The porch roof (and ceiling) are done, now the siding repair and porch railings can start! Sal has been busy in his workshop making all the porch parts...bring 'em on!

Entering the home stretch! It's been a while since the work site has been buzzing with activity. Today started out with one extra-special delivery of PORCH PARTS! (ooh, they look fantastic!)

Sal has chosen this very special spot on the turret to start tackling the repair work on the exterior of the house.

The saws are buzzing and the scaffolding is in place.

Making great progress up the turret - despite the 100 degree temperatures! Notice the beautiful moulding curving around the turret.

When this is all painted (rats, I still have to pick colors) I bet you can't even tell where the siding was repaired.

The scaffolding is in place, you can see the porch parts safely tucked on the porch...and you can also see the "test rockers" we've been using. Wicker or wood? Such dilemmas!

Picking up where we left off...replacing the shingles and mouldings that were torn off to put up siding.

A+ so far!

Can you picture the rest?

Sal actually called it a photo opportunity for the web site, so how bad could it be?
(Okay, so an entire section of the outside wall was rotted, more shingles had to come OFF, and your looking at the back side of the interior plaster wall, I think)

Oh well, I suppose after 110 years at least some part of the house was bound to give out!

The first three porch columns are installed. They look mahvelous!

Three new porch columns, one gaping hole in the wall, and a driveway full of new lumber.

And what a day it was!

Tool time!

From the porch columns to the smallest trim piece, everything is perfectly in its place.

...to admire a job well done!

The rest of the columns are installed (using or despite the rocking chairs in the way)

I feel a paint color choice coming on....not.

When the turret was covered, the odd window on the right was added to shed light on the staircase. We'll stick to the original windows, thank you, so tomorrow the "new" 50-year-old window says farewell to this old house.

One section of railing is installed. Nice choice, if I do say so myself. :-)

radical changes coming again tomorrow.

That's an ominous black hole where the "new" old window used to be.

That must be on Friday's "agenda"

More new siding goes up to replace what just wasn't worth saving.

The wraparound really wraps around now! What a huge, huge difference!

Better than I ever imagined!

And they keep saying nice things!

Will it be a staircase Friday?

Father and Son Day

Perfect repairs (and even some dentil moulding to boot!)

Check out the (finally) exposed top of the turret, and that funky ladder accessory to "hug" the round wall.

Just when you think there's nothing left to uncover, the turret has got the tic-tac-toe thing going on! Sal is carefully patching the lining of the old gutters so this crazy roof "system" works again like it was meant to!

...they'd probably be screaming over the wallpaper they've lived through. Here's a cutaway from that window inside the turret. Some sort of Gone With The Wind thing going on first, then the leather look, then of course the 60s and 70s invaded with orange and green. I haven't decided how to finish the inside of the turret (the staircase).

Just had to share a close-up of how well these porch parts are assembled. Where are the nails? :-)

So now the bulk of the porch and one side of the house are "done" (ready for the painter to join the party). We're definitely hitting the home stretch now!

What a week!

Plotting the day's strategy. The focus is on the front of the house today.

It's finally down to the final details, like trimming off the porch.

There was plenty of sawdust flying today!

That's what we've been calling this wavy design. Anyway, Sal is digging out yet more rotted pieces to salvage this part of the siding.

Lots and lots of nail gun action today!

All the interior trim and repairs have been done. I think I'm going to stain the ceiling and paint the rest.

He likes the porch, too.

And running out of cedar $iding!

He's working from the pattern he traced from the top of the house. Lookin' good!

A perfect reproduction.

Well, this side of the house is pretty much complete. Actually, the entire project is getting dangerously close to completion!

This family of olive greens will get a test run this weekend (thanks to the five quarts of paint I bought today). The dark burgundy I'm contemplating as a window sash trim color (just in case you were worried I was considering a tomato-red house).

Sal's goal is to be done by Wednesday. That leaves the exterior of the porch, the rest of the front siding, the plaster work inside the turret, and the entire right side of the house. Then the painting can begin. Whew!

A much improved view from across the street. It's going to be a scorcher again today.

Every little bit helps to beat the heat!

Priming the porch. What a difference!

(hey, look, the pile of rubble is gone!)

Getting an early start on the last section of repairs. This shot also shows where I literally drew the line in the facelift...the bay window and the entire back of the house remains covered in the old aluminum siding.

This is going to make a huge difference!

Sal left a little message for the next generation of remodelers on #34. Oh, and by the way, it was HOT.

Sal can't wait to place this FINAL shingle. He wrote on it "8 days later...the one we have waited for."

The painters have joined the crew, getting started on priming the porch.

Wow, it's all over but the paint job.

It's like an extra room in the house!

One last project inside. Tricky work in the narrow, curved staircase.

Here's where he cut all the inside trim for the turret windows.

To Be Continued...Check back for more pictures later this month...the painters are stripping and prepping the house, and soon the painting will begin!

This remodeling project is brought to you by Sal and his crew of miracle workers!

Thanks to these guys, my house is no longer the ugliest one in town!

THANK YOU!