A Wrinkle in Time: Flashback to 2002

While waiting for any new progress on the stalled kitchen and bath remodel, I thought I would post some of the before and after photos of some of the earlier improvements to the Cottage. The photo above is from December 2002, soon after I bought the house, when I had the old shingle roof replaced with a galvanized metal roof. (Don't believe what you've heard about metal roofs being noisy when it rains! There's nothing better than a metal roof). Looking back, I realize that I really should have taken more before photos, including detailed close-ups, in order to fully appreciate the transformation later. This photo doesn't really capture the full effect of the faded blue shingle siding and plastic faux shutters!

Here is a photo of the master bedroom with the old wallboard removed so new electrical wiring and insulation could be installed. After the new wiring was completed, I refinished the heart pine floors in the master bedroom and throughout the rest of the house,

then insulated the walls of the master bedroom.
Next, new drywall was installed,

and I finished, primed, and painted the room.


Here's a photo of Dixie, my Florida Brown Dog, checking in on the progress.


And, finally, baseboards were added, and the rest of the furniture moved back in.

Hell is for contractors.

No new photos of late, mostly because all construction came to a grinding halt during the first week of November. The previous contractor has been, shall we say, removed from the job. He should count himself lucky that burglary and grand theft charges are not (at least not yet) among the legal problems he is facing. The verbal threats and certified letters stopped, and the $150 spent on locksmith's services was well worth the peace of mind it has given me. That's all I'm going to say about it here.

In the meantime, we have found a new, fully licensed contractor, "J," who we hope will be the one to take over the remodel job. I'm trying to remain positive, despite the Cottage being uninhabitable and with no definite endpoint in sight. We should be receiving a bid from J within a week, since his plumber and electrician have now both been out to the Cottage and have seen what needs to be done.

So, we wait....