The Old Man and the Street

In the interests of making our bedroom a little less drafty, I replaced the old and busted screen door with a new one that should keep out a bit more of the outdoors since it actually contains glass and not just a broken screen. It turns out that installing a screen door is pretty easy as long as you have all the right tools (check), tons of patience (check), a squared opening (check) that’s not completely skewed (NO CHECK). Everything went smoothly until I put the latch side jamb on and wound up spending an extra hour playing “shim the jamb” so that the door would close squarely. As it stands, the door now closes and our bedroom is a lot quieter. I’ll have to install the lock, the closer, and give it a good caulking this week sometime. Pictures to come…

Two years ago this week we bought the Old Man.

Five years ago today, M. and I were married.

Today is also the first day of autumn.

I like September.

Our neighborhood had their biennial house walk last weekend and I was more than glad to check out the insides of some of the most beautiful homes that I walk and drive by on a regular basis. I drew a lot of inspiration from these beauties while realizing just how much work we’ve got left before we can get there. Here’s a few pictures (they kindly asked us not to take photos inside):

The first house was by far the most stunning. It was a crack house for most of the 90’s but the current owners have meticulously restored it. They’ve done some amazing work by finishing the attic and the basement (even though I’m not a fan of finished basements, this one is quite impressive). The owner even designed the master suite in the attic himself. Amazing!

This house is by far the most beautiful from the outside. The first floor is impeccably restored with period wallpapers and gorgeous woodwork. Truely gorgeous, and on the National Register to boot!

Last, but not least, this somewhat unassuming facade masks one of the most gorgeous prairie/arts & crafts homes I’ve ever stepped foot in. Featuring 36 stained glass windows, gorgeous oak and cherry woodwork, and built-ins that would make you cry, this was my favorite as far as historical preservation goes. This house has 99% of its original trappings.

After repairing the stained glass windows last fall, I was supposed to prime the glazing on the three windows that they pulled out sans frames. Due to a crazed travel schedule, I just got to it this weekend. It was a small task, but required that I get up 15 feet on a ladder to reach the window in the living room, and while I was up there I spent about 45 minutes cleaning the stained glass of years of paint, old glazing, and dirt. The work was much more quantitative than qualitative–that is, scraping big hunks of junk instead of lightly scrubbing with a toothbrush. In any case, the glazing is covered, and the window looks a fair bit better. The window on the front porch was a fair bit easier since it’s at eye-level.
I’ve still got one of the living room windows to go, but it felt so wonderful to finally do something for the Old Man! I’ve got a few more little fix-it things to do this fall, but I feel like I’m getting back into the swing of things. At least I hope–l thought I was back in the saddle this spring, but I was clearly fooling myself.
I’ve been following Casa Decrepit, Chicago Two-Flat, and, of course, the indefatigable Petch House
all summer, and boy do I ever feel like a slacker!