We’ve been there and done that in a VERY old home and I just had to share a couple of things after reading this. 1. Do the electric all at once. It can be quite invasive, esp. in the older homes, and you wouldn’t want to damage any of your future progress. 2. Have the hardwood floors done professionally, but make sure it’s a good one or you might as well have done it yourself! This we learned :( Here’s a link to all the posts dealing with our renovation of a 400-year-old cottage en France.

http://www.stephmodo.com/search/label/la%20maisonnette

The electrical should be done before you re-do the ceiling and paint everything. They can probably do one room at a time. Do you have the old knob and tube wiring? I think it can get a little more tricky. But either way hire a professional!

Also the floors – we are getting our floors sanded and refinished. They were never painted, but they are a real mess, all gooped up with god-knows-what. It’s costing about $1200 for 3 bedrooms, with closets and a hallway connecting (about 700 sq feet). They are also replacing all the quarter-round pieces around the perimeter. Just to give you a reference point.

The den is looking so lovely – it’s going to be such a beautiful space – you’re almost there!

I have been reading your wonderful blog for several months and just wanted to comment on a few of your to-do’s. My husband and I just finished renovating our wooden 1870s house. We did a lot of the work ourselves, but hired professionals for some as well.

Our heart pine floors had a lot of paint on them and we hired a great guy who did a fantastic job. It cost $4,200.00 for 6 rooms, two halls and the stairs and I would pay it again the results are so great. I thought about doing it ourselves and am beyond glad that we didn’t. It was very labor intensive and there were massive amounts of dust. We used a satin finish so the floors almost look waxed rather than polyurethaned.
We also hired a drywaller to put up drywall in place of plaster in the kitchen and bathroom. He was fast and cheap so I would definitely consider hiring someone for that as well unless you are skilled at hanging drywall.
We also opted not to put insulation in our walls because it is very damaging to frame buildings and most preservationists will tell you not to do so. Moisture builds up inside the walls and can’t escape because there is not breathing room once insulation is packed in. Eventually the boards will rot.
Most of the heat is lost through the attic and floor rather than through the walls. Plaster is a really good, natural insulate.
Also, rather than replace our plaster walls with drywall we hired building arts students trained in plaster work to make repairs. You might look into the North Bennett St. School in Boston to see if they have student artisans who can work for reduced rates.
Good luck with everything – you have a beautiful house and a great sense of style. (I have also painted my living room walls green with slightly off-white wainscoting and trim and have enjoyed all of your green room pictures!)

When the floors are in that condition it is hard and horrible work, I would not recommend doing the floor yourselves.
Ask your sander what grit they take the floor to, otherwise you will end up with swirls. Also I use 2 coats, with my finish coat being a semi-gloss finish, I think it looks more historic than the gloss finish and it wears nicely. They will be beautiful when they are done. After our floors were done and had dried for a few days, we covered them in Roisin paper and then tar paper, it is the floor best protection if you are still doing work, such as when the day finally arrives to PAINT!!!

When it all becomes so overwhelming the task of fixing leaking chimneys hardly feels like a problem. Crazy, right? Renovating a house is lot like real life problems….just when you think you couldn’t possibly find the strength to deal with anymore, you do, and life goes on…