The Other House UPDATE
So, I previously introduced y’all to My Other House, in Strong City. It was in the middle of a major renovation when I purchased the Cross Properties in 2014. And all work stopped on Strong. I mean, tools were put down and gathered dust for years and years.
To insulate myself from the near-daily horrors destroying my country, I knew I needed to give myself a large, interesting project to focus on. I cannot fix the world but I can fix my own house. Thus was born my own Project 2025/26.
This, combined with my Baby Step Method™, means that I need to do something every day. It does not matter if a something takes even 5 minutes. One day I only managed to screw back on two electrical cover plates I removed in 2013. But my joy was immense.
In my bedroom I installed two electrical boxes in like 2009. The surrounding plaster was damaged and I infilled that right away. But it took another 17 years to prime and paint and reattach the heretofore mentioned cover plates. Geez!
On the west bedroom wall, in 2009 I removed a door in the wall center, and moved it to the far left. This created space for my beloved 1950s dresser. The wall though sagged, creating a vertical line where a seam opened up. I beefed up the basement support a number of years ago so could, at long last, repair the wall. I could also sweep!
Repairs underway. On some days all I did was apply another coat of joint compound. This though is allowed under Baby Step Rules.
2026. Ta-da!!!! The plastic on the lampshade will remain until the house is listed for sale. I also repainted the room and base trim, washed the curtains, and cleaned the one window.
I also removed the plastic panels to the “headboard” and washed them. And see the shelf in the nightstand? That broke off ages ago. Fixed now!!!!!!!!
Outside, on my south deck, is small cabinet I made in 2000. It stores small garden equipment and gloves. One day a fierce wind blew the door open and tore off the outer edge of the right side. I stored the door inside for many many years. It is now back! Ta-da!
This was a company I had for a while after moving to Chase County. Every piece was signed and…
…labeled as such.
I took pride in assuring that every piece revealed attention to details, such as this gently tapered leg. This was my income for several years.
Off the dining room is a pantry I built in like 1997. This just will not do for resale. I want prospective buyers to smile rather than recoil in opening every door and drawer.
I had to haul everything out (no small feat), remove the shelving tacked into place in 1997, sheetrock the rear wall, and paint the shelves…
…and then put it all back together after significant editing. New OCD labels were also created!
Yes, the chandelier is rather over-the-top for a closet but, hey, why not? I also was not able to list the chandelier for sale as it has some issues. All my closets have fabulous but flawed lights. Note the new wood ceiling. 1×6 ‘car siding’ , painted before installation. This was vastly less work for my old body than repairing the very damaged plaster ceiling.
There was only a single door in the house when I moved into it in 1996. You can thus imagine my great joy in finding a matched set of doors, from an old army barracks, with frames and hardware, at a salvage yard also in 1996. The doors have always been painted (white) and I repainted them several times over the decades (no easy task). The problem is that the bottom edge of each panel gets dirty so I decided to go not-quite-black. I think this looks quite dashing.
…and shows off the gorgeous antique glass knobs I purchased years ago to replace the cheap military knobs. I now have 4 doors painted. Just 2 more to go! Baby Steps, dahlink!
In one of what will be one of two master suite bathrooms, I got the west wall tiled. This is a theme throughout the house. Above the tile will be painted trim. Note the elegant, decorative pieces, upper left. A quick way to dress up 1×6 pine boards!
I love it.
And…gadzooks!….I got the toe kick trim installed under the long kitchen cabinet.
My hope/dream/desperate wish is that Strong can be finished at the end of the year. This will, of course, all depend on money coming in. But I now have the kitchen done, my bedroom, the pantry and about 80% of the above bathroom.
The largest and most $$$ project will be adding a hipped roof over the flat-roofed living room to stop chronic leaks.
The exterior also needs a lot of work and all the wood sashes I carefully reglazed in the 1990s need to be reglazed. Sigh.
I think it is vital that the house present immaculately.
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So happy to see all the progress. I need to institute your “Project 2025/2026” rules in my house. Just tackling one task a day on my many, many projects in process would result in a LOT of progress through the end of the year.
PS: Tiny typo alert: I think “Thank” should be “That” in this paragraph: “I also removed the plastic panels to the “headboard” and washed them. And see the shelf in the nightstand? Thank broke off ages ago. Fixed now!!!!!!!!”
Thanks again, peaches.
The corner pieces above the freshly painted door match the ones in my master bedroom, but mine are unpainted. My house has different corner pieces in different zones of the house, most painted with trompe l’oeil. The hall has bullseyes with a leaf motif in the triangles above them. The front and back parlor (now one room) have daisies instead of bullseyes. The kitchen and dining room and laundry room have bullseyes with a rising sun in the triangle above them (unfortunately this woodwork is painted).
Gorgeous, and a not-insignificant amount of work! Also, I am and always will be a sucker for cut glass doorknobs.
Wow! This is great. Glad to see you doing little jobs to move everything ahead. You attention to details is admirable. I look forward to your post.