THE END IS IN SIGHT

   Over on Warren Road we have been readying the house for market some time now.  Once the majority of our possessions were moved from one locale to the next, the house we enjoyed for so many years looked dingy and worn.  In  order to maximize our potential profit, many things needed to be done.

1. WINDOWS

We've known for some time that a few windows required replacing, but once all the curtains were removed the situation was more grave.  Seventeen windows needed upgrading.  UGH!  Because of the scarcity of dollars, we did it ourselves.

   One full day + 3 hard workers (Wallace, Donnie and myself) = 17 new windows installed

4 new windows in the living room bay

2.  PORCHES & DECK

Years ago I took down the railing on the front porch.  The original builder put a ranch style railing on our Victorian style house and it looked so wrong.  In order to sell the house a new rail must be installed to pass an inspection.  Fortunately, I got much experience building and installing rails and balusters on Hawthorne Avenue just a year ago.

front porch

                     

side stoop

                 
    

Michael levels and installs pickets on the back deck railing

...any excuse to use the reciprocating saw

3. FLOORS

A lot of living has gone on in our Warren Rd. home for nearly 26 years.  Thankfully hardwood floors can take a beating and survive.  All they needed was light sanding and a couple coats of new poly.

Wallace sands

   

and scrapes

                                    

Poly is applied and results are outstanding

What we discovered while completing this project ....

    ~The old windows had no insulation what-so-ever (consequently big heat and AC bills)

    ~It was not so difficult or pricey to upgrade windows as we had thought for so many years

    ~The house looks and functions much better than it did when we first bought it years ago
    ~Many hands make light work

    ~We have skills!

Had I known these past years how capable we are of tackling and accomplishing all this I would have done it long before now.


         

TAH-DAH !

    The balustrade is finished and, while there is yet more to do to complete this restoration/renovation, I am so pleased with the results.  Try to look past the boarded up windows, the plastic hanging off the 3rd story, the muddy drive and the dumpster to see 

what I see.  

BEFORE on  2-27-11




AFTER on 5-22-12

* See the complete project links here.

BUILDING THE BALUSTRADE, PART 5

    As I write this post, the balustrade is complete.  (In fact, we finished it 5 days ago.)  It has been a long involved carpentry project which was more time consuming than originally anticipated.  In my opinion, it is the single most impressive project we've undertaken.  Check it out in it's entirety in these earlier posts (building posts,  in preparation, part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4 ) .

Gathering installation tools

Centering the first baluster

Leveling the first baluster 

Gotta love the nail gun

12 down , 228 to go

A portion of the balustrade as seen through my bedroom window

A block is used as a spacer in order to level and insure equal distance between each baluster

Another block at the top lines up the balusters 

The power driver and brute strength are some of our best tools

Each top rail (part of a 3-part assembly) is cut to size

A curved portion of the post is removed for a custom and snug fit

The cap from the original post is incorporated into the final post on the north side of the house

Balusters, rails, trim are all attached and ready for the painters to caulk
and give the new balustrade its final coat of paint.

Satisfaction for a job well done.

* A photo of the completed balustrade to be revealed at a later post.

BUILDING THE BALUSTRADE, PART 3

  As I mentioned before, this is not just a weekend project.   

A total of 240 turned balusters must be cut to exact specifications.

A portion of the primed balusters await milling

3/8 of an inch comes off the top end

Taping off the bottom end getting an angle cut helps prevent splintering

Each bottom end runs through the table saw twice at a 12.5 degree angle.

Like soldiers all in a row

Short end squares

Long ends with 12.5 degree pitch

     Leftover ends must have some use in this world.  Any ideas?????    'Aunt Carlie's Craft Camp' and 'Art Camp for Boys'  campers will surely come up with some uses.  Until then I will store them in the eaves of the studio space.  After all, cedar fends off moths.

What a mess we made in Billye's room!

BUILDING THE BALUSTRADE PART 2

    The task of building this balustrade is not just a weekend project.  It is made up of  many stages.  After last weekends' work we were ready to cut the rails to size and mock up a sample section of the railing.

The bottom rails we put together last weekend were purposely longer than required

We measured and cut each bottom rail to size

Propping a section of rail on a 2x4 at each end gives us a visual of how it will look.

Cut to size rails are laid out and marked for location

Half of the 250 balusters, primed and
ready to be cut to size

A sample  section of the railing

On to milling the 250 primed balusters!

                                                                       

A NEAR PERFECT MATCH

     In reproducing the balustrade ,which originally lined the roof of the front porch, we encountered a huge snag.  We have assumed for the past year that the 125 gorgeous balusters we found all over the house upon purchase were the original balusters removed in the early 80's by a previous owner.

  

As time approached to reconstruct the balustrade we realized that these pieces of architectural salvage were just that....salvaged from another house.  They neither match in shape the balusters on the first floor...

nor are they the correct length to have fit with the original post and rail we have used as a template to build the reproduction posts.

In a quandary as to what to do, we started getting estimates here locally from wood mills to determine what the cost might be to duplicate the original balusters.  We were just looking for ballpark figures and, given estimates of anywhere from $35 - $110 apiece, we decided we could not even afford a ticket into that ballpark. 

    I started searching online and came across Mr. Spindle .  And here is where we get excited.  Not only are the folks at Mr. Spindle pleasant to deal with and knowledgeable about their products, but also they are up to the task of reproducing my baluster at a VERY decent price.

    Here is how it has worked for me....

1.  I sent Mr. Spindle a photo of my porch spindle next to a tape measure.

A baluster from the first floor porch

2.  Kary out at Mr. Spindle (a long way from Virginia in Fargo, North Dakota) made a scaled drawing of the proposed turned baluster.

                               

3.  Upon approval, the spindle is turned and a sample photo sent.

                                     

4.   The next day the spindle arrives on  my doorstep.

An overnighted package arrives on my porch

5.   It is a near perfect match and I give Mr. Spindle the thumbs up to reproduce "X" number of balusters at a crazy fabulous price.

All of these things happened in under 5 days.  We eagerly await the arrival of all our balusters.  The folks at mrspindle.com say the shipment should be here next week.  We will be working on the handrails this weekend.

I am so excited to see how it all turns out! (pun for Wallace)   Check back to see photos of the finished project.

A POST POSTING

The time has come to reproduce the balustrade on the roof of the front porch....

starting with the posts.

  

Using a post found in the basement, we started and assembly line.

Fir boards are cut to size

Pressure treated wood is run through the table saw and given  a bevel .  Result....8 post caps

The fir boards are primed and nailed together into boxes

Each box forms a sleeve around the 6 x 6 pressure treated post built into the  roof structure

Each post box is leveled and attached, leaving an inch of space between post and roof

The next carpentry project for me is fabricating the rail and building the balustrade.