After two and a half years of nonstop restoration we have decided to take a break. Not that it was an official decision that we discussed, it was more of an unofficial decision where we just stopped working on the house. So, the the back porch waits with bathroom sink sitting on the floor, holes in the drywall where we moved the wiring and plumbing, and the floor needs to be sanded down one more time and sealed. Not big projects to be sure but we have lost our momentum.
In the past week the only project we have tackled is taking the new screen door latch apart and spraying the inside with cooking oil (because who wants to go to Home Depot to pick up WD-40 anyway?) so that it works smoother. We thought about documenting it for the web site but then decided, “Oh, what’s the point?”
We are taking a break for a couple of weeks or a couple of months, I’m not really sure, until the mood strikes us and working on the house starts to sound fun again. Don’t worry about us though, we’ll be going out to dinner, watching movies IN THE THEATER, meeting up with friends and doing all the things we put on hold because we were working on the house.
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I just want to tell you how I admire both of you for being so diligent and sharing your progress with us. You have truly inspired me!
I will be looking to buy a bungalow next year and you have no idea how much your notes and before and after pictures have made me think “Hey, I can do that too!”. Seeing those pictures and the amazing difference you have made get me really excited about owning my own bungalow. Thanks for the hard work and enjoy your “vacation”.
Susan
After reading about all your renovations over the last year, you most definetly deserve a break. It can be a hard and stressful job, one that you both should be very proud of. We are all rooting for you!
As you relax and contemplate your next project over that dinner for two, or tub of popcorn, remember what you’ve done so far, the friends you’ve made through your wicked blog, and that you don’t have to renovate with kids! Believe me, it’s much slower! hahaha!
We’ll miss you… Enjoy your holiday!
Deb (kensingtonbungalow.blogspot.com)
We’ll miss you guys! But remember, pizza in Chicago next time you visit Heather’s dad!
Have a VERY relaxing time off.
I finished a project on Thanksgiving day and declared a break. It had been 1.5 years of house hell. It took 3 months just to finally put my tools away and clean the basement because I never tidied between jobs. I owned 30 screwdrivers, 6 tape measures and 5 exacto knives but I could never find them. My “break” turned into a sort of sabbatical and lasted 6 months but when break was over I was refreshed and didn’t hate the house anymore. When I’m not frustrated I don’t take shortcuts so the break was needed. I love your site. Great house. Now go take a break!
Derek Canavan, Brockton Ma.
Hey- good for you. It takes commitment to take a break also. People are telling us to take a break after working on our kitchen for almost an entire year. We did a complete gut rehab and then put all the original molding back ourselves. In fact, we did most of it ourselves except for electric and plumbing, which is why it is taking so long! Love your work.
Hi Dave and Heather,
We met you at Barbara’s house at the party for Rose Thornton. We also have the Corgi. Love you website!
We are in agony over the job of interior paint stripping and are desperate to get some help. Can we have the name and # of the people who did yours in the off chance that we could coax them to Pomona, Ca.
Thanks, Kim and Joel
http://homepage.mac.com/kdillbeck/PhotoAlbum3.html
Hi guys!
Wow, you have done a lot of work on your house. I LOVE the landscaping. We used J & C Home Repair, 626.793.7091 ask for Juan.
Just want to say I’ll miss you guys. I love your spirit! I know firsthand how hard it is to do what you are doing and how remodeling takes over your life- I am living it too.
On hold because of our renovation:
getting married, social life (mostly)
Your house is lovely and your dogs are adorable too!
Just started my own house blog- but need to get a digital camera to get it going in earnest.
I hate to even ask since you are on break from house-restoration activities, but…..
You posted some pictures of vintage garages in a past posting. The slide labelled “Garage_29″ was like finding a needle in a haystack. My 1926 shared garage looks just like this (sans the one-piece doors and trellis work). However my garage leaks like a seive, 50% of the framing is rotted and/or riddled with powder post beettles. Needless to say…the garage needs to be overhauled. The Garage_29 is EXCATLY what I would like to do once the garage (my side) is rebuilt. Do you have any idea where that picture came from or if others are available? I don’t think it is from the Aladdin catalogs as this is a picture and i thought they only used drawings (could be wrong). This picture is very good and I will be able to reproduce from the details in this picture, but I am just curious if there is any more detail, or just to know any history of that garage. Thanks so much!
Dennis
Hey, Dennis.
I am going to send you a personal email with more information about that garage. Unfortunately, I don’t have the original source information but I’m going to send you larger photos of the garage you mentioned.
Best, h
BTW, thanks so much everyone for all the enouraging messages! We really appreciate the feedback and support from this site.
Best,
heather + dave