Endless Projects - Part III coming soon

Outdoor projects and cold weather preparations have been taking over lately... more on their developments soon.

Clearly Fiona is excited

Endless Projects - The New Home Part II

(Part I)

After much trepidation I decided to have some professionals come and look at this bizarre above-ground sump pit. Two different professionals both stated that they had never seen anything like it before... Who thought it was a good idea to install a sump it in a house addition that's on a concrete slab above ground?

Strange things indeed. Anyway I decided to have it partially filled and properly lined, but left in such a way that if I did ever had flooding issues I could have a sump pump easily installed. Better to be safe than sorry.

Right? Right.

I think now I'll just cover it with some polyurethane sheeting and at least fill and seal the concrete cracks that have been there for what looks like quite some time.

Fiona is clearly excited by this new development

Alright, what's next on the list of things to do with a new (old) house?

Endless Projects - The New Home

Office Difficulties

Let the projects roll! 
And boy will there be a lot of them. When you get a house from the 1850's you know what you're getting into though. Poor insulation, moisture buildup, failing structures, and grand-fathered in out-of-code aspects everywhere you look.

For the most part we're only looking at old school insulation and yes, some moisture, but surprisingly not in the main part of the house. Instead I have found moisture and mold in a small office add-on that's only about thirty years old - judging by the alarming color and style of the carpeting. 

First it's a concrete floor that's separate from the foundation of the rest of the house and second there's a trap door. Now when I initially pulled up the carpet and found this wooden trap door I was skeptical and even a little worried. What's inside? Contraband? Zombies? Let's just say that the first time I opened it I wasn't taking it lightly.
Afterward though I was able to put down my weapons and flashlight and really inspect this oddity. What I wonder is if I can find a way to properly seal this trap door to stop moisture from getting into the room. Is it possible? If it is possible, should I? I'm not a construction expert by any means, but it looks like it was meant for mitigating flooding. Like a sump pump might actually go into it.

I'll be getting a dehumidifier soon for this room (only about 150 sq. ft.) and putting down some interlocking carpeting. Then I'll do some real mold-cleaning with borax and bleach and get the room usable again. The room doesn't have to look spiffy as it's just going to be my new office\workshop, but if I'm going to be spending a decent amount of time in there I don't want it to look like an outhouse either.

Any advice on this would much appreciated as I am definitely out of my element here.

Searching for the Perfect Home - In Suburban\Rural America (Addendum)

100+ year-old shed in our backyard

We are closing on a house in 27 days and hope that everything goes well. Wish us luck and hopefully we'll be lucky enough to have a place to call home. Or in my case... a place to call "Headquarters."

Searching for the Perfect Home - In Suburban\Rural America

A Personal Journey

Now that the housing market is slowly clawing its way back to some sense of normalcy after all these years we find ourselves rushing to find a place that's right for us. Problem is our price range is limited and the last thing you want to do is jump into something that may cost you way more down the line. Of course leave it to us to lean towards much older properties - yeah we like places with personality. And when I say older I mean "19th century older." Colonianls, New Englanders with stone foundations, dutch doors - my kinda house. I grew up in a town where many of the houses in my neighborhood were from 19th and even 18th century - great big old houses with lots of history. Fantastic. 

They look good and remind people everyday of how far we've come. Newer houses need lots of work every decade or so, but I feel that these houses from the 1800s, if built really solid in the first place just don't need much. Just enough love and care over the years to keep them lasting forever.

It's an exciting and very scary time for us. We've decided to leave the city and find an area a little more removed and quiet. So we've turned in our city spurs for rural America instead and I think we'll manage just fine. Taxes are a bit high, but for good reason: a fantastic school system, which is one of the best in the state. With the prospect of children in the near future I'm doing my best to think ahead.  Knocking up the wife will be a planned endeavor, not an accident - just saying.

And as of now we're working back and forth with the seller and listing agent to get a price that's just right considering that the roof will need work soon and that the 50-year-old oil furnace needs to replaced almost immediately. If you know anything about house ownership neither of these expenditures are simple or cheap. But with over an acre of land to play with and a great overall house I think it'll be worth it in the long-run, especially before the housing market picks up again this Spring.

Wish us luck!