In which we put in some finishing touches....and give a big "hooray for our team" cheer!

It is just six o'clock on Saturday morning and I lie in bed tired and sore. We have some more finishes to do to the first floor space over the next two days before keys exchange and Lisa begins her transition from up the hill.  The last several days have been mind-blowing.  Thursday, we had 10 guys working on the place (including ourselves) and yesterday our excellent friend David called to say that he had three guys who could come and help out for four hours.  12 hours of free labor??  An amazing gesture and one that we gladly accepted  In four hours they painted the front porch after Greg put up the architectural brackets that we found online.  Last night was the August "Final Friday" art walk and we kept the lights on at the Ocean House for all to see....I feel like we created our own work of art with the Ocean House and I wanted to show it off.  Thank you everyone for you help and support.  

The brackets are cast foam that come pre-primed. I couldn't find exactly what we were looking for, so we had the idea to modify them by cutting the L-shaped brace back...the results are a bracket that gives more movement and is lighter in feel.   

Greg and I also spent two days installing the ceiling on the porch.  It is painted "Pacific Pearl" a blue color that I found years ago and have always liked for covered porch ceilings.  

I can't tell you how pleased we both are with the new space.  The floor is gorgeous.

Dan Waldron and Larry Jones came down and started some exterior work at the beginning of the week.  Larry created the retaining wall at the top all with stones and rocks and boulders we found on the lot.  Dan created the granite wall with the pavers that we hacked out of the ground underneath the building.  Dan continued work all week on the grounds of the Ocean House and he did a splendid job! The boy has talent!

All of these pieces of granite were found on the property and cut to fit for a staircase.


Whitecap came and built a beautiful ADA ramp to the first floor porch after Dan graded the property.

In which, after all that, I never posted pics of the finished roof!

Here are the photos of the groovy new roof, finally finished after a month of working on it.  I dunno if the snow catchers are tall enough to stop too much snow, but let's hope the roof is as effective as it is beautiful.  It adds a gorgeous cap onto the Ocean House.  If you don't know, or are new to the blog, the roof was partially paid for by a Federal "slum and blight" facade grant.  We had to jump through a lot of hoops, but got a great roof out of it.  Thanks to Mitchell Roofing of Liberty.  

In which we've come a long way....baby!

When I get panicked about things, going back over old photos helps.  We really have come a long way. Keep calm and carry on....I don't think there is a better expression for right now!

In which I don't have much time to post anymore, but here are photos of what is going on.

It may be unrealistic, but I am bound and determined to get the first floor space done by September 1. We have been working long days and thinking about it long into the night.  We are almost there and a lot is going to happen this week and next for us to make it there.  Landscaping even starts tomorrow! 

Greg and I are putting the floor down now and we almost made it half way yesterday before our backs gave out.  I say us, but Greg is the one doing the laying out and the nailing.  I am hauling and cutting the boards and muscle-ing them into place when they are warped.  I am also in charge of sanding and finishing.  I experimented on the bathroom floor first, which is gorgeous and has many layers of a hand-rubbed tung oil finish with a final coat of tung oil and resin....I have finally come to the conclusion that it is just too labor intensive to do to the whole first floor space, and I have found an alternative that will take half the time and produce similar results...a non-shiny matte surface. 

this is the bathroom after two coats of tung oil

three coats

fourth and final coat. 

We cleared out the first floor and Greg worked on prepping the subfloor.  I really love this space, it is unique in Belfast and reminds me of a city loft somewhere.  Or an Old Port, Portland, Maine space.  

Greg had a hell of a time casing out the front windows and doors because of how crooked the original windows are. He brilliantly finished the job and they look great!   He was nailing in the last nail on the last piece of molding around one of the upper windows....was on a ladder with a nail gun when a woman with a chihuahua in the crook of her arm, popped her head in the window behind him and asked him what the place would be...then the dog barked, scared the s^^t out of Greg, who popped a nail in the wrong place and then tumbled off the ladder...she walked away unscathed and Greg ended up with a sore back and shoulders and a broken window pane....

The flooring is gorgeous.  This photo was taken on the first day around lunchtime.  We almost made it to the wall before our backs gave out.  Not only did we put the floor down, but we had to move that pile of flooring and one more slightly smaller to get to the wall.  

The roofers finish today, or so they say, after a month on the job.  The heat pumps get installed tomorrow and the water hooked up over the weeeknd.  Zoom Zoom!
We are taking a break from the floor today, Greg goes to Portland for a dentist appt.  and I head to Fairfield for a day of auctions...wish me luck!

In which this probably isn't as exciting for you all as it is for me....

We have our first floor down!  Yay, this is the heart pine flooring that we have for the first floor retail space. We loooove it!! Gives the space that old time effect, and the boards are 5" wide, which is another bonus While we were working on casing out and painting the front windows, the boys installed this floor today so that we can go ahead and put in the bathroom for the first floor space, for which I just ordered the fixtures.  

I think the boards are gorgeous...now we get to experiment with finishes. One of my very good friends is a furniture conservator and one of the finest wood finish experts in the country.  She talked to some people and came up with an oil finish for us that will bond with the wood, creating an organic moisture barrier that will be good protection against wet winter boots and muddy spring wellies. The floor finish is made with a mixture of tung oil and resin and from reading their website, it seems to be a great product. It is called Waterlox.    She told me that her contacts recommended to never use polyurethane on a floor because it is not as durable as an oil based finish.  

 I found that while it is very easy to order a sink online, ordering a toilet online is very difficult for me,  I need to see the darn thing in person.  So, that is on my outing list this weekend, along with the requisite grab bars for the walls 

Meanwhile, we had a full crew there today, installing fire doors, finishing the roof, taping and mudding the stairs, waterproofing the porches on the second floor, etc.  Phew...the countdown is getting close, but they caught us up so I am not as panicked anymore.  

In which the push is on....

Three weeks and the push is on.  Greg trimmed out most of the windows on the first floor yesterday while I followed behind with nail head putty and paint.  They look great!  I finished fauxing the last beam across the space for that blended look and it really brings it all together.  In between, you could see me with my gallon bucket of paint touching up the trim on the exterior of the building.  I have gotten around to the back side so far!  We are experimenting with the trim on the front of the building and I like these glimpses of green around the door.  

Two weeks in and the boys are done with the roof on the south side.  It is beautiful and really sets off the rest of the building.  I have been discussing grading and cleaning up the site around the building and it will look amazing when we finish.....in three weeks!

In which there are more progress photos

A few of our recent progress shots.  In the photo below, you can see that the roofing has finally begun!  It was a long time coming, but completely worth the wait....Our favorite roofers are doing a fantastic job.  I asked if they wanted to put out ad signs and the foreman's response was..."oh we don't advertise much...too much work as it is..."  Good for them, no wonder they were booked solid four months in advance!

 We've almost finished the front of the building and the first floor has a fresh coat or two covering up the old dark green. 

Remember when??

This is a nice shot of the new roof.  The boys have made much progress and by the end of today, they should have this whole south side done

We started trimming windows today!  While Greg painted the front of the building, I painted the trim boards and started to touch up around the exterior of the building, painting over nail heads, etc.  

Today I took on the ugly LVL beam on the first floor.  Why do they have to come stained that ugly yellow color?  Needless to say, I sanded the shit out the beam...I love the grain, it looks great natural, but I will stain to match the rest of the beams.

Great photo showing the newly sanded LVL beam and the Linen White walls courtesy of Ben Moore.  

Flooring is in the building getting used to the space.  We should start that next week most likely.