A Journey Of A Thousand Miles Begins With A Single Step
There is something extraordinary and wondrous about this image of the carriage house. See the dark square in the foundation?
That is a fully restored window sash.
You are likely thinking: And why is a fully restored window sash extraordinary and wondrous?
Because…drum roll, please…this sash is the very first part of the carriage house to be restored.
The very first.
The poor structure has been in bad shape for a very long time. And…the horror…the structure has actually gotten worse during my seven-year ownership. While a lot of work is now underway, and while a lot has been accomplished these past six weeks, and while the basement is VASTLY better than it was a short while ago, this single sash is the very thing thing to be restored.
Restored.
The very first thing.
And Ross is…all verklempt.
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Bitty steps add up. Won’t be long before the carriage house is looking right again — or maybe for the first time.
One small step at a time. And there is nothing wrong with looking with pride at the work accomplished. Even if it is a small window.
The first time I had my house painted, that is what my house looked like after power washing and then sanding. I don’t think the painter knew how bad it was when he gave me the bid. But he plowed on and did it right. Took him and his assistant six weeks, most of it was prep. But after it was done, we both stood across the street and looked at it with pride. Admired the work. He fought me on some of my decisions but after it was done he turned to me and said, you knew what it would look like when it was done, didn’t you. I said, yes, but it looks even better.
And that is how the carriage house will be. It is how the Cross House is.
My guess is that ‘window’ was originally a coal chute. My parent’s home was built in 1920 and they had one in their house until a furnace was installed (long before me!). Even decades later you could still see the black coal on the walls of that room. My dad had turned it into a work/shop room as the basement was where all his tools were stored, he had made and installed a window where the coal was dumped in. After they passed and we were cleaning out the room, I could still see the lines where the coal sat decades before. No, I did not take any pictures, which I am now sorry for.
Do you need cedar lap siding? I have some.
Yes, please, Dr. Doug!
Ross and his readers are verklempt. Hurrah!
Wow. Amazing how much difference fixing one window makes in how the Carriage House looks. Your Baby Steps™ method pays off.
Baby steps and the wondrous vision of one fully restored area in the Carriage house!
Yay!.
Yeah! Just stand and admire it. Then onward. Great job. 🙂
Congratulations dear Ross!
Making one small thing better makes us all feel better. That ethic also guides my life.
I am verklempt too.
Hugs and love from New York .