The breezeway project

After..... the bluestone effect- stamped and stained concrete

Before... after the carpet and the lino was lifted

When we purchased the house the breezeway had a nice camel color carpet.. the carpet itself was lovely but the stains were beyond belief.  Not to mention the room always had a funny smell.  We tried stopgap measures to make the floor look better but finally resorted to hiring the big guns..

Incidentally the smell was mold growing on and around the carpet.  Carpeting with out a vapor barrier on untreated concrete is a recipe for disaster.  Since the carpet had been removed my migraines have gone away.

Dining Alfresco- a chimney repair in October...

Well, we came close to having this massive brick structure topple on the roof.  By the mason's estimate we had one nor'easter left on the old chimney.  It should stand for the next 100 years.  Now that the chimney is fixed and the roof is almost done I can't wait to get rid of the vinyl and the god-awful shutters... one day at a time!

Pumpkin Pine!

This is from last March ('10) and a few dumpsters ago.. what we found under the 1970's carpet in the front parlor....  We plan on lifting this floor, putting plywood down and shimming the underside of the logs that hold it up to create a more level plane and hand sanding and reinstalling the pine.  This will likely be the next room done in our home.

Cast iron insert for the parlor side fireplace!

Faced with the question of how to turn the old coal firebox in the parlor into a working fireplace, I decided (with Ben's rubber stamp) to go with an English Cast Iron insert.  I kept finding great ones on websites and when I would research price, they were all in Great Britain (that makes sense).  I finally found the one I wanted in the US and have ordered it.. can't wait to see it installed.

The mystery fireplace

The depth of the fireplace is the first clue that somewhere along the line the original firebox was modified or rebuilt. There are many different vintage brick and rubble stone evident in the construction.  Will be posting a photo of the insert tomorrow from the website.  The house was built in 1805, but a brick removed from the fireplace is stamped 1917.  I love clues!

Progress on the work in progress

We have lived in our home for 2 1/2 years give or take and every day the 200 year old house reveals another side of itself to us.

I was inspired to start blogging because today was revelation day... what I suspected from the time I first went into the front room of the house is now visible... our second fireplace!

The mason pulled out a ton of old brick that was obscuring the firebox.. and dumped a ton of soot in the hosue but there, in front of us was a working, drafting firebox which was used for coal....  and a brick dated 1917 :)