I’ll start today with a pretty picture. The flowers are from one of my neighbors (Pauline Anders), and the potted plant is (nominally, though I suspect Pauline was behind it as well) from the neighborhood. I hasten to say that they express gratitude not for this blog (which I suspect few of them read) but for my being “postmaster” for the neighborhood association. It is a sinecure, and I don’t deserve recognition; that should go instead to Pauline, who actually organizes the neighborhood events I just send out email notices about. Anyway, I do appreciate the floral tributes.
252 N. Bayview Street
Today’s photos (none of them very good, I’m afraid) will be much of a muchness, as this week’s progress is primarily in the area of closet shelves. Here’s the downstairs portion of the future elevator shaft.
There are three closets in the “back room.” This is one of the new ones, the larger one, with double doors (built-in bookcase retained on the right side).
This is the smaller new one, now fitted with a salvaged door (built-in bookcase still visible on the right side).
The third one, in the entranceway, previously had an accordion-fold door. That has now been removed, and I suspect that the double doors currently waiting in the living room are intended for this space.
Upstairs, the upper portion of the elevator shaft. For some reason, its door and the doors to the bathroom had been removed from their hinges.
Several views of the walk-in closet in the master suite.
I may be mistaken, but it appeared to me that the floor in the former porch area had been cleared up and possibly sanded down. There is so much sawdust/sanding dust/miscellaneous dust on all the floors all over the house that it’s difficult to tell.
It does seem, however, that efforts are being made toward leveling the floor. Here a strip of something has been inserted in the space between living/dining room and kitchen floors.
Progress is also being made in the HVAC department. A thermostat has been installed.
Air returns in the back hall have filters but no grills.
Cutouts in the floor await floor registers.
In the master bedroom I found rather rumpled plans for the house. These included the “Demolition Plan,” which was quite interesting. Among other revelations was that the new laundry room was the old kitchen, which explains why the cabinets are such a good fit. I was also relieved to see that the plan called for replacing the original front steps; this is reassuring since the existing steps have become more and more dilapidated. The site plan below shows how the new construction fits almost entirely within the footprint of the existing house (and the required setbacks). None of the plans say anything about plans for the basement, which remains virtually untouched.
352 N. Summit Street
Doors! That’s the big event this week. Four of them across the front.
Interestingly, the door from the “sunroom” opens outward.
Inside, French doors flank the fireplace.
The only other outside door is in the back, next to the laundry room, leading out to the garage.
Upstairs, a tub has been installed in the bathroom opening off the middle bedroom. The hall bath (which serves the other two bedrooms), according to the plans, will have only a shower.
351 N. Summit Street
No observable change, but the architect’s website offers a “fly-by” video showing the house (from every conceivable angle) and neighborhood. The video was shot several weeks ago and doesn’t reflect the most recent improvements, but it’s still interesting.
59 N. Summit Street
The view from the front seems pretty much unchanged from last week.
A side view gives an idea of work to come. The back of the house is still under a blue tarp.
Here’s a shot of the house after the tree damage last June. Note the wing on the right.
That wing has been entirely removed, but the concrete block foundation suggests a plan to restore it.
Work on the addition in back (reported on in May of last year) has been at a standstill ever since the tree damage last June.
Elsewhere in the Neighborhood
304 N. Summit was getting a new metal roof yesterday.
As I returned home, walking north on Summit, I spotted what I at first thought was a squirrel standing up. As I approached, it looked more like a miniature dragon.
When I got close enough to see it clearly, I realized it was just a fallen limb caught up in some landscaping fabric!
WalkThoughts 