Wednesday, November 5, 2008

A very tentative and ongoing to do list

This list is but a start, of course, and there are definitely many things on here that won't get done any time in the near future. I like making lists, and this provides me with a way to stay sane.

General
  • Replace all incandescent bulbs with CFLs.
  • Find a better solution for storm windows and screens
  • Strip and repaint every window
  • Paint every single exterior item the same brown
  • Rewire house


First Floor

Kitchen
  • Get stove repaired or find suitable vintage replacement
  • Remove stickers and grime from stove
  • Remove blinds from back door. Patch holes.
  • Repair or replace crank doorbell on back door.
  • Determine how much, if any, backsplash is needed, given the presence of tile. Determined - no backsplash needed
  • Regrout loose floor tiles by back hall
  • Remove scuff moulding in front of stove and replace with less ugly.
  • Find and install fixture to replace main light
  • Find and install fixture to replace light over breakfast nook
  • Build bench for breakfast nook
  • Fabricate and install drawer stops
  • Replace counter tops with butcher block
  • Add counter top above sink where ledge is presently, to accomodate sitting persons at bar stools
  • Find and install a nice white cast-iron sink.
  • Replace screen door with more appropriate one
  • Replace hardware holding handle on laundry chute with something that won't snag the clothes
  • Relocate laundry chute door either up or down to accomodate counter.
  • Add water line to refrigerator
  • Relocate phone line from wall by bar sink to wall by laundry chute
  • Remove wall by bar sink and finish
  • Find more sympathetic hardware for cabinets under bar sink
  • Remove soffit in areas where there are no cabinets and it is not needed
  • Install some sort of barrier between radiator and dishwasher
  • Remove roller blinds and replace with something better - perhaps functioning roller blinds?
  • Locate and install missing endcaps for cabinets
  • Remove outlet strip behind stove and add two outlets, one on each side of stove
  • Strip paint from tile
  • Remove door for incinerator and replace tile


Half bath
  • Remove linoleum and clean up floor. If tile is still present, repair. If not, consider penny tile to match existing on second floor.
  • Remove mirrors on walls and ceilings. Repair plaster as necessary.
  • Obtain and install more historically appropriate faucet
  • Clean paint from door handle and associated hardware


Rear entry hall
  • Replace off-white light switch with either white or black, and if black, with found chrome switchplate
  • See if it might be possible to raise ceiling an inch or two, if drywall were used, and if possible, do so. Otherwise sand down spikey stucco


Library
  • sand down stucco on ceiling, perhaps redo
  • Fix cabinet doors to open and close properly
  • Locate key for locks in cabinets
  • Remove existing window treatment and replace with one more sympathetic to the room and house


Living room
  • Remove wall to wall carpet
  • Resurface radiator cover
  • Remove paint from fireplace
  • Prep, repaint ceiling a non-shiny color
  • Find nice landscape painting to hang over fireplace


Dining room
  • Remove plant hooks over front window
  • Remove wallpaper and paint walls a similar color to blue in wallpaper
  • Obtain glass hand plates for swinging door
  • Replace chandelier with more appropriate fixture
  • Remove metal radiator cover. Consider building wood radiator cover, perhaps in the form of a window seat.
  • Sand down textured plaster on ceiling.


Entry hall
  • Remove linoleum and repair floor as necessary
  • Remove wallpaper and repair / paint walls
  • Fabricate missing piece of chair rail
  • Secure loose railing
  • Etch pattern into replacement pane on hall light fixture
  • Re-do filler on door to back hallway. Faux paint as necessary


Screened in porch
  • Remove fan of doom and replace with sane light fixture
  • Build rack to store firewood on
  • Replace screen, if it seems that it will make a difference as to the amount of light coming into the house.
  • Research if it is possible to remove paint from brick without destroying it (signs point to no) and, if so, remove yellow paint from brick on porch walls.
  • Make round trim pieces for rounded parts of screen
  • Clean paint off stone
  • Strip and repaint exterior trim
  • Rebuild stairs outside porch
  • Remove "dog door" and replace with screen


Second Floor

Master bedroom
  • Find and replace existing sconces with something more suitable
  • Determine purpose of thermostat
  • Smooth out spikey stucco
  • Locate and install better window treatments


Master bathroom
  • Remove bare bulb in shower, replace with humidity-sealed can
  • Raise shower ceiling to height of rest of room
  • Locate CFLs to replace bathroom lights
  • Obtain and install missing shower knobs
  • Find and replace tub faucet and knobs
  • Find and install replacement tile for shower pan
  • Locate and install replacement toilet to match others in house
  • Remove ugly cup dispenser
  • Remove ugly hooks
  • Find and install more suitable shower door
  • Adjust linen cupboard to close properly
  • Find a better shower head
  • Clean out "needles" so that all spray properly
  • Find and install replacement faucet for sink
  • Strip paint from hinges on built-in
  • Remove ugly window covering, fill holes left in tile
  • Re-grout badly re-grouted tiles
  • Install ventilation fan
  • Install slightly longer chains for light fixtures


Craft room
  • Remove paint from knobs
  • Either remove ceiling moulding or do better finish work
  • Find and install better window treatments
  • Find and install better ceiling light fixture


Other bathroom
  • Install GFCI circuit breaker for bathroom
  • Secure loose tile
  • Remove ugly cup dispenser
  • Remove ugly hooks
  • Find replacement tub faucet and knobs
  • Find a better shower head
  • Replace faucet and handles on sink with more appropriate ones
  • Re-grout badly re-grouted tiles
  • Consider relocating light switch into door frame (but installing a GFCI breaker should resolve any issue that this may cause...)
  • Install ventilation fan
  • Remove wallpaper and refinish walls


Hall
  • Replace fuse box
  • Remove wallpaper
  • If rewiring efforts require cutting ceiling holes, replaster entire hall ceiling


South bedroom
  • Remove carpet
  • Remove mirror from bedroom door
  • Remove ugly blinds and replace with more suitable window covering


Southwest bedroom
  • Remove carpet
  • Paint walls a single color
  • Replace roller blinds with a more suitable window covering


Northwest bedroom
  • Remove carpet
  • Repair/replace doorstop
  • Strip paint from hinges on built-ins


Third Floor

Main room
  • Remove faux-Tudor elements by windows to allow better access
  • Insulate
  • Raise railing to a reasonable height
  • Add built-ins for storage - make space for flat files


Bathroom
  • Remove wallpaper in bathroom
  • Remove ugly light fixture in bathroom and replace with something more suitable
  • Replace off-white GFCI outlet with GFCI outlet
  • Replace toilet with historically correct toilet
  • Remove wallpaper in bathroom


Basement
  • Repair pipes with holes
  • Repair wall on stairs going down to basement
  • Move dryer to less awkward location and see about possibility of routing exhaust into chimney.
  • Clean paint off good slop sink faucet.
  • Re-locate light fixture at bottom of stairs
  • Remove freezer
  • Replace hot water heater with tankless
  • Replace breaker box
  • Remove carpet
  • Paint ugly paneling or replace with plywood and drywall.
  • Remove ugly cover from toilet
  • Find white toilet seat to match.
  • Strip paint from door hardware in basement.


Exterior

All around
  • Tuckpointing
  • S1ate repair
  • Repair of casement windows, especially rust and window frames
  • Painting everything on the exterior the same shade of brown
  • Replace rusting gutter nails with either copper or stainless steel
  • Redo all ugly Portland cement repairs lime mortar


Front
  • Remove screen door
  • Find suitable replacement doorbell and install
  • Remove ugly doorbell from door and fill as necessary
  • Replace wood in front door with glass
  • Replace screen door with wood one or simply discard
  • Remove ugly light by front door, replace if necessary
  • Replace incorrect downspouts on living room bay window with appropriate
  • Repair faux-Tudor boards
  • Repair front gutter
  • Replace roof on living room bay window with copper
  • Replace aluminum gutters on front entryway with copper
  • Remove paint from stone on front entryway
  • Remove paint from stone windowsills, including the dining room windows, which have been completely painted.
  • Level steps in front of house


Driveway side
  • Paint box gutter on bay window
  • Strip paint off copper on bay window, both on flashing and on box gutter


Chimney side
  • Tuckpointing
  • Prune tree/bush by screened in porch to allow more light into porch
  • Build chimney saddle and rip out existing flashing and re-flashing


Rear
  • Fix second floor porch floor - rip out existing floor, remove beadboard underneath and see what structural work has to be done, replace floor
  • Replace flashing on second floor porch
  • Fix gate under breezeway
  • Re-route television cable in more aesthetically pleasing manner
  • Fix/rebuild gate
  • Excavate and rebuild window wells (pushed in by freeze-thaw cycle)
  • Apply WD-40 to exterior faucet handle in attempt to unfreeze
  • Remove extra television cable over library window
  • Determine what, if any, the original gutter configuration was for the third floor dormer. The current gutter and downspout just doesn't feel right. Perhaps the issue is snow and snow dams would help?


Garage
  • Replace cracked pane on garage door (car entry side)
  • Replace plexiglass pane on garage door (car entry side)
  • Replace plywood in door with glass (human entry side)
  • Determine why garage door frame has gaps / is out of plumb and remedy.
  • Repair / replace trim piece on garage by car door.
  • Replace garage slab
  • Replace breaker box
  • Fix gaps around garage door
  • Fix light on side of garage to hang level
  • Find historically correct light for over garage door. Once installed, remove ugly motion-sensor light from garage corner. Leave motion sensor system and use with old light if necessary.
  • Replace valley between breezeway and garage
  • Apply WD-40 to exterior faucet handle in attempt to unfreeze
  • Rebuild basin for fountain on exterior of garage.


Yard
  • Remove basketball backboard
  • Remove dead elm on side property line
  • Remove dead elm on back property line
  • Remove or repair half-broken grill
  • Sealcoat driveway
  • Research whether it would be possible to have electrical, phone, and cable lines run through ground between utility pole and garage. If so, consider doing this, given relatively low (8') height of entrance at garage.
  • Obtain cheap sandstone to eventually replace broken parts of front sidewalk.

9 comments:

C&C said...

Yowsers - what a list! Looks about like our list! Good luck and enjoy - they say half the fun is getting there. Or is it half the battle? Looking forward to seeing your progress!

Kurtis said...

That is a dreadful list indeed.

The structure you are seeking to keep water off your chimney is called a "cricket" or a "saddle".

Christopher Busta-Peck said...

Kurt - thanks for the lingo.

Of course, I have a long long time to work on this list - say, 30+ years.

Anonymous said...

Slate,copper, and moderate tuckpointing is our specialty. Just finished a couple copper bay windows and gutters on Chesterton. Currently working on Arlington. If you need advice on the roof or flashing feel free to give me a call.
I'm in the first third of a 30 year restoration on a greek revival farmhouse myself.
Good luck
For more info
http://www.slateandcopperroofrestoration.com/
http://www.roofingcontractorreview.com/

Anna said...

Now that's what I call an impressive to do list!! It really inspires me to finally make a list for our house, too ;-)!

And I'm more than pleased to see other people have their private library, too. Everyone thinks we are crazy because we have one in our house.

Oh, and one more thing concerning your list. Don't forget: "The journey is the reward" :-)

Kurtis said...

Don't worry about stripping the paint off the copper bay. Once painted, copper is best maintained by regular painting.

Christopher Busta-Peck said...

Kurt -

So you're saying it's detrimental to the copper to remove the paint? My intterest in removing the paint is entirely aesthetic - I like the look of the green copper patina.

Kurtis said...

Yes, it actually will prolong the life of the copper to keep it painted once it reaches that age. Oxidized copper will start to develop pits and blisters that will turn into holes eventually. Keep it painted. Paint it green if you like the patina look.

Anonymous said...

Wow - I started a similar list when we moved in this June. Then I abandoned it before I got out the kitchen - it was just too intimidating.