Renovating to Restore: Adventures Repairing the (amazing!) Borden Milk House in Wassaic NY
I immediately did not love the fence between the garage and the house - and not just because it was falling down and the posts rotting away into oblivion, but because it seemed unnecessary. After we moved in, though, I began appreciating the bit of privacy it provided (and potentially could provide) for our back … Continue reading Fence & Gate!
Projects being half-finished really bug me. I like to post about completed things (or rants about things that seem destined to never get done), so when certain people* have trouble with final-touch-follow-through I go a bit batty and don't post anything for weeks on end. Even when there is actual logic behind why things aren't … Continue reading The “half-finished” state (aka, never-ending higher priorities)
Once the paint is scraped (good grief, that's an annoying job!), it's time to patch the damage and prime it fast* so that it can stop being disintegrated by the weather 🙂 Good grief, that is a lot of windows. The house is pretty solid, structurally, but there are a few (thousand) points of vulnerability … Continue reading Scraping – Patching – Priming: Windows
We spent another night at the house (after a great time at The Wassaic Project's summer benefit). The next day my partner worked on the floor (which should have been the topic of this post), and we made coffee, did dishes, washed hands... lots of things involving sink water. At some point (unfortunately not immediately) … Continue reading The Water (redux)
For the record, I have been reusing that straw for months. June was historic: it marked our first overnight stay at our amazing, beautiful house. Which meant, I could finally enjoy a relaxing alcoholic beverage at home.* With the toilet flushable, we said goodbye to hotels an hour away and hello to the unfortunate wood … Continue reading The First Night.
A bit off topic (not really), I wanted to highlight some of the amazing things we love about Wassaic, NY. Almost every weekend we've been working on the house, we've discovered some amazing new side of this awesome little town.* We all loved the house as soon as Zillow sent it to me in a … Continue reading #keepwassaicweird
As mentioned (2 or 3 million times), we bought the house sans inspections. One of the most promising aspects was the electric: it looked new-ish; the house had a new meter; generally the wiring looked pretty good (there was no knob & tube wiring, for example). The house's distinct lack of walls gave us easy … Continue reading The Electric.
I bought a house. It needs a bit of work* We waived official inspections, replaced the roof, and have begun the multi-year renovation project to bring this beautiful abode back to habitability. Starting in July, we'll live in the attic and slowly restore each of the (so many) rooms back to former glory - with … Continue reading About
The lawn is way too big. There is no reason for a lawn this big. This is not brag-complaining, the lawn is just way too big. That tiny dot in the back is my 9 year old diligently mowing away with our push (non-engine) mower. Where are the trees?? The wildflowers? The goats to help … Continue reading The Lawn.
Built in 1870 for the Superintendent of the New York Milk Company (later known as the Borden Milk Company), the house is a dream come true. Sure, it's lacking walls, has no running water or electricity, and urgently needed a new roof when we purchased it in January, 2019. But look at it! It is … Continue reading The House
