Taking Care of Business

After we had agreed to buy Skyline, and continuing until shortly after we closed, there was a flurry of immediate project work to do, most of it in the "boring mechanical stuff" category.

For instance, Skyline had a fuse box, and three connected sub-panels (plus a fourth, for the non-functional hot tub, but we'll get there later.)  We promptly got upgraded to 200 amp service, and a large, shining new panel, with lots of room for expansion.

Here's the "before" - more than a little scary.

We also had several necessary plumbing projects, including but not limited to...

Main bathroom: fix wobbly shower arm, replace tub overflow & trap, repair lav sink supply lines

Boiler: cleaned and tuned, replaced burners

Basement: move water line to prepare for electrical service upgrade

Old well: properly cap off

There were a couple surprise projects, too - like replacing the garage door, when D broke it; acquiring and installing a new oven, after we realized that the existing one wouldn't stay on for more than 15 minutes; and of course, re-wiring the electrical for cooktop and oven, so it would be up-to-code.

We still managed to get a few fun things done, though.  The nasty blue shag carpet on the stairs, and un-padded brown shag carpet in the basement were removed - and replaced by a beautiful vintage remnant of Armstrong Crowne Corlon sheet vinyl, and thoroughly-padded Shaw Solon 20 oz carpet in Caterpillar, respectively.  We were thrilled by the products and service of Maloney Carpet One.  I mean, just look at this!

Outside, we replaced the gutters with Leaf Guard and 6" downspouts.  Always get the oversized downspouts if you have the option.

We also had several of the maple trees severely trimmed, and removed a few diseased cedars (cedar-apple rust - very gross).

S built a brick and stone fire pit for the back yard, which has been fire department approved, and consistently draws the compliment of people asking who we had build it.

As the first 9 months at Skyline drew to a close, the state was hit by an epic ice storm, which caused us to wish we'd pruned or eliminated even more trees - but we escaped with only minor gutter damage and no loss of power.

After several hours of hacking at the downed limbs.

And it was kind of pretty...

Out and About

 The house has brick facing on the east side, and maintenance-free siding on the other three sides.

The roof is unique and durable aluminum shingle.

Along the driveway fence is a french drain.

 The landscaping in the front includes five yew bushes, and two smoke bushes, surrounded by river rock.  There is thyme around the stepping stones.

The side landscaping is Japanese maple, and two blueberry bushes, with more river rock.

 The fully-fenced back yard is shaded by a slippery elm, with two raised garden beds.  Both the beds are filled with a rich mixture of peat, topsoil, and sand for drainage, over a layer of pea gravel.

The southern bed gets the most sun, and contains everbearing strawberries.










There is a brick paver path along the southern bed, and also the north edge of the deck.

The western bed has posts for training vines, annual vegetables, and perennials, including day lily, variegated iris, and lavender.



 The rain barrel on the deck collects runoff from the roof, and has a spigot on the outside of the decorative cover box.

Sitting on the deck in the summer, watching the "back 40" is one of the greatest joys ever.














The garage is a very generous two-car size, with electric door opener (three remotes), and lots of storage, including a workbench.