The Final Steps Toward...

House closing, renovations, final acts...

I don't know how many of you have been following the year-long history of me saying that Cliff will be moving to Columbus, once he settled his property in Las Cruces, but all that has been accomplished, and now we are in the final acts...

Cliff's valuables have already been moved to Columbus

The closing and change of title took place on May 17.

Renovating his house before he moves is now underway. This activity has shifted to me in overseeing the renovations. Turns out, while the house is solid as a rock, we had a rude surprise once we took out the dropped ceilings (you know, those fluorescent banks of light and Celotex tiles) and once we removed the paneling from the walls. There was no drywall beneath the paneling, just studs—and I'm glad to say lots and lots of insulation, both in the walls and blown insulation in the attic.

This is the parlor BEFORE the paneling was
removed.

Yes, it's kind of scary having the whole house in what appears to be utter chaos right now, and those who don't know Cliff's knack for renovating might think that the house was move-in ready. In the photo of the parlor, you can't see the drop ceilings, but by removing those, the ceiling will go from 10 feet to 12 feet.

The contractor is soldiering on, despite the fact that we had to move the furniture into the house, because it was delivered before the closing. A snafu occurred so that the original closing was delayed, and had that taken place on time, the contractor would not have had to work around the tons of furniture and several hundred boxes, making the chaos even greater.

The red paneling is hiding the
fireplace.

In what will be the dining room, once the paneling was taken off an interior wall (not complete, here), we saw that the fireplace had been demolished, leaving only the brick structure. Same with the parlor fireplace. We were, however, able to gain a few square feet in each room. In this picture of the demolition (to the dining room), you can see that once the dropped ceiling was removed, conduit and wiring were exposed. This is currently being removed or rerouted. There will be lots of sheet rocking (drywall) work. From floor to ceiling the height will be 12 feet. I hope to get more pictures of the work-in-progress and then be able to take photos of the finished rooms. Stay tuned. This is almost like a "Flip this House" episode.

We're trying to get this project finished, including painting, refurbishing the hardwood floors, installing new appliances in the kitchen and utility room, and getting the house thoroughly cleaned before Cliff gets here. We only have five weeks to do it! Once he arrives, there will also be further work, like designing his walk-in closet, replacing the front door, turning it from a commercial entrance to a residential entrance.

And here is a picture of the front of the house. It is virtually ready as it is, but a good power-wash and porch rails (period to the house) will transform the look of the house from the street. I will be mowing and trimming the yard, as well.

Architecturally, this is a Queen Anne Victorian; however, the windows have been messed with during its past renovations, and while Cliff calls it a "mutt" house, I call it a modified Victorian. Inside, we're also going to add crown molding, and with the tall ceilings the crown molding should add a cozy feel to the otherwise stark height of the ceilings. There will be a chandelier (French Empire) in the dining room, as well as several other chandeliers in some of the other rooms, including the foyer.

Again, stay tuned! Time is passing quickly both for finishing the renovation and for Cliff's arrival here, with our 12-year-old cat, Julia, in tow.

Got news today that Greg Allman, who developed Southern Rock to a great degree died at the age of 69. Here is a video tribute just posted on Youtube: