No, not yet....
June 13th -- Yes, that is the answer to the most frequently asked question of the week. Forward progress, but not that much and not that fast and "No, the house is not yet finished."We'll start with the good news.
There are only two remaining original windows in the house -- all the rest of the original windows were replaced. The remaining windows are casement windows with brass hinges in the upper-level sitting room. One window had a pane that was cracked and the glazing on both windows was spotty, at best, in some places.
After several Google searches and phone calls to craftsmen who ranged from historic window restoration companies to garden variety glass companies, I finally found a place where I could bring the windows, leave them for repair: replace the cracked pane and replace the glazing putty where necessary, and pick them up two days later.
The windows were also a bit "over-painted" over the years and were sticking in a few spots, but I would figure out how to deal with that. Well, after lots of elbow grease with a sanding block, I borrowed an electrical sander from a friend and will use that this weekend.
Here is the a view of the exterior (anywhere you see "white" is the re-glazing putty)....
Here is the a view of the exterior of the window with the pane that was replaced (more "white" re-glazing putty)....
and the interior view of the same window that faces east.
I am sanding the edges of each window to make sure that they open and close without sticking, and then I will do paint touch ups on the new glazing putty and other parts of the windows.
The contractor came to deal with the last item on the punch list -- he attempted to remove the drain cover in the basement floor that had become clogged with dirt and construction debris. We tried WD-40 and "naval jelly" to loosen the screws they held the drain cover, but the screws are brass and soft and wouldn't budge. The contract tried to remove the screws with a device attached to his drill, but that didn't work either. So, he took a hammer to the drain and busted it, but the screws are still remaining in place. He will replace the drain cover. He cleared what he could from the drain and ran a hose down to flush it out, but the clog wasn't going to budge. He said that he would call a plumber to come and "roto-rooter" the drain. I have not yet been told when that will happen.
The painter will come to repaint the bathroom with the claw foot tub later this coming week.
In the meantime, the garden is thriving and I've planted a second crop of corn seeds to stagger the harvest.
The tomatoes are thriving and waiting for the very warm overnight temperatures.
All the various seedlings are up and growing, and....
I am waiting for the house to be done as I continue to very slowly move back in. I did move my computer out of the master bedroom and back into my office. I am finding it very interesting that I like living in a house without furniture and all the stuff that I have accumulated over the years....I expect to do more purging as I settle back in.
Some of the larger pieces of furniture -- couch in the gathering room, dining room table and chairs, futon for the sitting room and a few desks -- are scheduled to be moved from the garage into the house on Monday.....stay tuned.
