulous girls Lena and Cherokee, my feline/canine crew of rescues or simply just enjoying all that we have been blessed with...