One Busy Summer

Here we are.  Mid-August.  What happened to April, May, June, and July?!  It’s been a busy one for the team, everyone working at greenhouses, wineries, and electrical supply shops.  Bill and Michael continued to meet up at the Masser House (now being called the White House), getting her ready for her new foundation.  As you might expect, no small project!  Sit back, and enjoy a super-long post that will catch you up on the whole summer!

APRIL

The sun porch had to be removed.  We were saddened by this, as we cherish the memories the families shared about many happy hours spent out there.  The sun porch was an add-on to the original structure, so it wouldn’t lift with the House when she’s raised for the new foundation.  The boys carefully took it apart, window by window, board by board, until all that was left was the cement pad.

MAY

All living things have an expected lifespan.  The large trees next to the property are unfortunately at the end of theirs; they are diseased and are a threat to the White House and the neighbor’s house with limbs that could come down in a storm.  Special equipment was rented, the chainsaw was gassed up, and up went Bill and the saw in the bucket!  No injuries to any of the “chainsaw party” participants, equipment, vehicles or houses–a successful tree trimming!

JUNE

Chim-chim-cheree!  The boys looked like Mary Poppins’ chimney sweep friends, covered in soot as the crumbling chimneys came down and bricks were cleaned of mortar.  The cleaned bricks are no longer structurally sound, but are being saved for a future life in or around the House.

JULY

The sidewalk is back in the hands of the Little family.  Roger and Leslie showed up with a truck to gather up the sidewalk sections inscribed with family names.  Leslie plans to incorporate them into the landscaping of her house in Idaho.  Roger’s dad poured the sidewalks himself, and poured them THICK!  These are some HEAVY mementos!

Now it’s August and you’re all caught up!  Stay tuned for upcoming events, like a yard sale during Fruita Fall Fest, and the lifting of the House for its new foundation!  Next up on the agenda though, is a reworking of the garage to make room for the lifting company, and to be a more usable storage place than it is currently.  Most of the team will be at the House this Saturday, August 16–stop by and say hello!

 

Lovin’ on That House

A neglected house often falls into a huge amount of disrepair.  From overgrown trees and shrubs to dried out lawns and weedy gardens to water damage, broken windows and a lot of dirt and dust to hazardous materials.  It takes a lot of love and hard work to even start to make a difference.   But differences are being made, small victories on the way to being the jewel of the neighborhood once again.  It’s gonna take a while, but you’ll be able to see the improvements inside and out any time you drive by or stop in.

This last weekend was devoted to cleaning up the inside and tackling a tree  with a ungainly branch and a tree house balanced precariously on it.

Inside, lots of serious dusting–the kind that happens with a brush and gets followed up with a vacuum–was happening all over the downstairs, along with vacuuming rugs and carpets.

Upstairs the bathroom went from kinda icky….

….to pretty fixtures with a lot of possibilities.

Outside, the dangerous tree house was removed, opening the yard to more light.

Many of the trees on the property have issues of disease, age and messiness and most will probably be removed.  The plan is to replace them with pretty trees that will provide spring and fall color, such as Bradford Pears and Prairie Fire Crab Apples.  They’ll provide shade without hiding the house’s beautiful architecture.

Cleaning out the garage resulted in a pile destined for the hazardous waste facility.

The pile of yard waste along with trash from inside the house and garage is growing.  A roll-off container will be in order soon!

We hope you’ll stop by and visit when Bill and Donna are around to see the house getting happier all the time.  🙂

All photos for this post taken by Bill Holstein