winter work

We purchased our winter work this week. 

I really hate the green color on this house. Next spring we will paint it.

Although you have to admire that they painted the tarp on the east side the same color as the siding. No-one will ever know it is just a tarp if you paint it the same color as the rest of the house. I think we will put siding on instead of the tarp. The way it is now might be a code violation.

That awning to the left of the door and the window to the right of the door will have to go.

The windows in the house are in horrible shape. Every one of them will have to be replaced.

Porch screens will need work.

The seller included 5 new windows in the sale to sweeten the deal. We have replacing all the rest in our estimate of repair costs.

We will need some new cupboards and the ones that are there will need repair

There was some dry wall work done. Problem is, we will have a new breaker box and electrical service installed. You really want to do dry wall work after the electrician has done his magic otherwise you might end up cutting holes in the new dry wall.  Notice the insulation I taped over one window to keep at least some of the cold air out? That should speak volumes about how bad the windows are.

The black plastic covering the studs on a wall is a nice touch. At least here we can have any new wires run that we might need.

That half wall beside the toilet will have to go and all the flooring in the house needs to be replaced.

Window behind the washer will have to go.

Access to the pipes for the upstairs full bath is through the ceiling of the downstairs bathroom. I have never seen this done before. I think we will cover that hole in the ceiling.

As I wrote the floors are in awful shape.

There are still walls to fix. 

And we are crious what is behind the mirror on the wall above the stairway. Seems like an odd place to hang a mirror unless you are covering a hole in the wall.

Most of the stair treads are cracked and broken.

Matthew was able to get the furnace running yesterday. We replaced the thermostat that was in the house with our work thermostat, replaced the fuse on the furnace switch and he said there was another fix needed before the furnace would fire. But there is now heat in the house. YEA!!!! 

Yep we have purchased our winter work.

I have been thinking this week how thankful I am that 2 of our sons are partners with us on the houses. Our oldest son Joshua works for an agricultural company and I am thankful for him too.

But I can let youth do the tough jobs.

Micah tore out flooring on the BIG house yesterday.

Matthew found some trim to fill in the missing pieces. He painstakingly removed all the old paint.

I painted the front hall and stairway.

I am thankful, I have a variety of work that I enjoy every day. Sure there are some awful jobs but most are satisfying and enjoyable. Fixing dilapidated houses is a labor of love for me.

May your life be filled with joy and thankfulness also.