Best Of
Re: Lothrop House: Renovation Log
Really sorry for the year-and-a-half delay in progress updates, but if I'm being honest, it feels like there hasn't really been much progress, despite the fact that there has.
In January of 2019 I was laid off from my job and then in February my freelance contract was cancelled and I have been out of work since.
The layoff was unexpected, and it came literally days after we signed a $25k+ renovation contract. As you can imagine, this put a major damper on our ability to get this project done in a timely fashion.
Our contractor has been extraordinarily understanding and has allowed us to trickle money to him when we can. With no income from me and sporadic income from Nicole, it's been a very slow slog to get anything done.
The big news is that major kitchen renovations are in progress and mostly complete. We gutted the kitchen and removed the first-floor bathroom entirely.
Things we HAVE gotten done:
- The kitchen and first-floor bathroom were gutted to studs, and the bathroom was removed completely
- Kitchen re-design was completed and approved
- Structural repairs to first-floor ceiling to properly support bathtub upstairs
- New joists installed in kitchen
- New cabinets were purchased
- New hardwood floor installed in kitchen
- Most cabinets have been installed
- New plumbing throughout entire house
- New electrical throughout entire house
- New range hood purchased and venting installed to outside
- Electrical rough, plumbing rough, and HVAC rough city inspected and approved
- Lots of HVAC repairs
- Roof repairs
- New ceiling and lighting installed in kitchen
- New fridge purchased
- New lighting controller installed
- Basement floor dug up for underground plumbing repairs
- Plumbing repairs to main water feed from street
- Underground leaks fixed in basement
- New laundry tub installed
- New washer and dryer purchased
- Significant progress on second floor painting (hallway and two bedrooms)
So, while it may seem like nothing is happening because we've still not moved in, despite purchasing the house in February of 2018... We are making progress.
Re: Sullivan House: Renovation Log
2018 contractor work:
- Added a rain chain to the carriage house to compensate for a sagging gutter.
- Restored all 4 kitchen sash windows.
- Restored east bedroom's east (rear) sash window.
- Restored backstairs casement windows.
- Added weather stripping to (full) bathroom casement windows.
- Replaced kitchen faucets.
- Found appropriate door & hardware to close off the basement (Andy installing soon).
Aaron did considerable work constraining the dimensions of the garden around the front porch, as well, and moving plants around as needed between gardens. He also repaired one of the raised beds, but a new one failed this year (bottom fell out) so we'll likely be reducing the number of them next spring. He also continued work on his carriage house workshop.
Linc
The ladder incident
I looked out the window during a rainstorm yesterday and saw something strange.
Aaron had been painting the trim on the back of the house and didn't lower the ladder before the storm started. Oddly, I don't remember hearing it fall, but I was probably painting with earphones on at the time.
Further investigation revealed it was even more precarious than it looked.
Plastic chairs on the porch acted as a wedge that stopped the ladder from falling the rest of the way, sparing the poor baby cherry tree in its path that surely would've lost a branch.
Here's the up-ladder shot.
The world owed me a miraculous coincidence on stuff falling over, I'd say.
Linc
Re: Lothrop House: Renovation Log
FINALLY! PROGRESS
Broken old water tank removed, tankless system partially installed:
Electrical work begun:
Master bedroom drop ceiling demolished, new drywall ceiling in progress:
Re: It begins: Masonry, Electrical, Painting, Flooring, Plumbing, and more
Excited to follow TWO projects now!
qch2002
Re: Introduce yourself
We moved in down the block from you guys at 3945, by the gas station. Knock sometime for a beer or if you want a helping hand sometime.
-Brian
Re: It begins: Masonry, Electrical, Painting, Flooring, Plumbing, and more
As I've repeatedly said: half the project is building your Rolodex of solid folks to work with. You're actually moving super fast from my perspective.
Linc
Re: Into Detroit... again
The closing is complete. We own it! Our realtor, Nika, was so nice and got us a bottle of bubbly and a houseplant as a closing gift ?
