The Cross House

In 2019 I did a very long post on the carriage house. To appreciate what I am posting here it would be ideal if you…with wine in hand, dahlink…read the 2019 post.                                              …

Today something…unexpected happened when I went to install the much anticipated small window. Scroll down…                                       Today though when I went to the basement workroom in the Cross House to get the frame and sash, I noticed…

                    In short, while the Carriage House will have 5-panel doors throughout (as it likely did originally after its house conversion) the hardware will be…diverse. And I am fine with this.      

      In addition, I have the paint purchased, the small window (to be re-installed) ready for primer, and the sash ready to be picked up at the glass company with new glass (replacing…oh, the horror…Plexiglass). Not bad for an old man. Not bad.  

      Finding where I had stored the siding was chore #1. After much ado I saw…or, thought I saw…a stack way way way in the back of the garage. The garage is, of course, just stuffed so getting to the siding proved… …Chore #2: how to access the siding? Climbing on top of…

    Sigh. Today I had to remove half the siding I installed. Why? Because it was not level. After much vexation I realized that my level was broken. How long have I been working with a broken level? Sigh. After much ado I was able to re-install the siding. I think it is level….

  Lap-siding!!!!!!!! I have had this cedar siding stored away for 25-years. It is extraordinary to…at last…use it. The cost of the siding way back was pricey. Today, the cost would likely be $1,765,000. I should have actually sold the siding to pay for the full restoration of the carriage house and Cross House. Tomorrow,…

    I know, you are thinking: What did Ross do all day? It seems hard to believe that you are looking at three hours of work. I had to round up all the tools nails screws and materials. I had to clean up the bottom edge of the wall. Over the the far right,…

    Since receiving a VIOLATION NOTICE last week I have been scrambling to figure out what to do, what not to do, what materials I need, and what materials I can afford. Today, considering the sky-high cost of materials, I carefully removed the ancient lap-siding so it can be reused to infill other areas….

  It was proving hard to get the last of the original shellac off. If you look at the top rail (left to right) you can see the old shellac to the left, while I got most of it off to the right. Via a lot of sanding. My mind ached at the amount of…

From my very first blog post: Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans — John Lennon And this week life hit me in the head. The city of Emporia notified me that somebody complained about the exterior condition of the carriage house. The city has no choice but to then issue a…

  As the door was originally the basement door it would have been just shellaced. The original, and long lost, library door would have had a faux bois ‘cherry’ finish originally. I do not have the skills to recreate this so I plan to re-shellac the door.    

  Y’all know I have recently returned the door opening to its original location on the north wall. And while the frame seems to be the original frame the door itself was originally the basement door. The original library door? Vanished. One of the last library projects is to refinish the door as it is…