It’s been a while since my final post, but we’re still here! The final weeks of the renovation were a whirlwind, from the extraordinary push to total the work in date for the wrap party, to the subsequent photo shoots (you can see a story about our house in the current issue of that Old House ma…

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Remember the three-season porch with jalousie glass we demolished to produce way for the new, two-story addition? Well, it actually sat a little bit below the level of the rest of the house and below the grade of the rest of the property. We wanted the new addition to sit on the same level as the…

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Tom and Norm put their heads together to build our library bookshelves

From the beginning, the library landing has been the heart of our renovation. Paul Rovinelli spent countless hours with us designing it. He knows Bill and I are book lovers—to put it mildly—and wanted a special space to e…

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In case anyone was wondering, we still don’t have a working kitchen. certain, we’re making do with the old range down in the basement and various small appliances set up here and there around the house—but it’s getting old! Yesterday director (and amazing cook!) David Vos took pity on us and br…

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So far, with the exception of electrical work, most of the work on our project has been restricted to the new addition, the kitchen, and the basement. Well, recently all that ended as Anne Brady began removing wallpaper from the hallway, upstairs and down, and repairing some old water damage to…

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Ronnie sets up the new boiler in our basement
Winter is just around the flexible. And that worries me, since we don’t yet have a working heating system to take the edge off of the chill. We have our fingers crossed that it’ll be up and running soon.
Once total, the system will consist of our old …

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Roger and Bill secure edging around the new patio
We did it! We made our own patio—under Roger’s careful instruction, of course—and with family and friends pitching in to help. It was a perfect fall day for work outdoors, and I think we all enjoyed the camaraderie, the crisp air, and the sat…

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What fun to have one of our favorite NPR radio hosts (and fellow Newton resident) Tom Ashbrook visit the job site the other day! He arrived for lunch, and thereupon Tom gave him a tour of the house, and was interviewed for an On Point segment you can listen to here.
Other highlights of the …

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We’d heard it all before. We’d been warned by friends, seasoned renovators—even by Tom Silva himself: The most dangerous words you can take in from your contractor while renovating your house are, “We really oughta…” or “We might as well…” 

We tried to take that to heart, particularly …

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Bill and I recently learned about some interesting—if not downright odd—tools of the trade for those who install blue board and plaster. Even though our belongings are now covered with a fine film of plaster dust, we love watching all the steps that go into building our addition, considering …

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Now that the vinyl siding is off and repairs to the clapboards are finished, the next step is to prepare for portray. And what a preparation it has been! Every scrap of paint has been removed from the house using liquid stripper. Windows have all been re-glazed. Nail holes have all been fill…

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After all of the various disruptions we’ve encountered during renovation, who knew that insulation would be the thing to drive us from the house? I think we were really beginning to think we wouldn’t have to vacate for anything! 
Spray foam insulation is going to be wonderfully snug when the …

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