The Kitchen

Because we were starting with this:

And because it's the main entrance into the house, and because you want a kitchen pretty quickly...and because most other rooms need plaster work before we can do anything, the kitchen was the first order of business.

#1: That tile had to go!

Quite a bit of the plaster behind the tile was in bad shape so drywall was installed in those areas.

We found this old kitchen sink in the basement, from approximately 1940, and may have it refinished to use in the kitchen.

Bees!

2nd weekend, 2nd disaster. Last weekend we noticed a fair number of bees swarming outside the master bedroom window - no big deal. Spray the nest, plug the hole, done. There is electric running outside the house and up into the bedroom with a small hole left around the opening in the siding. After a few days of observation it's clear there are quite a large number of bees (honey bees) coming and going from that hole. And as it turns out, exterminating honey bees is illegal so pest control is out of the question. A family friend has a few hives in his yard so we call him, he calls a friend who is an apiarist, and they come out to take a look. A heat detecting camera indicated bees in about a 1'x1' square under the window so we made plans to open the wall later in the day and hopefully collect the bees, queen and all, into a hive that can be relocated.

The plaster is chipped out below the window. There was already a lot of plaster work to be done in this room anyway and this option was easier than removing siding.

Suit up!

The lathe is cut out and the smoker is used to prevent the queen from communicating with the rest of the hive and to suppress the bees. The queen then cannot command an attack.

No one expected that much honeycomb. It was built, row after row, in a 45 degree angle inside the wall.

Pieces of the honeycomb (hopefully containing the queen) were placed into the hive to encourage the rest of the bees to join her.

The hive is then placed just outside the hole in order to collect the rest of the bees. 3 sections of wall, approximately 2'x3', had to be removed, each packed solid with honeycomb.

Rows of honeycomb collected from the walls. The room smells of honey.

The new hive will be left in the house through the weekend to collect as many of the stray bees as possible. We're hopeful the queen made it into the hive, the remainder of the bees will collect around her and that they can be easily relocated. Then again, we may just have a room full of swarming bees. Once the bees are gone, the area has to be bleached to erase the smell and discourage any future bees and the hole, of course,  needs sealed. On the bright side, we can insulate under the window now!

Mold: A Tour

This house contains a lot of mold. A lot of mold. It's been empty for a couple of years and the lack of heat paired with a leaky roof has taken its toll. Gallons of bleach are in order.

Upstairs bathroom. Where the roof is leaking. By far the most impressive sampling.

Upstairs Hallway between master bedroom and bathroom. Also due to the roof leak.

Bedroom #2

Also bedroom #2

Kitchen Cabinets

Not even the banister was spared

The Background

March 5th, 2012 - Closed on the house!
The details: Built in 1836 with an addition approximately 30 years later.  2,744 Sq Ft. 3 bedrooms, 1 1/2 baths. Bay window, Florida Room.
Major, forthcoming improvements include a new roof, overhaul of the full bath and interior plaster repairs. And lots and lots of paint!

Here's the overview:

Dining Room Bay Window

Staircase

Living Room Fireplace

Kitchen

Front Entryway

Bedroom #1

Bedroom #2

Bedroom #3

1st Day, 1st Disaster

In a 176 year old house, you don't know quite what you're getting into. No idea what works, what doesn't. This being the first full weekend with the house, a number of basics needed tending to, including turning on the water. And everything was just fine for about 20 seconds. Followed by modest waterfall cascading from the living room ceiling. 

 It would appear that after 2 years of sitting vacant there are a few broken pipes that need some attention. Best guess: that wooden beam conceals a pipe leading to the bathroom directly above and is obviously no longer in tact. And that wasn't the only leak. Plumbers will be called in the AM.