Rocks. And Hard Places.
AREA #1. With the re-shingling of the south facade almost complete, on my Next List is Area #1: The third-floor gable. From the ground it looks pretty good but when I had the scaffolding up really high last month I was able, for the first time, to get a good look at it. Oh dear. The lowermost rows of shingles are kind punky and should be replaced. Ugh. The bulky trim under the roof is split in numerous places, and is also punky at the bottom edges. Ugh. I also want to remove the PVC vent and adjacent light fixture, and replace those shingles. In short, what did not look like a lot of work will be just the opposite.
AREA #2. The scaffolding tower will be returned to the SE corner so I can access the 4th-floor gable. I do not know its condition but do want to remove the PVC square vent in the tippy-top most part and infill the hole with shingles.
AREA #3. This should, should, prove relatively easy to repaint. Should.
AREA #4. This area, always protected by a roof, is in excellent condition. I just need to pressure wash it (it’s really dirty).
AREA #5: This is the library wall. I had always planned to just sand the gray shingles and paint them. But…
…I have now learned, the painful way, that unpainted siding, baked by the sun for two decades, will fall apart when removed. (The siding should be removed because its face is too badly damaged by the sun. Once removed, it can be flipped around and reinstalled.) So, the library siding may need to be replaced, as was proved by the unpainted shingles. Ugh. The trim, being much thicker, can be disk sanded and saved in place. Whew!
AREA #6. The walls here, always protected by a roof, are in excellent condition. However, see the cornice? It has a built-in gutter. Originally, the gutter drained to the left. But its right side sagged, so water in this area just flows out of the gutter and spills over the edge. And that is how the original column totally rotted and was replaced by the tall 6×6 post seen here. So, the whole right side of the gutter needs to be redone while the scaffolding is in place. Ugh.
AREA #7. This is outside the servant’s hall. I thought this would be a quick sanding and repainting. But…
…not long ago I was standing outside and thought: Why is the sill of the window 3/4-inches below the window trim? That ain’t right. Some sleuthing inside revealed that the entire structure under the window is wholly destroyed by termites. This means that the siding needs to come off, plus the ruined sheathing under, and the 2×6 studs under that. Oh, and the length of sill along the whole wall. BIG ugh.
AREA #8. The porte-cochère also did not look toooooooo bad but when I installed the restored columns last year I realized that the beam just under the cornice is actually hollow and the face boards are just 3/4-inch lumber. And all are pretty punky. All these boards, on all three sides, should be replaced. Ugh. And see the downspout (right)? It (and its twin on the other side) is kinda useless as the low point in the built-in gutter is now over a few feet to the left. I tried to push the gutter back up two years ago but it is locked in place (ditto on the other side). The solution will be to install a new downspout over a few feet, and remove the original spout (ditto on the other side).
The south facade has been profoundly overwhelming. I have been working on it for 18 months now which is longer than I had estimated ALL the work would take.
The work on the west, north, and east facades was nothing like this. The huge difference stems, I have now learned, from two factors:
- The sun. By facing south, this facade gets beat up way more than the other facades.
- When Bob, the previous owner, stripped paint off the other facades, he repainted. But large areas of the south facade were stripped…and then left bare. The sun just smiled, and went to work destroying all this wood.
When I began work on the second-floor shingles I had only planned to infill the small areas of missing shingles. Easy peasy! But once scaffolding allowed close inspection it was soon obvious that, to do the job right, all the shingles needed to be removed and replaced. And that revealed more damage, like rotted sheathing, two rotted window frames in the SE corner, and rotted framing. Thus, a 6-week project turned into 18 on/off months.
Here, in the SE corner, you can see the missing shingles to the left. But everything else looked good! But…
…to look at this image one would never appreciate how much work just this corner entailed. One would think I just sanded and painted!
Much of the south facade work is part of the 2017 Heritage Trust grant but none of the repair work detailed here is. Right now I am likely giving myself an ulcer because I feel stuck between a rock and a hard place. The next line item on the 2017 grant (already way behind schedule) is painting the south facade. While some of this is now done (and beautifully!), most is not. And, save the two areas under roofs (#4 and #6) a huge amount of work should be done, as detailed here, before any painting can be done.
I was also hoping hoping hoping to be finished with the grant work this spring so I could focus on projects which will allow me to move in by the end of the year. I am desperate for this.
I have already started several I-can’t-believe-I’m-doing-this shortcuts. The sleeping porch has two fabulous arches. These are just shot. The outer trim really needs to be replaced entirely but I have just been sanding it, compounding it to death, and caulking it to more death. Then I am putting on two coats of a special “glue” primer and then painting. It will look fabulous when done…and will look terrible in about a year.
The inner trim of the arches are comprised, to my surprise, of numerous layers of very thin wood. The bottom 18-inches looks like this. These areas need to be cut out and new thin wood installed. Instead, I will do here what I am doing to the outer trim. Don’t tell anybody.
You are looking down at the very wide sill to the south arch. It is totally shot and should be replaced. But…
…as I posted recently, the sills to the two Sewing Room windows were also shot, and I…
…decided to just cover them with new metal, carefully computer-crimped. This is what I will likely do to the arch sill. The metal sills will at least stop additional damage, and I hope to, several years down the road, properly replace the sills as I did with two windows in the SE corner.
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I am keeping my fingers crossed that all goes well, and you can be in the house by the end of the year. Christmas at the Cross House! I’m planning on it for you.
I’m not sure how much help I could be, but I’d be willing to give you some time when I’m down to visit my Dad. Maybe cleaning or dusting inside, if I can’t be of use on outside projects? Give it some thought, and I’ll give you some time.
Ross.. dearest Ross…. this post was so intense I got a stomach ache.
However, you are working meticulously to rectify this nightmare that is the south facade. North, east & west are a cakewalk compared to this.
I am confident that in your meticulous intricate processing you will tackle this to fruition.
Don’t lose heart!!
Throw yourself into each new section & eventually it will be come to fruition! It will take extremely long, long time to make it happen.
Is it possible to complete 2018 Heritage grant first & after all 2017 work is done? So those projects will be funded.
Is it feasible to apply for another Heritage grant?? For all those unanticipated gargantuan tasks you were unaware of…until now??
I think some stopgaps are in order to get all the Heritage work done.
Can you focus on those things so you can still move in on your timetable??
By breaking down each area of the south facade into individual projects is a very good and helpful thing as you are organizing & ordering the process…
You have lots of folks on your blog with better ideas than me and I defer to their expertise.
I am glad you shared all this the way you did as it helps me understand the monumental tasks you have in front of you.
The greatest and most serious decay is on the south facade and it seems the Heritage grants are covering such a minuscule portion of this as you were unaware of the magnitude until you started working on the south facade.
I vote for applying for another Heritage grant help for the most serious & time-consuming issues that were not apparent in 2017 & 2018.
Is that doable??
Keep on keeping on sweet Ross with your labor of love!
I wish I was closer and could give you time like Barb when she’s visiting her dad…
I will give this some thought and think of ways I might be able to help— time or funding—step up Go Fund Me as I haven’t helped in awhile….
Time to step up to the plate 🙂
Hi, Sandra!
The post gave me a stomach ache, too!
But, after posting it I thought:
1) I need wine, STAT!
2) I need a classic movie!
So, I’m now watching the 1944 movie, The Uninvited. Ghosts! Fabulous house! Gorgeous Ray Milland elegantly dressed!
I’m feeling much better!
Dearest wonderful Ross!
I was so anxious after reading the overwhelming post I also had a glass of 🍷 wine.
Great plan to escape with a classic film!
After rereading the post & comments, maybe #4 first to meet your deadline, get some help and do most important projects next …. those involving termites and water damage….things that will only get worse & jeopardize the rest of the structure long term exponentially.
Cross House is overwhelming to me in scale and add gargantuan work and I am a muddle.
However you are not in a muddle and have momentary glimpses of panic and rightly so …when all panic inducing problems are on south facade.
So a time of taking stock and reckoning. I feel confident of your course of action(s) will be the right ones!
First. Ross, you and I like the same movies! I have watched that movie at least 3 times because of the house and the decor! Not so much the big, castle-like house where the girl lives with her grandfather but the haunted house.
Second. You are sounding a bit….overwhelmed… to put it mildly. And I get it. I was overwhelmed just reading your post! So…that worries me, and I want you to know that if ANYONE can finish this, it is YOU! And cutting a few corners now is not gonna matter in the grand scheme of things. I, too, am a perfectionist. And it can make us nuts!! Oh, how I wish I could snap my fingers and have all the tricky, south side finished for you!
Thirdly (is that a word?). If you were my kid, I’d try to ply you with cookies or cake to make it all better. But you have your wine so we got that covered!
In closing, ( I KNOW “fourthly” is not a word…spell check going crazy!), we all realise your mind and body may be exhausted even thinking about the work ahead, but it WILL get done. Somehow. Someway. With you at the helm. And we will ALL loudly applaud as you do a victory dance around your grand, ol’ dame.
Hi Ross!
I obviously don’t know the rules of the Heritage Trust, so forgive me if this is a dumb question, but…are you allowed to use some of the funds to hire someone (Justin) to help you or do they expect you to do all of this by yourself? I realize that he’s not available everyday, but some help is better than no help.
Also, maybe if you skipped around and did areas 3, 4, 6, and the area by the kitchen before tackling more difficult areas, you would be less stressed because it would feel like things were moving faster.
Hi, Kerri!
The Grant rules allow a homeowner to do the work, or it can be hired out.
The problem with this kind of work for the Cross House is finding somebody, ahh, fussily inclined. Most people would just say: Install vinyl siding!
And, yes, I’m thinking of beginning the next phase with Area #4. It’s the least amount of work but will have a huge impact. Included in this will be the porch cornice.
And, yes, I’m really stressed out! There’s a looming Grant deadline, so, X time frame but with XXXXXXX amount of work!
I definitely vote for doing Area #4 next. You deserve to do something “easier” after all you’ve been through with the reshingling. I completely understand your point about finding someone who is fussily inclined.
Still, I’m sure Justin could ASSIST you with projects such as removing the library siding and/or installing siding by the kitchen. I know it’s pointless to tell you not to stress out, but try to remember that all you can do is your best = you can’t do more than that!
Dear Wonderful Ross,
You are doing SUCH a fine job. On such a gargantuan undertaking. I am SO proud of you, for everything. I salute you!
Just do the best that you can, as you always do.
With the current ignorance, stupidity and madness in this country, how you go about doing your work reassures and comforts me greatly.
I am SO proud of you. And I respect you immensely.
Keep on, keepin’ on.
Hi Ross. I know this was suggested and I know you need someone (or several someones) to help. I also understand the perfectionist that you are which is why the house looks so great. However, I really think it’s time to draft some help. You are the boss in that sense then so they would have to do it to your standards. I think it’s just too much to try and get done by yourself with a deadline.
Maybe some guys from the local trade school could volunteer? Maybe put out an ad for volunteers? Maybe contact the carpenters union to see if anyone would volunteer?
I would love to volunteer but I live in PA so it’s just too far away.
As you say though, baby steps and it will get done.
Hi, Dan!
As the homeowner, I am allowed to paint the house. If I were to hire somebody for this work, they would have to be certified to work with lead paint. Ditto with any volunteers.
Shoot, I forgot about the lead paint thing. That’s why I couldn’t help with painting before.
OK, I hereby volunteer for any indoor projects that don’t involve lead paint. Start making a list.
Oh, that really stinks.
Hi Ross!
I’m from New York, but could a volunteer not do some of the grunt work? I’d love to quarantine myself in the Cross house to escape Covid-19 for a while, plus my college just went online, so I guess I don’t need to be here anymore!
You are invited, JP!
Hooray!
Now all that remains is to escape Long Island and drive a couple thousand miles.
Why are you removing a vent? It’s there for a pretty obvious reason – to ventilate. Why do you think roofs have vents? To keep the attic cool in the summer, and keep the shingles from failing faster. Replacing it with something more attractive, or relocating it to a less obvious spot i can support, but c’mon.
1) The vent is ludicrously undersized for the immense scale of the attic.
2) The main roof is topped by clay tiles. These do not fit tight and, from inside the attic, it’s obvious that they are also acting as vents as one can see daylight around each one.
3) As such, even in the summer the attic doesn’t get that hot.
4) The roofing shingles are cement and are indestructible.
Ross (promise last post on this subject)…
I vote for #4, #6 & #7 to start… protection by roofs, water damage & termites…..
You will figure it all out as you always do.
I feel confident all will come to fruition …
In due time….
Restoring a huge old house can be overwhelming, emotionally and financially; we are currently hemorrhaging money adding a handicap-accessible suite at the side rear for my wife’s elderly mother. On the bright side, we have recently found a contractor who is not only skilled and honest, he also appreciates historic structures, and has pretty much fallen in love with our house. Once the suite is done, we are hoping to put back the gingerbread trim that was removed in the 1920s.
I know that you will make your way through these challenges, because you are just that kind of person; if you can’t find an opening in the wall, you climb over. If you can’t climb, you tunnel under, LOL…some day when you are finished and living in your home, you will miss the excitement of these days.
I can definitely relate to how overwhelmed you are feeling right now. 1. I think you need to recruit help. I get that, as the home owner, you can do painting over lead paint. But can’t a volunteer cut new shingles and boards on the ground? 2. For the areas that were protected and are in great shape can’t you use a paint sprayer to get a quick dose of sweet satisfaction? I admire your hand painted meticulous approach, but you can get an excellent finish using a sprayer if you’re careful, as you are. Is using a sprayer against heritage rules? 3. You talk about the metal sills as if they are a naughty shortcut you’ve taken rather than arguably the best way to do sills in a sun exposed area. When I first saw it I thought: genius! Upgrade! 4. Leave that vent in place and paint it for now. I read your reply about how it’s undersized and unnecessary. However, it’s also not hurting the house to leave it alone for a while while you’re focused on higher priorities. 5. You are amazing. Absolutely amazing. The work you have been doing is an inspiration. I leave this blog as a permanently open tab and I check everyday to see what cool thing you’re up to each day. You’ve got this.
Why don’t we all self-quarantine at the Cross House? We could get a bunch done in 2 weeks.
Hang in there Ross. You have been deliberate and diligent for a long time now, and I’m sure it is wearing on you and seems unending. I sense some flagging spirits (Ray Milland not withstanding!). Remember your purpose. Bask in all of the MARVELOUS work you have already done, and keep plugging away. In the end (yes, there is an end) you’ll be glad you did.
Oh. And PLANT TREES on the south side this spring. I don’t want you to have to do this again when we’re in our 80s.
Great idea! We could also tell each other stories at night in the Cross House for say, ten days, and call it, ah–THE DECAMERON!! Oh, wait–Boccaccio already did that in a plague year almost 700 years ago. Well, it was a thought. No fear for Ross, though–his name may sound Scottish, but he works like a Trojan!
Ross, I may be operating under false assumptions, but when I did a quick search for “lead paint Kansas,” what I found was that the requirement for a renovator to work around lead paint was to take an 8 hour certification course and then pass a written exam. The cost was about $200. That doesn’t seem onerous to me. Somewhat more red tape seems to be involved in certification of an entire business to work with lead paint, and I didn’t delve further into that.
At one time, I was looking into buying and renovating a house near me dated c. 1790, and looked into the regulations for Massachusetts. I was surprised to find out that even in a state with a reputation for Regulations, certification was not difficult to obtain.
The devil is in the details, of course, and you may well know more about this than I do. I mention all this only in the event that you had not fully explored the possibility of sponsoring someone for certification, who can then help you in finishing up this exterior work. I know that as soon as I hear about subjects like certification, I automatically assume the worst!
Why does it get so hard when we can see the finish line? Even though I know the Cross House is far from finished you are getting so close to the finish line on the outside. You see it. We see it in your pictures. I can see finished work on both sides in the pictures. That’s a first! It’s coming together. You’re almost there. But it seems like so much and its taking longer than planned and there are pressures all around. Listen to the cheers from the crowd. Think about the runners who can see the finish line of a marathon and think how far away it is and how hard it’s going to be to get there and how are they ever going to get across the line. Everyone is screaming and cheering for them – Ross you’re at the end of this marathon you’re just not done yet, you wanted to be, you should have been, and yet here you are the end in site – accomplishing what so few could or would have accomplished. Create the cheering crowd in your mind, hear the cheers go up for you with each step you take,
GO ROSS GO, GO ROSS GO, GO ROSS GO
Pump, pump, pump it up
Pump, pump, pump it up
Pump that Ross spirit up
GO ROSS GO, GO ROSS GO, GO ROSS GO
“Keep, keep, keep it up
Keep, keep, keep it up
GO ROSS GO, GO ROSS GO, GO ROSS GO
Stronger than steel,
Hotter than the sun;
Ross won’t stop,
’til he gets the job done!
GO ROSS GO, GO ROSS GO, GO ROSS GO
(ps I’ve never been a cheerleader but I have felt the weight of being near a finish line and unsure if I would make it and had to find ways in my head to get there. I’m cheering for you.)
Can you tent your home for termites?
Ross, I was just thinking after reading all of the above would it be possible for some helpers to do the work for you move into the house while you continued working toward the grant requirements being finished? I am not sure what your move in needs are…the cats wall and living area are a big deal. I have lived with a nearly nothing kitchen in my younger renovation days and know you could manage this better than I did. My old mind can not remember if there is a bath room ready? Oh! how I wish I could turn back time to be young and strong and come help you. I want to suggest that everyone that could help with labor or money make it happen for Ross to move into the Cross House now and hurry toward that goal. I can tell that is what Ross really needs. Hope this is not too crazy of me to suggest as my heart is on the side of wonderful old houses in need and the people that love old houses.
The first time I painted my house we only had enough money to buy paint. In the 37 years since, every time we paint we do a major repair somewhere. We have stopped the deterioration but other repairs need to be done. At this point it’s up to the next person to complete it. If we had tried to repair everything like you are doing it would still not be painted. I also have 3 inch Cedar lap siding for any repairs you may need. It can be had for a “light” price.
At this point think of shortcuts as temporary fixes to be taken care of next time you paint.
Sheesh. It’s a bit like raising children. Just when your kid ends the little lizard/poop and puke phase, he/she is so cute you can hardly stand it. Then, the terrible twos hit and grandma’s offer to babysit has never been so thrilling. Then, the 10’s hit and they are indescribably smart and the best children on earth. Then, the teens hit and it is overwhelming and you don’t know if you can stick around for this. But don’t worry Ross, your ‘child’ will become an adult and you will have a new friend that just comes around for a tune-up once in a while, needing dads advice. Always maintain your sense of humor. You will need it in raising your child (house). All my respect to you!