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How This Whole Thing Started
When people find out we bought a farmhouse that was built in 1848 and needs a complete renovation, they are mostly unsurprised. To grasp why, you must first get acquainted with the men of the Papineau family: Brendon, his dad, and his uncles, who I like to joke that if you put them in the middle of the field, they could build a house with their bare hands. … Continue reading How This Whole Thing Started
Woodside: The Second Year
We recently celebrated our second anniversary of owning Woodside. Compared to the first year, it’s had fewer surprises … which is good, because I am not sure I could handle discovering another 30,000 bees living between floors. On the other hand, after two years, I feel prepared for just about anything Woodside throws our way (as long as it doesn’t involve a solo trip to … Continue reading Woodside: The Second Year
Basement Framing
Who remembers how creepy the Woodside basement used to be? A failing foundation, giant old boiler, and territorial groundhog were just a few of the gifts bestowed upon us when we bought the house. Full confession – I wouldn’t go into the basement alone for the first few months because I was terrified the groundhog was going trap me in a corner (and then what, … Continue reading Basement Framing
Concrete – Part 2
Out of all the work we’ve done so far at Woodside, the concrete projects seem to be the most challenging. First, the weather has to be dry and above freezing if you’re pouring outside (which is why we had to wait until spring for this work after finishing the first part last fall). Second, since concrete is pretty permanent, you have to plan out things like drainage … Continue reading Concrete – Part 2
Porch & Basement Work
Ah, spring (kind of). The weather has been pretty wacky the last few weeks in St. Louis, and the cold, wet days have led to us delaying and rearranging several projects, including our concrete and basement work. We were lucky to have a few days last week that were warm and dry, which helped us knock out a few things this past weekend. First we … Continue reading Porch & Basement Work
Electricity
Some parts of a house renovation don’t necessarily have that “wow” factor. Most people are into pictures of new kitchens and bathrooms, but don’t really get that pumped up about things like waterproofing and gas lines. Well, most people aren’t on their second year of a (mostly) DIY total gut renovation, so we are quite excited to announce that we have permanent electricity hooked back … Continue reading Electricity
Doors & Windows
Progress at Woodside seems to happen in waves. We’ll be trucking along from day to day, a little bit of demo here and a little bit of demo there, and then all of a sudden everything happens at once. Soon after our concrete work was done, our first set of windows arrived for the garage and kitchen, as well as doors for the garage and … Continue reading Doors & Windows
Concrete
Happy Holidays! This time last year, Woodside was in the air. A lot has changed over the past year, and we’ve made significant progress during the last few weeks. We built the porches during the weekend after Thanksgiving, and then our concrete company got to work pouring the garage and basement floors, basement steps, and front and back porches. Fortunately our first round of concrete work … Continue reading Concrete
