Recent happenings

Greetings family and friends.  The work at 21 Wildwood continues....with some minor challenges.  The gas fireplace insert we ordered came as propane...so, had to wait for some retrofitting.  Then, we took on a little water after the recent high winds/rain storm in the Boston area.  We thought we had the fireplace leak fixed....but, apparently not. We woke up the next morning to a small lake in the living room! Larry has done a lot more caulking and sealing, so we will wait for the next storm. Also took on a little water in the basement.  Larry will be poring a concrete platform for the washer and dryer soon:)  It seems that flooding basements in New England are ubiquitous. Ahhhh....the joys of home ownership.

Here are a few photos to get a taste of the progress.

Kitchen almost complete!

Add caption

Christmas Day walk

.....and the work goes on....

Luke assisting with the french door install

Grouting the kitchen tile....nasty job

When fall comes to New England.......

.....the Browns miss it!!  As I was jogging along the Mystic River this morning and taking in some of the beautiful fall foliage, the thought occurred to me that thousands of folk from around the world travel to New England to take in this wonderous sight. I guess it's true, you tend to take things for granted that you see all the time. I suppose we have been otherwise occupied at the house on Wildwood.  Things are coming together slowly but surely.  However, we need to remind ourselves that there is joy in the journey and to take time to stop and smell the roses....or view the splendor of the changing of the leaves...as the case may be. The house projects will wait....lets hope not too long! 

The Emerging Order

Well, for those of you who are wondering....we didn't make the move-in ready state before Sept 30th, but move in we did.  We had to move out of our apartment, so 21 Wildwood is our new residence.  After a week with very limited lighting, no heat, no shower and no kitchen..things are looking up.  In the weeks leading up to the move, I packed and cleaned in preparation.  The weekend of the move, many important and exciting things converged. Frantic work on the house, moving, coupled with Luke's first ever runway fashion show in the Tent at Boston Fashion week.  That was one of the most action packed weekends I can remember in a long time.  Luke's show was amazing!!  For those who are interested, check out his blog at www.lukeaaronboston.com. Click on the press link and you can see video, blog entries and photos of his show.  Truly amazing.  We're so proud of Luke and Heidi and the amazing work, effort and talent that this show represents.

Back at the ranch..I've included some photos to represent some of the work.  The kitchen is partially done. We're waiting for the counter tops and one of the cabinets that got damaged in shipment.  We now have a functioning shower, sink and toilet...no door yet...details.  The floors are beautiful. So glad we sprung for a professional company to do them.  The roof is half done. And, on it goes.  It will be beautiful when it is finished...just hope I live through it:)  Thank God for gyms with showers!

We now are up and running with internet, so, hopefully it won't be so long before the next update.  Stay tuned!!

floors!



Guest Bath

Lights

Getting there

Heidi's fiance Alex helping install kitchen cabinets

A whole lota muddin' goin' on!

Andrew, Wayne and Larry have been pushing hard the past few days.  Wayne was a tremendous help with many projects and got us way down the road toward completion.  Sadly, we put him on a plane Friday morning.  Thanks Wayne for all your help!  Andrew has been working hard to try and get all the walls/ceilings finished before he, Dori, and the boys head off to Hungary on Monday for a visit with Dori's family.  Andrew's skill and hard work has been invaluable in getting the walls and ceilings smooth and ready for fresh paint.  It is an amazing skill to blend plaster/sheet rock and make it look great. Andrew perfected the art when he was living in Hungary and now we are benefiting from his skill and attention to detail.  Thanks Bandi!!  We could never have done it without you.  And thanks to Dori and the boys for being willing to let him be away from the family. Words cannot express our gratitude and love for all of you.  We will miss you greatly!

second bath

second bath

kitchen

Andrew and his amazing mudding skills

smooth bedroom walls

smooth bedroom 2 walls

kitchen

almost ready for the cabinets

master bath

soaking tub

shower

second bath

 

Coming together

Andrew, Wayne and Larry have been working hard.  They continue to believe that we will make the move in ready requirements on time.  I am still a bit sceptical.  The cabinets are stacked in the living/dining room, sheet rock in the back sun room, and appliances are everywhere...except the kitchen.  The last big hurdle is the rough in plumbing inspection that should occur tomorrow.  Then, sheet rocking can happen in earnest. 

Reinforcements!

Old Geezer Construction is back in business!  Larry's brother Wayne graciously agreed to fly out and assist with the house remodel.  Thanks Wayne!  Here he is taking down the last of the hundreds of Christmas lights still up on the house. Notice the flag in the background. What we thought was an unusual display of patriotism turned out to be covering up a hole in the siding. Luke and I finally decided to do a little labor on Labor day.  I scrubbed the bricks on the fireplace and Luke removed wallpaper and sanded walls.  Coming together! 

39 Days and counting........

Most of the demolition is done and there is some rebuilding going on.  The electricians, plumbers and HVAC guys are hard at work.  Larry has been their right hand man...tearing down, running to the store, rebuilding and directing traffic.  Here are some recent scenes. Will we make it?

Our New Superhero!

We have immensely enjoyed hanging out with our Hungarian Homies this summer while Andrew has been working in the Boston area for Vivent.  From time to time, he pops in to give Larry a hand on the remodel.  He has mad skills and a great attitude. Thanks for all your help Andrew!!

Giant Sucking Sound

Well, true to expectations, the money pit is living up to it's name.  Removing plaster, tile, etc has uncovered a whole treasure trove of specialness!  No, we haven't unearthed valuable antiques, but rather rotting floors, rusting pipes and the like.  Enjoy!! 

Beefing up the bathroom floor above

 rotting floor under the tub