Another excerpt from "Old Deadwood Days" by Estelline Bennett

Page 8--I heard her tell my mother once, sitting in our quiet front parlor with its square piano, its books and pictures and warm, red carpet, that of course that was the reason she had gone and the three girls had more than repaid her for any trouble.

Latest photos of the addition

 

 

 

Pictures of the addition

This addition will house the kitchen, mud room, pantry, utility room, laundry room, linen closet, master bath, owner/manager living quarters. Upstairs will be two guest rooms, each with a bathroom. The door upstairs will go out to the terrace behind the house. If you're wondering why the walls aren't flush with the original house, the Historical Preservation Commission won't allow it.

 

 

New pictures



Here's the house without the monster lilac bush in front!



Here's the chimney removed.




Back addition (kitchen, pantry, laundry, living area)



Missing fireplace--Don't worry; it will be replicated!









New retaining wall next door.



Another excerpt from "Old Deadwood Days"

I thought this except was appropriate for this time of year:

Page 269--"Mrs. McPherson came down the hill…to the edge of our backyard wall and called to me. My bedroom was on a level with where she stood in the bushes that had turned crimson and gold. She was a dark-eyed blonde, and the afternoon sunlight bringing out the bright glints in her yellow hair made her look like the friendly peaceful spirit of Indian summer."

Help me design our dream kitchen

Here's the space where the new kitchen will be.  I don't have the dimensions yet, but it will be large.  Tell me what you have or would include in your "dream" kitchen.

Demolition Day

Here are some pictures of the beginning process of removing the back part of the house (where the new kitchen will be) and digging space for the garage:

This book has given me a lot of information about the Victorian Era and has given me some ideas about how to decorate the Bennett House, especially the entry way and parlor.  I'll be asking for your input, too!

VICTORIAN HOME: The Grandeur and Comfort of the Victorian Era, in Households Past and Present

Future location of garage

We got final approval from the Historic Preservation Commission last week to put in a garage next to our house.  It will replace this retaining wall that is seriously falling apart.  In a few weeks, I will post pictures of the earth-moving progress.

Our Motivation

Here is some of the damage caused by resident raccoons during the winter/spring of 2007-2008.  We finally got it cleaned up during the spring of 2009.  This part of the house will be demolished and rebuilt.

Excerpt from "Old Deadwood Days"

Page 41--It was the same Pat who stopped Father on the street one day just after we had had a fresh coat of paint on our house. “Sure, Judge, and I always thought you was Irish,” he said; “but now I know it. I just walked up along Williams Street, and I saw your house. There never was anything so green outside of Ireland unless it belonged to an Irishman.” Father had been thinking of toning down the shade a little, but after that he glowed with pride of race every time he looked at the house.

Foundation after

Here are some better "after" pictures of the foundation!

Foundation before and after