Boarding and plastering begins!

We left off last week with an update about insulation.  Since then the pink fiberglass insulation has gone in the walls, the regular crew has been replacing rotten boards and trim on the outside of the house, boarders arrived to put up walls, all the new kitchen windows arrived, and this morning the plasterers are here and getting started!  Phew!

Here the two layers of insulation are visible -- the
green "foam" that was sprayed on and
the second layer of fiberglass...
(family room ceiling)



Up close...



Electrician Colm, quickly putting in a cable
before the insulator comes around!



Installing the insulation...

Scott checking the progress of the project!



Look what's in the one-car garage!
(It's our new refrigerator!)



A load of wallboard arrives...



In through the family room door...



Bags of plaster come next...

Boarders putting up the walls in the kids' bathrooms

Cutting holes in the right places...



Caleb scampering down a ladder...new trim
in the background...



That is not a golf club Caleb is swinging -- it's
a very strong magnet for picking up loose nails.



More windows arrive!



Carl and Ger carrying new kitchen windows...



New insulation!

We had to wait a while for the insulation company to arrive, but they made it to our house this week and have spent a day "spraying" on one layer.  Today they will come and put in a second layer of fiberglass insulation.  This double layer is apparently very popular now and provides added R value.  This old house could really use that kind of help! 



Greenish insulation foam partially
coating a wall...



The new mudroom...



Wall in the family room...



Ceiling and wall of Stuart Little/Sewing Room...



Replacing rotted trim...





Deck of Eliza's balcony -- reused from former second
floor deck...



Happy St. Patrick's Day

We've had a combination of rain and sun this week and a St. Patrick's Day that reached the 60's!  Many signs of spring around the Farm...plus some new windows and a facelift for Eliza's balcony.



Chris and Carl installing the upper windows of
the new family room.





Mike and Ger working on the new roofline above
the old second floor deck.



Weatherproofing the area...

The second floor deck is gone...

Eliza's balcony outside her bedroom gets
a facelift -- preparing the floor for a deck...

A view from inside her bedroom...



Carl finishing removal of the old ceiling...with
the old ceiling down, a new opportunity to insulate!



Insulation is in!  There is a room above the balcony
which will now have a warmer floor!



Chris staining new beadboard for balcony ceiling...



Beadboard drying...



Mike putting the beadboard on the balcony ceiling.



Ceiling finished!  PVC trim to replace old rotten boards.



The last of the snow near the old greenhouse...





A sweet sign of spring.



Another full dumpster!

The deck railing comes off...

The construction crew has done all they can inside until new insulation is put in; while they wait for that to happen, they have gone back outside and are working on the removal of the old deck and replacing some windows.



Before:  awaiting arrival of new windows (over new mudroom)



New windows are in!  They are "awning" style windows
which mean they don't slide up and down but open
out like an awning.  Great for letting in the breeze and
keeping out the rain!



New windows from afar...



The new windows from the second floor hallway
(door straight ahead is to billiard room/Grandma's
sitting room)



New windows looking from Grandma's bedroom...



House with second floor deck over
dining room.  This deck never saw much
use and its flat design caused many water
damage problems over the years, so it is
coming off to be replaced by a gently
sloping roof.  Also, the roofline will change
a bit, again hoping to keep water away
from the house...



Railing has come down; work on new roofline has begun.



A good view of raised roofline





Before:  deck with railing (and old toilet)



Deck without railing (and without toilet)



Eliza sporting a new cast -- she has a tiny
fracture in her thumb so the doctor immobilized
it for two weeks with a cast.  She should be
ready for lacrosse season in two weeks (no
skiing in the meantime, though...)



Cat's still in the bag...



Remember this photo of Caleb mailing his
application to Thayer Academy in December?



His answer arrived in the mail last week...he's been accepted

and will start there as a sixth grader in September!