House Colors: Gray, White, Green or Black

Posted on | July 28, 2010 | 12 Comments

Greg and I gathering references to get our roof redone. In the meantime I’m snapping photos around town of potential roof colors. This morning I realized I’ve never shown photos of my potential house colors which to me totally relates to the roof color.

My two favorite houses in town are a shade of gray with dark shutters and white trim. The house above is gray/brown with dark green shutters. How cute is the whale over the front door? The cobblestone driveway is pretty awesome too! The second just a block away from my house is dark gray, white trim, with black shutters. See a photo of inside this house here (my fav wallpaper). Both color combos are traditional but feel a little dressier with contrasting dark shutters.

Tomorrow I’ll share potential roof colors and gutter options.

Category: house renovation, marblehead, paint colors

Day 3: Brick Chimney Build

Posted on | July 26, 2010 | 19 Comments

On day three the chimney went up. It took them about five hours with three guys working on the roof and mixing mortar down on the ground. I can’t believe it went up so quick. We are really happy with the results. Below two guys building the chimney, mortar being mixed and put into buckets, and inside the chimney showing the four flues.

The only thing I wasn’t happy with was the brick detail trim two rows down from the top. ~~I had no idea they were going to add this. I would have preferred it to be plain all the way up.~~ (update: after a walk around town I realized everyone in the historic district has a very similar stepped styled detail.) ~~But there is nothing I can really do about it after the mortar was dry.~~ Lesson learned. Even though I don’t want to be a control freak homeowner I do need to have more detailed discussions with contractors. Always ask, ask, ask don’t assume.

Next on our list is getting estimates for individual chimney liners and a cap. Then, it’s a new roof.

If your looking for a mason on the North Shore of Boston we used Chris Powers. Super nice guy, quick, and took care not to destroy my garden.

Chris Power
(781) 631-1929
Marblehead, Ma

Category: house renovation

Day 2: Removing Brick From Old Chimney

Posted on | July 22, 2010 | 2 Comments

The old chimney is gone! Well the top part at least. The old bricks came down pretty quick. Our mason started at 8 am by 10 it was completely gone. It was quite amusing to be making coffee in the kitchen with bricks falling like rain outside the window. Our second floor den and fireplace are filled with dust and small bricks. By noontime the bricks were loaded onto his truck and taken away.

While all this was going on Greg was out sailing for the day. After spending the last two years doing all the renovation work ourselves it was amazing to be able to pay someone else to do the work. So luxurious…

After lunch the mason came back with a truck full of dirt which he separated out into buckets. All the new bricks were brought up onto the roof. Tomorrow he starts the rebuild. Below photos and a short video of the demolition.

DSC 3394 Day 2: Removing Brick From Old Chimney

DSC 3407 Day 2: Removing Brick From Old Chimney

DSC 3416 Day 2: Removing Brick From Old Chimney

DSC 3420 Day 2: Removing Brick From Old Chimney

DSC 3423 Day 2: Removing Brick From Old Chimney

DSC 3425 Day 2: Removing Brick From Old Chimney

DSC 3422 Day 2: Removing Brick From Old Chimney

DSC 3421 Day 2: Removing Brick From Old Chimney

Category: house renovation

Day 1: Chimney Rebuild

Posted on | July 21, 2010 | 6 Comments

Last night, we had our first Hysterical Society (historical) meeting. It went well. They liked our brick selection but asked that we replace the chimney to the exact width and height of the existing structure. Above photos of us (well greg) waiting for the meeting to begin at Abbot Hall. They also gave me props for my garden as we were walking out. I guess everyone knows our house?

Today our mason set up scaffolding on the back side of the house, supports on the roof, and brought over the bricks. Setting up the scaffolding looked like a pain in the ass job. I was thankful I didn’t have to do it.

Tomorrow the old chimney comes down. I’m hoping to shoot some fun video. Stay tuned….

Category: house renovation

Starting Chimney Rebuild

Posted on | July 20, 2010 | 16 Comments

I’m so excited we are starting on our chimney rebuild starting tomorrow. Tonight, we have our first Historical Society meeting to approve the work and our brick choice. Anything outside of the house that is considered a change and not a repair needs to be approved by the town’s historic society because I live in the historic district. (We have other rules but I’ll save that discussion for a future post). Currently, my chimney is brick with a stucco layer over the top. The stucco was layered over the top as a cheap repair. We are planning on rebuilding the chimney in full brick which will be considered a change.

The chimney you see in the photo will get ripped down starting tomorrow. Our mason already dropped off the scaffolding this morning. The job should take about a week. This is what Greg sent me about what we are having done,

“Substantial mortar and/or brick deterioration has eliminated the possibility of a tuck pointing (tuckpointing) restoration. The structure is torn down to the flashing area near the roofline, and then the chimney rebuild commences (+ new crown).”

I wrote my first big check on Monday—the job came in at $4,500. It felt amazing to start a big project. I’m super excited and I know it’s going to look amazing. I’ll keep you up-to-date on the progress. Hopefully, I get some good brick removal photos and video tomorrow.