Susan’s most unusual birthday present: learning today that our house and her “no nukes” history are featured on Huffington Post. Natalie Pace wrote this blog for Huff Post Green after visiting our house with Dennis Wedlick. Thank you, Natalie. More >>
Starting to look like a house inside
Delivering drywall
Stuffing pink insulation between walls
Leftover lumber for safety railing
Chris, homeowner and handyman, built this temporary railing out of (mostly) leftover furring strips and 2X4s. The final version will feature vertical balusters in a design based on railings at nearby Shaker buildings. Meanwhile, the balcony is safer and we rather like the corn-crib style of these horizontals.
Let there be light
New porch lights
Tapering the columns
Tapered columns look extra special but I wonder how Nick Ford did the math. He’s so good I expect it’s by eye. The pillars on many old Shaker buildings are granite, with the same tapered proportion.
Last day of bow season
Once we counted 55 white-tailed deer in the field. There’s one less now, taken by Ted (Susan’s father) hunting with a bow.
Building the porch
The porch roof boards were coated with white primer during another marathon painting spree by Chris (abandoning Susan to dinner, homework, lunch boxes and night-night). Chris is pitching in to keep costs down but we are so glad we added “front porch” to the contract with Bill Stratton Building Co. (instead of trying to build it ourselves). It’s modern and Shaker and so very welcoming. It’s also the last big thing the team will do before we take over to finish the interior. We will miss them when they are gone. The good work is appreciated and the progress is addictive. “What did they do at the house today?” is the first question Nicholas, age 10, asks when he gets off the school bus.