Improvements

As I mentioned in the previous post, we put off the kitchen and bathroom updates for a long time.  We DID do the following, however, over the years:

* In the early 90's-Repainted the living room, though why did we choose a light mint green? Yes, it's better than the drab light beige, but still!  I'm sure we have photos of the room when it was that color, but like so many other things in our life right now, they are packed. Somewhere. 

* In the fall of 2003-Installed an antique-style wood-burning stove, which tapped right into the old chimney.

* Also in 2003-Replaced the green carpet in the central/dining room with wood flooring

* Also in 2003-Repainted the central/dining room in an Americana-esque red, white, and blue color scheme, inspired by what was done at the Pier 49 restaurant, which is in a historic building down the street.

* Repainted the east bedroom.  Ivory walls, white trim and blinds, and sheer curtains made it a serene master bedroom.  So much better than the pink which was there before :-)  Once again, these are photos from 2014, but do show the updated paint:

* Removed the grass next to the back sidewalk to create large and small flower beds.  Also later installed around those flower beds some white vinyl fencing which was removed from the home of Curtis' parents, and added a vinyl trellis and gate for the back sidewalk.

* Built a tree house and swings in the backyard (there are photos of those somewhere, too)

* Put up a wire fence along the side of the garden, after kids walking to school came into the garden and smashed pumpkins :- (

* In the fall of 2011 or 2012-Removed the green carpet from the living room and repainted the walls and trim again--a much better color this time!  Also added crown molding.

*Purchased and installed an antique oak mantle in the living room (which was removed for painting that ugly brick around the fireplace in the above pictures)

*Replaced some of the exterior windows with new double-pane vinyl windows.  Although this improved the energy efficiency of the home, as we've become more aware of (and committed to) preserving historical buildings, we regret the loss of the original wood window frames and wavy glass which was in some of those windows.  All of the windows in the living room, and the exterior doors, are still original (though some of the glass was replaced when it cracked).

Watch for the next post to find out about how our house came to be known as the "Pumpkin Pi House"