Sunday, November 30, 2008

The Future Wine Cellar



This weekend, Reid and I attacked the last frontier of the property - the basement of the back building. From the last time we entered the basement, we remembered it being filled with trash to the point that the floor was not visible. There was a carcass at the foot of the stair and scary electrical boxes (that are disconnected of course) in the back.
Well, today the space wasn't too different from how we remembered it. The carcass was still at the foot of the stair and there was an old homeless person camp set up with multiple blankets and empty beer cans. we did find the floor though! It's dirt, so no wonder we didn't see it initially - it just blended in with all the other trash.
Four bags of recycling and 6 trash cans later, we've made a small dent in the amount of trash in the space. We'll be going back to clean this one out several times over the next couple weeks...
We did have one cool find today...an old piece of glass with the words "WELCOME 1700"! I can only imagine that the accompanying window once said "TO VINE" on it...
Although the space is awful and terribly gross, someday it will have a proper entrance/stairwell and be transformed into an amazing wine cellar. It's nice to dream about when I'm down there shoveling someone else's garbage.

Monday, November 17, 2008

it's been a while, but we're still truckin'



I apologize for not writing in so long, but, after a brief vacation (that included a couple days on safari in Kenya), Reid and I are back to work!

Since my last post, the project plans have been approved by the historical conservation board. This has allowed us to apply for demolition & construction permits...and once we receive the permits we can begin work!
I have to admit, we're getting a little ancy- so we've already gotten roof and window estimates and are tossing aroung a couple new color schemes for the facade. It will really make a difference to have the windows replaced and the facade freshly painted! And a new roof will really move us forward, since we're still collecting the leaking water in a tarp! Before the new roof can be started, we'll have to frame out and build the roof deck. Afterward, our work will really be noticable!

Which color scheme do you like best? I'm leaning toward white brick and bringing out the details with reds, blues and greens. Here's a rough idea of what we're thinking about...