This project needed a change of name. Eastside Eden was proving to be a sentimental indulgence. Besides, my daughter never liked the title - and I always listen to my daughter!
Grand Folly is a more accurate description: it references our neighbourhood, which goes by the name of Grandview; and it is indeed a folly as we remind ourselves daily while slaving away at making it into our vision of a home.
Eventually, the title may change again - to Grand Cottage which is what our friend Jim dubbed it at first sight. But there is much still to be done before it truly deserves that name.
Tuesday, 31 August 2010
Grand Folly
This project needed a change of name. Eastside Eden was proving to be a sentimental indulgence. Besides, my daughter never liked the title - and I always listen to my daughter!
Grand Folly is a more accurate description: it references our neighbourhood, which goes by the name of Grandview; and it is indeed a folly as we remind ourselves daily while slaving away at making it into our vision of a home.
Eventually, the title may change again - to Grand Cottage which is what our friend Jim dubbed it at first sight. But there is much still to be done before it truly deserves that name.
Grand Folly is a more accurate description: it references our neighbourhood, which goes by the name of Grandview; and it is indeed a folly as we remind ourselves daily while slaving away at making it into our vision of a home.
Eventually, the title may change again - to Grand Cottage which is what our friend Jim dubbed it at first sight. But there is much still to be done before it truly deserves that name.
Sunday, 29 August 2010
Seeing Red
At last a significant milestone in our project has arrived: the completion of all the red paintwork on the exterior walls. We had left the front porch until last because it was important to get the exposed surfaces of the house done while the weather held good.
This week, Michael braved an almost vertical ladder to finish the high part of the west wall. That left me to complete the porch.
Even the first coat made a huge difference. (And yes, we do plan to replace the screen door with a more attractive design.)
Next up: the window trim, and the porch floor and steps.
This week, Michael braved an almost vertical ladder to finish the high part of the west wall. That left me to complete the porch.
Even the first coat made a huge difference. (And yes, we do plan to replace the screen door with a more attractive design.)
Next up: the window trim, and the porch floor and steps.
Seeing Red
At last a significant milestone in our project has arrived: the completion of all the red paintwork on the exterior walls. We had left the front porch until last because it was important to get the exposed surfaces of the house done while the weather held good.
This week, Michael braved an almost vertical ladder to finish the high part of the west wall. That left me to complete the porch.
Even the first coat made a huge difference. (And yes, we do plan to replace the screen door with a more attractive design.)
Next up: the window trim, and the porch floor and steps.
This week, Michael braved an almost vertical ladder to finish the high part of the west wall. That left me to complete the porch.
Even the first coat made a huge difference. (And yes, we do plan to replace the screen door with a more attractive design.)
Next up: the window trim, and the porch floor and steps.
Dormers done
At last the dormers have been painted. We had had some qualms about doing them ourselves as the roof pitch is so steep. However, at a Vancouver Heritage Foundation fundraiser that included a silent auction, we scored the winning bid on an offer of two professional painters for 8 hours and at a very reasonable price.
They came, they painted...
... and another task was completed.
They came, they painted...
... and another task was completed.
Dormers done
At last the dormers have been painted. We had had some qualms about doing them ourselves as the roof pitch is so steep. However, at a Vancouver Heritage Foundation fundraiser that included a silent auction, we scored the winning bid on an offer of two professional painters for 8 hours and at a very reasonable price.
They came, they painted...
... and another task was completed.
They came, they painted...
... and another task was completed.
Monday, 9 August 2010
G1S
If you've ever bought a sheet of plywood, you'll know that G1S stands for Good One Side, ie. a board with one finished side and the other left rough. That's the house right now, with the east side finished and the other sides almost all at the primer stage. We make progress daily, though slower during the last couple of rainy days. Still, the good side is a great encouragement to spur on the task of getting the whole house to look that way.Only a couple of months ago it looked like this:
And now it looks like this:
We have restored the original window openings which became visible as soon as the stucco was removed. The replacements are double-hung windows which look similar to the originals, but are double-glazed. They also have that wonderful modern mechanism that allows you to tilt them inwards for cleaning the outside of the panes. We don't really need this on the lower set, but it's going to be very handy for the upper ones.
Even as I write, Michael is putting primer on the back of the house. The west side is already primed and as soon as the rain goes away, supposedly tomorrow, we will start on the first coat of red for it. The west wall is the longest, with only two windows in it. It's also the most difficult to use a ladder on because of the proximity of the house next door. At least it doesn't have as many downpipes to work around.
Only the front porch ceiling and house wall below it now remain to be scraped and sanded, as you can see in the photo.
We have restored the original window openings which became visible as soon as the stucco was removed. The replacements are double-hung windows which look similar to the originals, but are double-glazed. They also have that wonderful modern mechanism that allows you to tilt them inwards for cleaning the outside of the panes. We don't really need this on the lower set, but it's going to be very handy for the upper ones.
Even as I write, Michael is putting primer on the back of the house. The west side is already primed and as soon as the rain goes away, supposedly tomorrow, we will start on the first coat of red for it. The west wall is the longest, with only two windows in it. It's also the most difficult to use a ladder on because of the proximity of the house next door. At least it doesn't have as many downpipes to work around.
Only the front porch ceiling and house wall below it now remain to be scraped and sanded, as you can see in the photo.
G1S
If you've ever bought a sheet of plywood, you'll know that G1S stands for Good One Side, ie. a board with one finished side and the other left rough. That's the house right now, with the east side finished and the other sides almost all at the primer stage. We make progress daily, though slower during the last couple of rainy days. Still, the good side is a great encouragement to spur on the task of getting the whole house to look that way.Only a couple of months ago it looked like this:
And now it looks like this:
We have restored the original window openings which became visible as soon as the stucco was removed. The replacements are double-hung windows which look similar to the originals, but are double-glazed. They also have that wonderful modern mechanism that allows you to tilt them inwards for cleaning the outside of the panes. We don't really need this on the lower set, but it's going to be very handy for the upper ones.
Even as I write, Michael is putting primer on the back of the house. The west side is already primed and as soon as the rain goes away, supposedly tomorrow, we will start on the first coat of red for it. The west wall is the longest, with only two windows in it. It's also the most difficult to use a ladder on because of the proximity of the house next door. At least it doesn't have as many downpipes to work around.
Only the front porch ceiling and house wall below it now remain to be scraped and sanded, as you can see in the photo.
We have restored the original window openings which became visible as soon as the stucco was removed. The replacements are double-hung windows which look similar to the originals, but are double-glazed. They also have that wonderful modern mechanism that allows you to tilt them inwards for cleaning the outside of the panes. We don't really need this on the lower set, but it's going to be very handy for the upper ones.
Even as I write, Michael is putting primer on the back of the house. The west side is already primed and as soon as the rain goes away, supposedly tomorrow, we will start on the first coat of red for it. The west wall is the longest, with only two windows in it. It's also the most difficult to use a ladder on because of the proximity of the house next door. At least it doesn't have as many downpipes to work around.
Only the front porch ceiling and house wall below it now remain to be scraped and sanded, as you can see in the photo.
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