2006It feels good to start shingling the house. Doing the other sides will require more sophisticated scaffolding. The bottom starter board and drip cap are not typical for this part of the province, however I think it is both practical and attractive.
At the first of the summer we replaced the large front window which had been a slider type window (circa 1970's). It was in broken and rotty condition and had to be replaced. It turns out that it was the only support for the wall; meaning, when it came out there was nothing holding up the roof in that area.
The window is a storm window I had salvaged from my days of living in the Annapolis Valley. So, some re-framing and building a frame and sill for the window. It looks like it's always been there.
Most of the bedrooms are near completion. We've decided to paint the floors a chocolate brown.
The upstairs hall floor and the window trim got some paint. The sofa came with the house and needs seat cushions and to be re-covered.
As with most of the windows in the house, they need rebuilding. The sills rot first, then the outside trim boards. Unfortunately the way they were originally constructed means taking the inside trim off as well. I've discovered that square forged nails once they're in plaster don't want to come back out.
The house had a forced hot air system at one point. All that remains are the vent covers in the floor. The floor boards need resupporting where the vents were cut in the floor; the hole are being pathced with wood.
The bathroom needs more attention. Between now and freeze-up, it may get some lathing and plastering to repair where the tub use to reside. Next year, we plan on having a jet pump, plumbing , an electric hot water tank, a shower and a new toilet.
Otherwise, the toilet does function. You just have to bring a bucket of water from the kitchen hand pump to flush.
September has come; the summer went so fast. We ran out of shingles we had and I'll need to manufacture more bottom boards, drip edges for the top and bottom of the shingle edge where it meets the trim.
It's now the third week of September; the of the majority of the work we wanted to get done ... has! So the reward ... go sea kayaking. The islands of Mitchell Bay off of Ecum Secum are excellent.
More shingles, more trim, more paint. The final broken panes of glass of the house (other than the basement windows) which were here in the front porch were completed ... yeah!
All the windows back of the house have been primed again and have two good coats of paint.
We've closed up the summer house for the season now. The weather stayed quite warm into the first week of October. Allow us to finish repairing and reglazing the front porch windows.
Cheryl painted all of the foundation in a colour that compliments the yellow far better than the faded "hospital green".
Our final trip down in October was to drain the hand pump and fill the toilet with anti-freeze ... typical cottage stuff. That's it 'til next spring.
