A Little More...

Just a couple of pictures to show what the front looks like nearly devoid of faux brick.  The den area remains covered with the stuff since there's nothing but tar paper beneath it - it's an addition that was completed at the same time as the first mummification (i.e. Insul-brick installation).  We removed the aluminum 'trim' from the driveway-side windows today, but I failed to photograph that - maybe tomorrow.

"Ambitious"

It's been awhile since I've updated this for two reasons.  One, nothing's been getting done.  Two, we've spent a lot of time deciding whether we're also going to tackle the front of the house this year.  We decided to press on and were able to uncover much of the front over the past few days.  One kind soul, while walking past, commented on how "ambitious" we are.  We suspect that's just a nice way of saying "stupid."  Anyhow, we discovered that the front gable is shingled and that there are three diamond-shaped patterns arranged in a triangle around the windows.  Many of the shingles were hacked up during the Insul-brick 'upgrade', but some remain intact.  We also confirmed our suspicion that the dining room windows were taller at one point, as you'll see in the pictures.  For now, we're undecided on the significance of this finding - will we just splice in new clapboard in the voids above/below the existing windows, or will we install a more appropriate single 'cottage window' with decorative stained/leaded glass across the top?  Since neither option is free, it's something to think about.  Enough talk...

Before

So, I realized that some context may be helpful. Here's the house before we had any bad ideas...

More Siding Removal

Realistically, we will probably only be able to do 1-2 sides of the house per year based on limited money, time, and skill. We're starting with the driveway side, since the change will be visible enough to be motivating while discrete enough to (hopefully) avoid unwanted attention.

Siding Removal

I'm not a blog person, but it seems like a nice way to document a house project. My wife and I bought our first at the end of February 2011. It's located in the greater Milwaukee area, was built in 1906, and was the product of an exhaustive search with the world's most patient realtor. In short, we want to give the home some of it's original charm back while helping curb appeal. So, we're removing the aluminum and imitation brick siding to reveal the original clapboards. The plan is to restore the trim work and repaint the clapboards, but there will be obstacles.