Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Front Porch Progress


So while I was goofing off and wandering around Marblehead, SLOW progress was being made on the outside of the house.  We had four solid days of rain last week that really brought things to a halt.  But the porch roof is up, the front stairs are almost there, just missing the treads.  The trim is on the upstairs windows.  The new longer living room windows are done and should be delivered to the house today.

I need to have that limb taken off.  I never noticed it until I started to stand back to take photos of the house.

Hey, do you think this porch...
Before picture of the house.

...makes me look fat?  Doesn't the house look taller in the old photo?  I think the horizontal lines of the porch deck and roof that make it look wider.  You know what they say about horizontal lines.

I think it will look at little better when the skirt detail fills in the black space under the porch.  The longer windows will also add some verticality to the front.



As I mentioned before, I'm keeping the old shingles on this driveway side of the house to save money.  You can see they've cut back the shingles on the front corner so the cornerboard can wrap around to make it look a little more finished.  Someone was there yesterday from the painting company scraping the shingles as you can see on the lower portion.  They look pretty darn good for being about 70 years old.  Hopefully they'll hold paint until I'm ready for phase 2.


Here's another view of the front stairs.  The first stair is granite which is done to keep the wood off the wet ground.  It's kind of a common treatment around here.  The old cement sidwalk is too narrow for the wider stairs so I'm going to have to have that ripped out and a little bit of that curbing cut back.

And remember the electric meter that was a few inches out from the house...



...and this ugly front corner of the house?


The electric meter has been moved and the trim is going up.



Here's another view of that area.  My "lazy stairs" are built, also except for the treads.  I think they should have been narrower but it's not a big deal.  It's something I missed on the architect's plan.  I think some landscaping will resolve that. 

The living room windows and columns are supposed to be delivered today.  I'm eager to see those in place; they'll make a big impact. 



12 comments:

  1. Looking good! Can't wait to see the new windows and the column - I know you can't either. Karin

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  2. STEVE!!!
    So exciting! It actually makes me miss (and I can't believe I'm saying this) the whole process!!! But it's really quite exciting to see something as large as an entire house facade transform before your very eyes. The porch is just going to be BEAUTIFUL and I can already envision all the special touches you'll add with landscaping and charm.
    Congratulations!!!
    Trina

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  3. hey steve,

    looking good. real good. i don't think she's looking fat at all. and i like that branch too. when she is all painted, she is gonna be real pretty.

    ~janet

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  4. I just discovered your blog and am having such a wonderful time reading your posts. I used to live in Cambridge in the early 90's. I was teaching at Boston University and I lived in a rent-controlled apartment on Harvard St - about 4 blocks from Harvard Square. I absolutely loved every moment I lived there. It is such a wonderful town. I recognize some of the houses you've shown from my endless walks around Cambridge when I lived there. Thanks so much!

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  5. Your house is looking great and not fat at all. I can't wait to see the new windows in.

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  6. Hola Steve, I think your house is looking pretty much darling charming so far!!!
    My congrats,
    maria cecilia

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  7. Wow, she's turning the corner from ugly duckling to a magnificent swan. She's going to be beautiful! I can't wait to see the columns and the windows. How's the search for the sidelights going?

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  8. Looking really great. I keep meaning to do a drive by to see the progress. It seems pretty quick to me! Can't wait to see the columns and windows in place. Love the granite first step. Congrats. - Anne : )

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  9. Don't you dare cut off that branch!!!!!!!! A house is no house without a garden. I'm with Janet, and she's never wrong.

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  10. I think this set of photographs is the one where I can really envisage the end result. It's looking good. Very good, and you must be starting to get a little bit excited by now. Your (at times tortured) decisions are paying off.

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  11. wonderful progress, congratulations! I'm loving every minute of your renovation, and was really impatient waiting for the update all of last week. Now I know it was delayed because of the rain. but it was worth the wait. I love the new lines. and who said skinny is beautiful? at least in house facades :)

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  12. GREAT progress! I think the house looks so much more like itself:) with the porch. I'm going to bet that 'one day' you will be very happy that the lazy steps are wider! What will you do under the porch? We are just now embarking on that (although it was probably my very first design though upon driving up the driveway- do a fieldstone wall under the porch!) This past week we've had three masons here to bid...

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