http://www.enonhall.com A family in Virginia reclaims and restores their 18th century ancestral home. (The Web's first and longest-running houseblog.) Sun, 27 Jul 2008 15:12:00 EST en-us http://enonhall.com/html/journal0708.html#07272008 Several weeks ago, we received a surprise package in the mail with more photos from the past of Enon Hall. These photos were taken sometime in the 1970s... Sun, 27 Jul 2008 15:12:00 EST http://enonhall.com/html/journal0508.html#05102008 My fingers! My fingers! Sat, 10 May 2008 16:01:00 EST http://enonhall.com/html/journal0408.html#04232008 Gay planted our raised bed on Saturday and this morning we already have radishes and lettuce coming up... Wed, 23 Apr 2008 17:48:00 EST http://enonhall.com/html/journal0408.html#04202008 At present we have two paper mulberry trees at one end of the kitchen quarters. These trees are much maligned, even despised in many circles. We, on the other hand, find them quite interesting... Sun, 20 Apr 2008 12:00:00 EST http://enonhall.com/html/journal0408.html#04182008 Our new raised vegetable garden is ready for business. It's 12'X5'. The five-foot width makes it easy to work the entire garden from the outside edges, without having to step in... Fri, 18 Apr 2008 12:37:00 EST http://enonhall.com/html/journal0408.html#04152008 We're alive and well here at Enon Hall. Sorry there haven't been any updates here for a while... Tue, 15 Apr 2008 19:19:00 EST http://enonhall.com/html/journal0208.html#02162008 William had the day off from school yesterday and it was nice and warm, so we spent the day working on our clearing project. And other than trimming down a few stumps and a little more vine pulling, we're done! Sat, 16 Feb 2008 09:25:00 EST http://enonhall.com/html/journal0907.html#009082007 (Sorry, I screwed up the link on the first feed.) Wow, my posts have really been few and far between lately. I've been getting emails asking if we've dropped off the face of the earth or been kidnapped... Sun, 09 Sep 2007 08:34:00 EST http://enonhall.com/html/journal0707.html#07152007 I was in the hammock reading this afternoon when I heard a heavy thud on the dock about 30 yards away from me. I was stunned to see a huge bald eagle standing there! Sun, 15 Jul 2007 18:46:00 EST http://enonhall.com/html/journal0707.html#07142007 Every time we dig a hole around here we find pieces of old broken ceramics...blue transferware, flow blue, crockery, etc. Some of it's really kind of cool... Sat, 14 Jul 2007 09:16:00 EST http://enonhall.com/html/journal0707.html#07082007 We caught some of the Live Earth concert yesterday and it had the desired effect. The three of us sat down and came up with some ideas for ways that we can conserve more electricity and resources. Sun, 08 Jul 2007 18:07:00 EST http://enonhall.com/html/journal0707.html#07062007 One of the pleasures of this site has been how it has connected me to other Hathaway descendants that I probably never would have met otherwise. Often they have wonderful information to share that helps flesh out the story of Enon Hall. Fri, 06 Jul 2007 07:59:00 EST http://enonhall.com/html/journal0707.html#07042007 Wed, 04 Jul 2007 12:05:00 EST http://enonhall.com/html/journal0607.html#06302007 People keep asking me, "What do you have left to do on the house?" The answer is a million little things. Like finishing the rear staircase... Sat, 30 Jun 2007 16:36:00 EST http://enonhall.com/html/journal0607.html#06252007 Every time I walk through this doorway I think, "I should take a picture of that." This morning I finally did. This is a view into the library in the Dutch Colonial. I think the composition through this doorway is really nice and when I took this photo the lighting was just right... Mon, 25 Jun 2007 16:17:00 EST http://enonhall.com/html/journal0607.html#06182007 I think it's cool that after 8 years we're still making discoveries around here. Yesterday William said, "Hey, have you ever noticed this?" Mon, 18 Jun 2007 17:39:00 EST http://enonhall.com/html/journal0607.html#06122007 The truckload of clam shells arrived right on time this morning, although I was a bit surprised by the truck itself. Tue, 12 Jun 2007 13:48:00 EST http://enonhall.com/html/journal0607.html#06112007 Mon, 11 Jun 2007 16:40:00 EST http://enonhall.com/html/journal0607.html#06042007 And I have photographic evidence. Mon, 04 Jun 2007 15:55:00 EST http://enonhall.com/html/journal0607.html#06032007 Can you really remove the paint from old door hardware by soaking it in a crockpot overnight? Sun, 03 Jun 2007 15:37:00 EST http://enonhall.com/html/journal0607.html#06012007 Mark Dameron of EnonEast Earth Maintenance got our driveway cut and the base sand in place, so now I can show you what it's going to look like. Fri, 01 Jun 2007 17:34:00 EST http://enonhall.com/html/journal0507.html#05302007 Wed, 30 May 2007 17:11:00 EST http://enonhall.com/html/journal0507.html#05292007 We're part of an article about people reclaiming their family homes. You can read the article online.... Tue, 29 May 2007 17:20:00 EST http://enonhall.com/html/journal0507.html#05272007 Thought I'd share this fish that William made a couple weeks ago. He saw something similar at a local farmer's market and came home wanting to make one to hang on our screened porch. He's been saving bottle caps... Sun, 27 May 2007 15:37:00 EST http://enonhall.com/html/journal0507.html#05262007 This portrait of my great grandfather, Ernest Emory Hathaway belongs to my brother, but is on loan to us for a little while. We're proud to hang him in the dining room above a piece of furniture that also... Sun, 27 May 2007 15:37:00 EST http://enonhall.com/html/journal0507.html#05242007 We still don't have a driveway, but that will be changing soon. It has always been the plan for the new driveway to curve around the large red maple in the front yard in its approach to the house and garage. But then last year September Tropical Storm Ernesto... Thu, 24 May 2007 08:01:00 EST http://enonhall.com/html/journal0507.html#05212007 We had a great weekend at the Battle of New Market reenactment as guests of the Signal Corps of the James. William got to drum and take the field for 3 battles... Mon, 21 May 2007 10:48:00 EST http://enonhall.com/html/journal0507.html#05152007 From time to time it strikes me that I've done a very poor job of sharing much information about the beautiful area where we live...at the tip of Virginia's Northern Neck where the Rappahannock River meets the Chesapeake Bay. In honor of the celebration of the 400th anniversary of Jamestown... Tue, 15 May 2007 20:43:00 EST http://enonhall.com/html/journal0507.html#05012007 When we tore down the 1950s kitchen a couple years ago, I was surprised to find that the kitchen sink drain didn't run to the septic tank. Instead, it drained into a really small cesspool in the front yard... Tue, 01 May 2007 20:28:00 EST http://enonhall.com/html/journal0407.html#04292007 One of the questions related to this has always been what to do about the finish of these old doors. Right now they have an awesome patina of old chipped paint. If we removed all that... Sun, 29 Apr 2007 18:08:00 EST http://enonhall.com/html/journal0407.html#04252007 In the 8 years since we bought Enon Hall there's one topic that I've never written about here in the Journal, although I have certainly given it a tremendous amount of thought... Wed, 25 Apr 2007 07:01:00 EST http://enonhall.com/html/journal0407.html#04242007 Every once in a while somebody will do something so kind that it just blows you away. One of our readers recently did just that by sending us a beautiful... Tue, 24 Apr 2007 07:08:00 EST http://enonhall.com/html/journal0407.html#04232007 A little background... A couple years ago William dug up a Civil War era spur in the backyard near the kitchen quarters. In the same spot he found... Mon, 23 Apr 2007 09:23:00 EST http://enonhall.com/html/journal0407.html#04222007 I hadn't, but apparently they've been around forever and Gay's been wanting one for at least that long. She found this one in Harper's Ferry and I must say, it's really cool. Sun, 22 Apr 2007 19:46:00 EST http://enonhall.com/html/journal0407.html#04112007 Since a blogger there wrote about us a couple days ago about 10% of our total site traffic has been coming from Denmark... Wed, 11 Apr 2007 17:43:00 EST http://enonhall.com/html/journal0407.html#04082007 We're just back from a spring break road trip. Wanna see where we went? Sun, 08 Apr 2007 14:48:00 EST http://enonhall.com/html/journal0307.html#03242007 I was pulling together some before and after photos for a magazine that's doing a story on families that have reclaimed their ancestral homes. I thought this comparison was pretty cool... Sat, 24 Mar 2007 08:36:00 EST http://enonhall.com/html/journal0307.html#03152007 Green definitely wasn't the answer. In fact, it was so bad that I couldn't even bring myself to take a photo of it. But what we realized with the green is that we should have treated the family... Thu, 15 Mar 2007 09:44:00 EST http://enonhall.com/html/journal0307.html#03122007 I added the crown moulding to the box beam today and we're really pleased with the way it turned out. The scale seems perfect. Mon, 12 Mar 2007 18:31:00 EST http://enonhall.com/html/journal0307.html#03112007 Yesterday I finally installed the baseboard in the upstairs hall. It's amazing what a difference it makes after looking at it unfinished for so long. I also got the box beam made and into place... Sun, 11 Mar 2007 19:39:00 EST http://enonhall.com/html/journal0307.html#03082007 William came home from school today to find saw horses set up in the dining room. "Oh no," he said, "We're regressing." Thu, 08 Mar 2007 16:52:00 EST http://enonhall.com/html/journal0307.html#03062007 Yesterday the gas cooktop and retractable downdraft were installed. Five guys descended on the house to do the installation, run the vent piping, install the tank, run the gas line, etc. Two noisy hours later... Tue, 06 Mar 2007 20:42:00 EST http://enonhall.com/html/journal0307.html#03012007 It's pretty impressive when a company from 3 states away shows up within 4 minutes of when they say they will. (Wish I could say the same for some of the local contractors.) Sure enough, at 10:04 this morning two trucks from Buck's County Soapstone... Thu, 01 Mar 2007 17:49:00 EST http://enonhall.com/html/journal0207.html#02252007 We think we are mouse-free. For about a month we silently noticed the difference. No sightings. No new droppings. No catches in the traps. Finally, I decided to test fate and told Gay, "I think we've gotten all of the mice."... Sun, 25 Feb 2007 08:18:00 EST http://enonhall.com/html/journal0207.html#02152007 Doug from Bucks County Soapstone arrived right on time this morning to make the template for our kitchen countertops. I wasn't expecting the cool technology that he brought with him... Thu, 15 Feb 2007 14:41:00 EST http://enonhall.com/html/journal0207.html#02142007 To get ready for the arrival of Doug from Bucks County Soapstone tomorrow I spent today attaching the legs and skirt board to the island. Wed, 14 Feb 2007 15:21:00 EST http://enonhall.com/html/journal0207.html#02132007 We have been committed to soapstone countertops from day one. But that's turned out to be easier said than done. There just aren't many sources for soapstone and there is no soapstone presently being... Tue, 13 Feb 2007 17:08:00 EST http://enonhall.com/html/journal0207.html#02092007 Early this week we had our 30-yard construction dumpster hauled away and dumped for the last time. Out of curiosity, I went back and pulled all of the tickets for each time the dumpster was emptied... Fri, 09 Feb 2007 17:34:00 EST http://enonhall.com/html/journal0107.html#01282007 I got tagged by Brooklyn Limestone to come clean with 5 things you may not know about me. It's a little game that's been going on among housebloggers for a while now. I've enjoyed reading everybody else's "5 things"... Sun, 28 Jan 2007 12:59:00 EST http://enonhall.com/html/journal0107.html#01212007 OK, I think my journal hiatus is over. The break from posting (a whole month!) has been nice in a lot of ways, but I have also found myself wanting to report on some things that have (or haven't) occured. So let's get caught up a little... Sun, 21 Jan 2007 20:56:00 EST http://enonhall.com/html/journal1206.html#12162006 Two trucks pulled up around 10:30 this morning and they were unloaded by 3:30. We made their life easy since most of the boxes just went straight into the... Mon, 18 Dec 2006 20:13:00 EST http://enonhall.com/html/journal1206.html#12162006 As this year-long period of 7-day-a-week construction is coming to a close, Gay and I feel like we're getting ready to emerge from a cave...squinting and dirty... Sat, 16 Dec 2006 08:01:00 EST http://enonhall.com/html/journal1206.html#12142006 Happy birthday to William! Hard to believe he's a teenager now. It's also pretty wild to look back at the old pictures of him on this site... Thu, 14 Dec 2006 19:55:00 EST http://enonhall.com/html/journal1206.html#12102006 I discovered that face nailing flooring in a large empty closet is VERY LOUD! I very quickly went scrounging... Tue, 12 Dec 2006 20:30:00 EST http://enonhall.com/html/journal1206.html#12102006 So close. We got a "Temporary C.O." The only thing that he called us on is that not all of the... Mon, 11 Dec 2006 17:28:00 EST http://enonhall.com/html/journal1206.html#12102006 The building inspector will be here tomorrow morning, bright and early, for our final inspection. If all goes well, we get our C.O. If he doesn't like something, then we'll have four days... Sun, 10 Dec 2006 16:55:00 EST http://enonhall.com/html/journal1206.html#12072006 Today Gay and I installed the balusters and handrail on the center staircase and couldn't be happier with the way it turned out. Thu, 07 Dec 2006 21:04:00 EST http://enonhall.com/html/journal1206.html#12042006 Look at the photo and decide what you would do. http://enonhall.com/html/journal1206.html#12032006 Well, the staircase didn't get finished but good progress was made. Things were slowed largely because William and I had to spend this morning cutting balusters. The balusters are... http://enonhall.com/html/journal1206.html#12012006 That's what I felt like I was making as I notched the six newels for the center staircase. Every one is completely different, most with compound cuts, so it's a painstaking process... http://enonhall.com/html/journal1106.html#11262006 Last week a nor'easter soaked us for three straight days. They're calling it the "Thanksgiving Nor-easter." And four days after the last rain drop, there is still a stream flowing across the brick floor in the cellar and... http://enonhall.com/html/journal1106.html#11202006 We finally settled on Danish Oil for the floors. We really wanted something that would treat the wood and provide some stain protection while still allowing... http://enonhall.com/html/journal1106.html#11192006 There's been A LOT of progress this weekend, so I'm going to break it up into two posts...this one and another one in the morning. It'll take me that long to get all the pictures sized, cropped, etc. http://enonhall.com/html/journal1106.html#11112006 My brother came to town to help out yesterday... http://enonhall.com/html/journal1106.html#11082006 Here's a great tip that came from Carlisle's flooring installation guide. If you have a floor board with a slight bow it's easy to bring it in line... http://enonhall.com/html/journal1106.html#11072006 Aaron and Vinny screened the upstairs porch today, finishing up the last item on their list! So there are now only two things keeping the outside of the house from being totally finished... http://enonhall.com/html/journal1106.html#11052006 There's a discussion going on among housebloggers at Houseblogs.net about the reasons why people houseblog. I haven't posted my two cents there because I find it to be a tough question with lots and lots of answers... http://enonhall.com/html/journal1106.html#11042006 First, am I the only one who doesn't get these symbols? http://enonhall.com/html/journal1006.html#10252006 I haven't posted for the last couple days because every brain cell I have has been tied up as I began work on the center hall staircase. This is a project that I always planned to hire out because I thought it was way out of my league. But then we wound up... http://enonhall.com/html/journal1006.html#10222006 Everybody's big on lists of ten reasons for this and ten ways to do that. So I thought I'd contribute my own. As I worked yesterday I scribbled down these random tips on a scrap of wood. Maybe you'll find one item in the list that's new to you and of some value. Maybe. http://enonhall.com/html/journal1006.html#10192006 I had a friend in high school who was fond of saying this. I've been hearing him saying that in my head a lot the last two days as I continue to work on the kitchen cabinet installation. http://enonhall.com/html/journal1006.html#10172006 It's rather slow and tedious work getting each piece leveled and aligned with the next and ensuring that you're leaving exactly enough room for appliances... http://enonhall.com/html/journal1006.html#10152006 I had such big plans for the weekend. And now that it's over, I accomplished very few of them. I got stuck in a neverending spiral of "can't do that until I do that." http://enonhall.com/html/journal1006.html#10122006 Wow. Busy day! Prepare for lots of photos below. The day started with the long-awaited arrival of our Crownpoint kitchen cabinets! http://enonhall.com/html/journal1006.html#10112006 It's so funny to watch Gay these days. She's like a little girl at Christmas. All the things that she's been looking forward to for so long are finally coming together. Her clawfoot tub. Her kitchen cabinets (arriving tomorrow). And her checkerboard kitchen floor... http://enonhall.com/html/journal1006.html#10102006 The saga of painting diamonds on the new kitchen floor begins... http://enonhall.com/html/journal1006.html#10092006 A 12-year-old's perspective on today's accomplishments... http://enonhall.com/html/journal1006.html#10082006 Ever since we discovered the original 1880s paint colors for the law office William has been determined to use them again when this room became his bedroom. The photo below shows the original colors... http://enonhall.com/html/journal1006.html#10032006 The 8 penny cut nails that we're using to face nail everything are starting to put a hurt on my right hand. Everybody was asking me if nailing the... http://enonhall.com/html/journal1006.html#10022006 I hate those Extreme Makeover shows. The other day I looked around at what we have left to do and convinced myself that if we had enough people working on the house all at once, that it really could be finished in one day. For a short while that idea made me feel really good http://enonhall.com/html/journal0906.html#09272006 With the plasterer moving along and the outside of the house off of my plate, things are happening fast now. We called the company that's been storing our kitchen cabinets and told them that we can take delivery in two weeks. We ordered our clawfoot tub. We're double checking... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0906.html#09252006 Gay and I started putting down the pine flooring the master bath. This is not the heart pine, just new 3/4" tongue and groove boards. We are using this everywhere where we are painting the floor... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0906.html#09212006 These boards are reclaimed from the timbers of old factories and textile mills and milled into tongue and groove floorboards... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0906.html#09202006 Good news...The Associated Press wrote an article about housebloggers that includes Enon Hall and a lot of our other favorite houseblogs. It's already been picked up by a lot of online news outlets and will probably be picked up by newspapers this weekend. Bad news...the media outlets get to be creative and write their own headlines for the story... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0906.html#09142006 I've actually started several posts in the last week and half and then trashed each of them when it sounded like I was wallowing in despair. http://enonhall.com/html/journal0906.html#09042006 After 74 hours our power was finally restored about 1:30 this afternoon. Thanks to everybody for the many kind E-mails and... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0906.html#09012006 Yesterday was a bad day here... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0906.html#09012006 :15AM - The sun's not up yet but the wind and rain are driving hard from the north. Aiming the flashlight at the windmill I can see it spinning faster than I've ever seen before. Taking the flashlight into the addition I'm sickened to see this... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0806.html#08312006 Ernesto is on his way and we spent all day yesterday battening down the hatches. My main concern (as discussed earlier this month) is roof runoff and the possibility of a flooded crawlspace. http://enonhall.com/html/journal0806.html#08282006 Here's how it works... http://enonhall.com/v-web/bulletin/bb/viewtopic.php?p=1830#1830 In the September 2006 issue of National Geographic there is a story called "China Rising." I haven't read it yet; just looked at the pictures. The background of one photo in particular caught my attention... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0806.html#08262006 There was a bit of a plaster mystery that had us concerned. In many places where the sheets of blueboard meet, you could see a dark line in the plaster. So if you looked around the room, you could see most of the board seams... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0806.html#08232006 This is a huge milestone for us. After months and months (and months) of prep the plaster veneer started going up today. It was an exciting first day, but not without its concerns... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0806.html#08202006 We usually try to take one day a week off to go do something that doesn't involving hammering, sawing, or broiling in the sun... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0806.html#08162006 Here's where we are with the siding as of quitting time today... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0806.html#08132006 See that diagonal line of dark grass in the bottom half of the photo? That's the line that leads from the septic tank to the drainfield. And the fact that the grass is greener there may indicate... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0806.html#08092006 I've always had a healthy fear of heights, but it has definitely lessened over the years. The older I get, the higher I can go without freaking out. And I'm better with ladders than I used to be. It wasn't until a few years ago that I... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0806.html#08032006 William almost forgot to put some old shoes behind the wall somewhere. People used to do this for good luck when they built their homes. The wall above the laundry room door is still open, so that's where he put his old Chucks... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0806.html#08022006 Centuries from now, if some architectural historian is surveying Enon Hall, I wonder if he or she will be able to figure out why... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0806.html#08012006 OK, I'm freaking out a little. Avoiding the hundred degree heat, I spent part of today investigating solutions for handling the roof rainwater runoff and AC condensation around the back door... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0706.html#07302006 We're waiting on scaffolding so that we can get back to work on the siding. (Because it's hot as Hell and that's what you wanna be doing when it's really, really hot.) http://enonhall.com/html/journal0706.html#07252006 Yesterday the sheetrock hangers hung the remainder of our blueboard. Turns out we were only short 13 sheets. Which means that the original count that I was given (had I ordered it in 4X12 sheets) was way, way too high! http://enonhall.com/html/journal0706.html#07232006 The blueboard hangers were back this morning (Yes, on Sunday) and finished the master bedroom, master closet, law office and law office bathroom... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0706.html#07222006 On Thursday our blueboard order was delivered. I had to remove the sashes from two windows so that they could use the boom to bring it in. It was a little scary to watch... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0706.html#07172006 Wait, that can't be right... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0706.html#07162006 We finally have the mantel that we bought back in January. We weren't ready for it and the dealer didn't mind keeping it in his booth, so it worked out well. But I needed to go on and get it this week... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0706.html#07132006 Been working on things and whatchamacallits. http://enonhall.com/html/journal0706.html#07052006 I'm sitting in a wet chair as I write this. But I'll get to that later. It's been a week since my last confession...I mean "post"... so I have a lot of ground to cover... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0606.html#06282006 We bought two pieces of granite to use as steps for the back porch. They are actually old pieces of curbing from Richmond's Jackson Ward... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0606.html#06222006 Yet another reason to gripe about our mason... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0606.html#06202006 Today I hung the pocket door door for the laundry room downstairs. This was actually a pretty fun project. I ordered my track and hardware last week and it arrived yesterday, just in time. It's a pretty nifty system. The photo above shows... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0606.html#06152006 This item has been on our dream list ever since we started talking about building the addition. We had the architect line up the second floor master closet and the first floor laundry room for this sole purpose. There's nothing very difficult about this project... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0606.html#06142006 We're plugging away, ticking items off of the punchlist. Meanwhile, the tile guys got started yesterday afternoon and boy, have they moved fast! http://enonhall.com/html/journal0606.html#06122006 We're actually down to working from a punchlist of items that we have to complete before the plasterer can start. That means it's actually a finite number of things to do! http://enonhall.com/html/journal0606.html#06112006 William and I spent Thursday, Friday and some of Saturday working on his new bathroom. With the floor down we started work on the walls. The bathroom had two doorways into the adjoining room in the Dutch Colonial. The door closest to the new shower was the old access to the law office... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0606.html#06072006 I've spent the last couple days installing the painted wood floor in William's bathroom. I started by laying down 15 pound felt paper and using chalk to mark the location of the... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0606.html#06062006 Some random thoughts about this past year, in no particular order... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0606.html#06042006 You'll just have to click to see what in the world this post is all about. http://enonhall.com/html/journal0606.html#06022006 Yeah, that's right. It's May 33rd. I just can't deal with the idea of it being June already. Time is zooming by way too fast. I don't know if I've officially said this on the site, but I really want to finish the addition by Labor Day. Stop laughing. It could happen. It's still only May, after all... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0506.html#05292006 Working on the back porch floor seems to be a Memorial Day weekend tradition for me. Five years ago we reframed the porch floor and put down new flooring. With less than stellar results... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0506.html#05252006 Although we haven't been posting much, we have been working...much. As of yesterday, all of the windows are trimmed out! I've spent most of this week... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0506.html#05182006 It was fun to start work downstairs today and catch a glimpse of things to come. I brought in the doors that will connect the hall and family room. These six-panel "cross doors"... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0506.html#05162006 Our original plan called for two load-bearing columns under this beam, one on either side of a cabinet that separates the kitchen from the family room. During framing... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0506.html#05142006 I hated to slow things down by adding a new project to the list, but the master linen closet has been bugging me and I figured it was now or never... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0506.html#05112006 Remember our wildflower field? Well, this is its third year... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0506.html#05022006 The lumber truck showed up first thing Monday morning with the 5/4 stock that I ordered for door jambs and nice clear 3/4 pine for trim. This was supposed to be our signal to get back to work inside... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0406.html#04302006b So you've been following our journal for years. But how well do you really know Enon Hall? Print out our fun crossword puzzle (PDF) and see how you do. http://enonhall.com/html/journal0406.html#04302006 Or at least it will as soon as the truck from the lumberyard pulls up tomorrow. Then I'll have to get back to work inside on door jambs and trim. Gay painted the back porch ceiling yesterday while I moved upstairs and worked on the master bedroom's screened porch. For months now it has looked like this. http://enonhall.com/html/journal0406.html#04272006 Last July I posted that we found this shutter dog and were able to prove that it came off of the house. Even which window. Last night I was perusing the new issue of... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0406.html#04262006 http://enonhall.com/html/journal0406.html#04252006 I ran out of stock for door jambs and probably won't be getting more until early next week. So that's given us an excuse to bounce to some outside projects this week and enjoy the beautiful weather... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0406.html#04232006 Last week was mostly a bust. Two days sick. Two days in Richmond. One day cutting grass. Not much got done on the house. But we did get to see John Prine... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0406.html#04172006 I'm getting pretty tired of beadboard. I spent all day Saturday putting up the beadboard in the master bath and finished it up today. Well, all except for... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0406.html#04142006 Having the day off from school today, William started priming the beadboard in his room. At the store this morning I sent him to get primer... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0406.html#04132006 Well, it's true. http://enonhall.com/html/journal0406.html#04122006 We've been ignoring the beautiful weather outside and continuing to plow ahead in William's bedroom. Yesterday I built the jamb for his bathroom door, hung the door, and trimmed it all out... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0406.html#04032006 Siding update, soffit vents, window trim, and more. http://enonhall.com/html/journal0306.html#03302006 This past weekend we were in Richmond attending the Irish Festival on Church Hill and as we were walking past an antebellum rowhouse I merely observed... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0306.html#03262006 A while back I promised to post about my experience with the Little Green Sucker... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0306.html#03232006 It's been a while since I've updated the Journal on our progress with the siding. I've started to several times. But each time... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0306.html#03142006 I have had it. http://enonhall.com/html/journal0306.html#03122006 ... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0306.html#03032006 These seven words no longer have any power over me. Time and again subcontractors have responded this way to my requests. At first the statement had its desired effect on me... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0206.html#02282006 We're not sure exactly what the problem is, but the brown that we chose for the center hall doors and garage door started looking like this within a week of being painted. The guy from the paint store has been out to look at the problem... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0206.html#02232006 I didn't post much info on the garage door yesterday, so here's a follow-up. http://enonhall.com/html/journal0206.html#02172006 The last couple days have been a mad dash to get the garage ready for the installation of the door next week. We've been racing against that deadline, as well as a more looming weather deadline. http://enonhall.com/html/journal0206.html#02092006 It's getting pink in here! The insulation started going up and boy does it change the look, feel, and sound of everything. http://enonhall.com/html/journal0206.html#02052006 The creekside double doors are up! http://enonhall.com/html/journal0206.html#02032006 Almost finished that back wall over the porch today. But in the end we ran out of daylight... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0106.html#01292006 We try to keep construction from entering our living space, but sometimes it does... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0106.html#01252006 We were saddened today to hear that Agnes Hathaway passed away. She and her husband Henry Hathaway were the last Hathaway owners of Enon Hall before deciding to sell the farm in 1939. http://enonhall.com/html/journal0106.html#01212006 It's not good when your workday ends with you pacing back and forth in the backyard, holding both hands over your head (one squeezing the other with a death grip) while swearing repeatedly. http://enonhall.com/html/journal0106.html#01182006 Ugh, I probably won't be able to walk tomorrow after spending the entire day crouched in the attic above the old law office. http://enonhall.com/html/journal0106.html#01102006 We passed our framing and chimney inspection this morning! So far, we're batting 100% with our inspections. http://enonhall.com/html/journal0106.html#01082006 Yesterday we made another pilgrimage to Williamsburg to look at exterior colors. http://enonhall.com/html/journal0106.html#01052006 I forgot to post photos of our Christmas tree last month. Because all of our stuff is in storage during construction, we decided that we would buy a fake tree (this year and this year only!) and make our decorations out of construction materials. http://enonhall.com/html/journal0106.html#01022006 It's been a few weeks since I've updated the journal. (Hope everybody had a great holiday!) Here's what's been going on... http://enonhall.com/html/journal1205.html#12152005 The carpenters came back today to take care of a few leftover items from their to-do list, one of which was installing our few pre-hung doors. http://enonhall.com/html/journal1205.html#12112005 I couldn't resist the urge to put in some of the new sashes on the second floor. http://enonhall.com/html/journal1205.html#12012005 The early setting of the sun has me calling it a day by 5:00. But this guy is making me look really bad. http://enonhall.com/html/journal1105.html#11222005 I'm behind on updates to the journal, so here's what's been going on. http://enonhall.com/html/journal1105.html#11142005 The roofers got started today. It's like a bright, shiny new penny! But I remember from last time that it only takes one rain to turn the copper brown. http://enonhall.com/html/journal1105.html#11112005 The mason finished! The new chimney is done, as is the front step with limestone tread. http://enonhall.com/html/journal1005.html#10302005 Saturday I built a prototype window for the reproduction sashes that we had made back in the spring. I used the existing dining room windows as my model. Today I started mass producing the components. http://enonhall.com/html/journal1005.html#10162005 After a solid week of drizzle, the beautiful weather this weekend left us giddy. Even frustration with the finish quality of our Jeld-Wen windows couldn't damper our spirits. http://enonhall.com/html/journal1005.html#10022005 Today's project was to make a door buck that would hold both windows and doors for planing. http://enonhall.com/html/journal0905.html#09222005 The ridge board and first new rafters went into place today as the addition finally reached the top! http://enonhall.com/html/journal0905.html#09162005 I'm excited about a new idea. We planned for a laundry chute that drops from our walk-in closet to the laundry room directly below. Well, now we're investigating a dumb waiter for the same purpose... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0905.html#09142005 Today the crew focused on battening down the hatches for our expected rainstorm from Ophelia. We haven't had a drop of rain since the framing crew started on August 15th, and I can't remember how long it had been before that even. http://enonhall.com/html/journal0905.html#09062005 Our framing crew was back yesterday as promised, but by the end of the day I was so frustrated and stressed that I couldn't bring myself to relive the day by posting an update to the journal. That's the first time that that has happened to me in six years! http://enonhall.com/html/journal0805.html#08262005 WooHoo! Now walls will start going up on Monday! http://enonhall.com/html/journal0805.html#08242005 ... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0805.html#08182005 Well, 11-7/8 inches...which is a whole lot better than the 4 inches at a time that we grew with the brickwork. All this to say that the 12" TJI floor joists went into place in the colonnade section today. http://enonhall.com/html/journal0805.html#08162005 This morning the carpenters got to work right away on the front sill... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0805.html#08152005 WooHoo! The framers showed up. They really did! The first order of business, before any new construction, was to replace the rotten front and gable end sills on the part of the house that the addition will tie into. They started on the gable end since that's the easiest http://enonhall.com/html/journal0805.html#08122005 Today I did the 200-hour maintenance on the Kubota tractor. Yep, I've put 194 hours on it since July 2003. I'm not sure how I feel about that. That's five 40-hour work weeks in just two years. 2-1/2 weeks per year... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0805.html#08022005 The wildflower field has been a real eyesore this summer. It started off this spring with lots of color and promise, but then the weeds quickly got the upper hand... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0705.html#07272005 As a lifelong suburbanite, I have always lived in houses with central air. I am only now realizing how much I have missed because of this. Sure, I've been comfortable as heck... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0705.html#07252005 In the course of moving dirt around we've made a couple neat finds. The first is an old shutter dog! The diamond-shaped base matches the partial bases still remaining on the law office windows... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0705.html#07222005 William and I have been busy installing the 2-inch, rigid foam insulation inside the crawl space on all of the exterior walls. This crawl space is going to be ventless and conditioned, so the insulation is needed... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0705.html#07202005 After much adventure today, the new throne is installed. Of course, it only took 10 hours to complete this seemingly simple project... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0705.html#07192005 Great strides on the foundation. A new toilet. And high speed Internet access returns! http://enonhall.com/html/journal0705.html#07012005 It was a wonderful surprise to wake up this morning and find that the masonry crew had already been here for an hour this morning! http://enonhall.com/html/journal0605b.html#06282005 We are going with an American Common Bond with the top course being headers and the rest stretchers... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0605b.html#06242005 Might I be the future master window glazier of Colonial Williamsburg? Well, I may be getting a little ahead of myself, but I write this a very proud man... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0605b.html#06192005 Today we visited an 18th century home in Gloucester, Virginia that REALLY needs a lot of work... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0605b.html#06172005 I finally got around to putting together the teak outdoor shower that we bought this spring at Target... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0605b.html#06162005 It arrived on the back of a truck. http://enonhall.com/html/journal0605.html#06132005 It's amazing how much braver other people are with your house than you would ever be. The foundation crew arrived first thing this morning and quickly pulled the old corner of the foundation... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0605.html#06102005 We made several very exciting discoveries. This law office wall butts up against the west wall of the Dutch Colonial. Behind the wall we found original beaded clapboards from the Dutch Colonial with a surprising color... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0605.html#06072005 An intense thunderstorm last night left water standing in the footing trenches by the light of day. Thanks to some bailing and some intense heat, the trenches were pretty dried out by the end of the day... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0605.html#06062005 Doug the mason and his helper Joe made amazing progress today. They first loaded up the rest of the carport slab and then established the grade for the crawl space and began marking off the foundation with chalklines... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0605.html#06032005 An exciting day with actual foreward progress! Doug arrived today in the drizzle and got to work breaking up and hauling away the concrete slab from the old carport. In places, the slab was 16 inches thick...concrete poured on top of a bed of bricks. Serious overkill. http://enonhall.com/html/journal0605.html#06022005 On mine are splatters of paint, dried grass clippings thrown by the weed trimmer, and...is that...yup, a little spot of blood. My iPod Mini is a constant companion during my work around the house, and it's starting to look like it... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0605.html#06012005 Today I had a visit from Jimmy Golden of Golden Flue. They line old chimneys with a patented cast-in-place system... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0505.html#05312005 In anticipation of the arrival of the mason, today's job was to have been the removal of one corner of the 1850s foundation. Years ago, the corner had fallen away... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0505.html#05232005 I'm introducing a new site feature will make Gay very nervous. But, in an effort to make this site as informative I've possible, I've decided to add a budget tracker that will appear periodically in our journal updates. The budget tracker will indicate where we are at the moment...expenses against total budget for the addition. http://enonhall.com/html/journal0505.html#05222005 On Saturday we went up to Maryland to pick up our Amish-made window sashes and doors. 24 sashes and two sets of double doors... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0505.html#05182005 This morning I got the bright idea to use one of the sets of replicated sashes to fill the gaping window hole while I'm working on the old sashes. Three hours later, I realize why Mr. Hayden never put these sashes in place... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0505.html#05172005 The new Jeld-Wen windows arrived this morning. These windows will go in areas of the addition that we aren't trying to make look old-old...like the kitchen, colonnade and garage... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0505.html#05162005 After hours and hours hand scraping and sanding window sashes, I set out to try to find a power tool that would make things a little easier. I wound up with the Dremel Countour Sander Kit. So far, I give it mixed reviews... http://enonhall.com/html/journal0505.html#05112005 All of our windows are ready! The Amish cabinetmaker called today to say that he had finished our sashes and entry doors. Meanwhile, The Jeld-Wen windows that I ordered also came in. Looks like the tractor might be bumped out of the chicken house for a while to make room for all the windows! http://enonhall.com/html/journal0505.html#05102005 I called the County this morning to follow up on my building permit application and was told that it hadn't even been started because the site plan still hadn't been signed off on! I thought that was done last Monday http://enonhall.com/html/journal0505.html#05092005 Gay rounded up the tie-dye t-shirt and overalls. William supplied the head. My sole contribution was observing that this year's scarecrow is undoubtedly...well...a pothead. An angry pothead, in fact. http://enonhall.com/html/journal0505.html#05082005 Mother's Day started with the roar of chainsaws as we had two more trees taken down to make way for construction and our new driveway. One was a dead cedar (left) and the other a large and very gnarly pine (right). http://enonhall.com/html/journal0505.html#05052005 Today's big accomplishment was knocking an item off of an ancient to-do list. When we re-did the screened porch two years ago, the only thing I didn't do was replace the two corner trim pieces. The old ones were rotten and broken.