Thursday 19 June 2014

Vintage Storm Windows?

Hello, what have we here? I think these must be the original storm windows from the Little Blue House. We must try them out. My husband discovered them in the falling-down cabin on our property, along with a couple more in the other cabin (now woodshed).

They say that a vintage window combined with a storm window is at least equivalent to a double-paned window, in terms of energy efficiency. Plus , these windows have loads of character. Here's yet another project!



Monday 2 June 2014

Tarring but not Feathering

Man, tar is nasty stuff. Fortunately, my husband and dad both "volunteered" to apply all of this goop to our Little Blue House. They finished in a day. The first coat was very thick, applied with a putty knife to seal all cracks, knot-holes, seams, etc. The second and third coats were of a thinner type of tar, applied with rollers and brushes to the new plywood and cement foundation.

First Coat of Tar
Partway Through First Coat
After!

The exposed wood you see in the photo above is where the rotten siding was removed from the exterior of the home's original bedroom. That part of the house was sitting in the dirt, with rotten beams and floor joists. The rear corner wall was also rotten, so you could poke a hole in the wall with your hand. We will need to find some cove siding to fill in some gaps...

They did an amazing job - the house already looks much better. Oddly enough, they completed the task right at beer o'clock!
The Final Photo, Before Back-Filling