June -August 2021

 Trench Warfare

Pete dug this basement trench from back of the house to the sump pump. He's gonna fill it with stones and cover it but I think he should cut a piece of plexiglass to put over it, so we can watch it working. This basement has been such a mess, I'd like to see everything that's going on.

Liner Notes

As I've mentioned previously, part of The Big Plan is to install a wood burning stove. I only found two companies who were willing to visit and inspect the parlor chimney, and the first guy complained about how he has to work for a living, so we went with bigger, more organized and less whiney company.

Due to the age and condition of the brick, the company said we would need a chimney liner. This was no surprise, after all of our research I would have been suspicious if we were told we didn't need a liner. 

Pete was told on the first visit that installing a liner would not be a problem. They looked up the flue with a flash light. I guess that's all you need. These guys are professionals, right? 

Unbeknownst to anyone, the parlor flue had collapsed at one of the turns some time ago. This is where an endoscope camera during the first visit would have saved a lot of hassle and stress. 

If I'm losing anyone at this point a flue is the tunnel in the chimney where smoke escapes when a fireplace or stove is used. In two story houses built before central heating, one chimney was built with two flues, one for the first floor fireplace and the second for the upper floor.  Pete scratched out the diagram below to illustrate how our chimney is configured.

Barring taking the entire chimney down and building a new one, the only other option was to run the liner through the second flue by breaking through via the second floor fireplace.  

"I made an executive decision without you. I didn't want to stress you out at work." Pete told me in the evening after the workmen had gone. I was relieved he spared me the anxiety.

It only looks like a big tube of aluminum foil, but this liner is stainless steel wrapped with insulation. There was a lot of grunting, groaning, and sighs of exasperation from the workmen during the day.

This is the fireplace in the upstairs front bedroom where the liner was rerouted into the second flue. This big mess was then all covered over with cement. The liner was pulled through this route from the top of the chimney. 

This is the access for cleaning  the liner.

          Due to the crack up the side of the chimney on the first floor as well as the general janky condition of this chimney, the fireplace specialists advised we reinforce the exposed brick with steel mesh with a top coat of cement.

Pete started this project, cementing the cracked area first. 

Seeing this mess with the stove in front of it helps calm my nerves a little! We have yet to decide how we are going to make this look decent. 

Kitchen

We staged the kitchen by moving the sideboards/future countertops in. This gives us more countertop space as well as giving us a better idea of the final picture.

This is the north facing window. To the right of the washing machine sink is were the dish washer will be, to the right of that is where the fridge will be.

This photo faces south, where a window will eventually be installed. The washer and dryer will be to the left.

Porch-Part Four

Pete finished building the porch staircase, cutting and installing the risers.

Further embellishments include these laser cut bats bought on Etsy.

 

Flora and Fauna

What flowers are these? No idea. Pete buys seeds and bulbs, then plants them. That's where it ends. 

This little hatchling was in our gothic gray birdhouse by the cemetery.

Weeding can be a part time job, and Pete gave it up pretty early. I'm calling this the wildflower patch, makes it seem intentional

Our next door neighbor Kevin is currently winning the lawn competition with this fountain. He's been wanting it for years, won some money in the lottery, and had it installed this summer.

Found

I work on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, passing big money brownstones on my way to work every day. This chandelier on the street stopped me dead in my tracks. It was heavy and cumbersome, but I couldn't leave it behind. I picked it up, trying to access how aggravated my manager would be if I brought it to work. Where could I stash it? As I was contemplating all of this a man from one of the local apartment buildings approached me. "Hey, do you need a place to store that?"  

Did I just get lucky or does this guy want the chandelier more than I do? He had a uniform on with the buildings insignia embroidered on the work shirt, so I knew he worked there. He lead me to the buildings mailroom, (yes, it was a little creepy) and let me store it there. 

"Come by at the end of the day to pick it up. Ask for Danny, he works the 4 to 12."

I wrote my phone number on a piece of paper, taped it to the chandelier, and picked it up after work. I carried it home on my shoulder on the train, it left a nasty bruise, but it was certainly worth the hassle.

It appears to be a gasolier. Gasolier chandeliers were gas powered for people who could afford to have gas pipes installed in their homes in the 19th Century. Some gasoliers were updated to work with electricity, as this one was.

As a photographer I am a bit embarrassed at the poor color balance and lack of fill light in these photos.

I am constantly amazed at all the things that are thrown away.

 Chandelier number two

We got this fantastically creepy chandelier as a gift from Pete's friend Adam, who brought it from New York.

I imagine this chandelier was a prop from a 1970s B horror film where all the women are wearing negligees and big bouffant hair.  Like this one:

Mystery Glass Object Identified

Thank you to my brother in law Ben the phallic shaped glass object I got from my friend has been identified as a part from an old coffee pot. 

New Acquisitions

Pete and I went to an outdoor flea market in July where I bought these 1920s era bottles. So much package design from this time is obviously inspired by skyscrapers.

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Another teacup for my teacup chandelier.

I usually don't post newly manufactured items on this blog but I am very excited about this blanket with antique Halloween postcards printed on it!   

I bought this Alice in Wonderland apron from the same catalog. Its too pretty to cook with, I don't want to stain it!

Inspiration

Dinton Castle

While the United States has cringeworthy home improvement shows like Love it or List It and  Property Brothers that give me hives whenever I see the ads for these shows, the BBC has an endless stream of great renovation shows like Great British Home Restoration and The Restoration Man.

To be fair, Great Britain and its architecture is a lot older than America, making for better restoration television. 

The U.K. has really strict laws regarding renovation and restoration for older structures. Referred to as listed buildings, the owner must get permission from the local council for everything involving the renovation, sometimes down to the ingredients in the plaster to repair the walls. Most of these limitations are not written law, but the opinions of a few on the council. 

I was surprised to learn that the Dinton Castle in Buckinghamshire was bought without permission to restore it, the owners Jaime and Mimi Fernandez sat on their asses biting their nails for a year before starting restoration. 

Dinton Castle is considered folly architecture. Folly structures are  mostly nonfunctional buildings typically built to create ambiance on a wealthy mans estate garden. Many of these scaled down medieval castles were built in the late 18th and 19th Century. Think Main Street at Disney World. The middle ages were being romanticized as early as the Georgian period.

 Built in 1769 by lost to history rich guy John VanHatten, he built this castle to showcase his fossil collection. 

This restoration is really really impressive. Purchased in 2016 with no roof and on the verge of collapse, this little castle was move-in-able in two years.

I'm not sure how someone looks at this and thinks "I want to live there someday"

Scaffolding was erected by the local community to prevent complete collapse before the current owners purchased it. 

The castle was purchased for 100,000. pounds, with 300,000. pounds thrown in for restoration.

I'm speculating that the rope banister was an "Oh shit, I'm running out of money!" moment. Maybe the guy really wanted a rope banister.  The surfboard on the landing  is another confusing nautical reference in the English countryside

I like the random brick/stone placement throughout the castle.

There are ammonite fossils embedded in the exterior and interior of the stone. Natural history private collections were trendy amongst the wealthy in the 18th and 19th Century. 

Some interior bricks have initials carved into them

Sterling Collection

I cannot believe words like mitten, deaf and grease were ever commonly mispronounced. Maybe this title was to help people not feel self conscious.

 

 

Who Needs That Van Anyway?

 With our old van out of commission Pete has been testing the limits of our Mini Cooper. I'm impressed at how much we can stuff into such a small car.

Poetry Corner

Maybe this was supposed to be titled Reply to Beethoven and David got his historical figures confused.