Big Changes in the Crooked House
I went MIA for a bit, but now there’s a lot to tell you about. We’ll start with the stripping progress. It got to be a slog. As I got higher up on the facade, the paint got more and more stubborn. Plus, I had more rungs to climb in between dipping the roller in the paint stripper. It was getting demoralizing. Then it went from bad to worse when the front door jambs started warping from all the water I’m spraying onto the wall. Twice I’ve had to grind about an 8th of an inch off the door. Covering the transom with plastic helps… some.
Then I switched to a new paint stripper, EaCoChem AcryliStrip. It stinks to high heaven, but I’ll tell you it’s worth every brain cell. If I had used it from the beginning I’d be done by now. There is still some paint clinging in the mortar joints and some isolated spots where I can’t get it off the bricks, but we’re just about to a wonderful place where you can’t tell that the brick was ever painted by looking at it. Next I’ll need to get the last of the pollution stains. Can you tell how much better it looks from a picture?
So there’s that one. Then there’s my job. I’ve been at the same company and on the same project for 7 years, but I got my notice a month ago that there wasn’t enough work to keep me busy. The man who gave me my notice offered to give me a reference though, and it just so happened that I had been to an interview for a better job that week. His reference got me an offer the very next day! And I worked it out to get a paid week off in between jobs. Which of course I need desperately. And now that the front door situation is kinda dire, like maybe even worse than the window situation, the new job is super great because I can AFFORD to deal with all that! (I’ll still probably be self installing the windows.)
And catching up on paint removal isn’t the only reason I need the time off. My boyfriend is moving in this weekend! And my roommate is moving out at the same time! I wasn’t quite sure if that last part was gonna happen. Never a dull moment! I’ve been a basket case even knowing that things are in a good place right now. Of course the house is a wreck even with my temporary housewife status, but at least all this stuff is getting done.
Meanwhile, I’ll be playing musical furniture with my parents and returning my back bedroom dresser (actually part of my grandmother’s dining room set) to their basement so they can sell the whole set. They’ve been procrastinating on cleaning out the basement and then suddenly started working hard on it like a week ago, so I’ve been helping them to get rid of stuff, too. If you want any Big Band or Swing music on vinyl, come over and take them, please. Along with a bunch of Nana stuff, our not-quite-matching dorm gooseneck lamps got to be together at Philly AIDS Thrift.
Oh, and I have a cat now! It’s been a few months actually but we may as well get up to date on my life. The roommate suggested him when I couldn’t get the mouse problem under control with traps. We haven’t seen one since.
Well, I’ll introduce Tito and Ninja.
(And one more of Ninja since he kinda disappears in that tree. Also, he likes to burrow under the rugs and claw at rug pads. I feel like this is kinda okay.)
19 Responses
Bricks are looking good! Sorry about the job stress, but it sounds like that worked out – whew! You have a lot going on! Congrats
Your bricks look really good. You wouldn’t know it was the same house! Good job!
Glad to hear things are going well for you. Enjoy! 😸
The brick looks fantastic. I always wonder at the weirdness of what we do is destined to be undone in some misty future. We love our stuff and gone in the dustbin by the owner who hates it. We seem to go from too much too very little and back again. I love old houses just because of all of the lives that smiled,cried,yelled and made up and eventually moved on or grew old and passed on. I’m 78 so this is much more in my mind than yours. You and your partner look great and happy. The cat-not so much. But then thats cats for ya. Good luck and hope you get some down time to relax and enjoy your accomplishments. They are amazing!
Well, any old remodeling job that makes it long enough – 50 or 75 years – is then old enough to be widely appreciated again. Unfortunately, too much gets ripped out before then. I feel less bad because my stuff was in really bad shape and needed to go.
Since your kitty has taken a shine to the padding, I’d say if you have any scraps, make them a scratching pad out of it.
Nice work, as always.
There must be some karma going on with the job. Or you have a follower at the new company who recognizes someone with an excellent work ethic and a knack for finding solutions to unexpected problems.
Many congratulations on the progress on the house. Your boyfriend is a lucky guy!!!
I brought up the solutions to unexpected problems thing but what finally got me the job was an excellent reference from the guy who laid me off – and I never got around to telling my new employer about the layoff
Wow! What an update. First, the brick looks amazing. I am so impressed. Our front door is a mess too, and I have no idea what I’m going to do.
Next, this is HUGE news about the boyfriend. It was nice to see Tito’s picture, and I hope moving in together goes smoothly. Congratulations!
Last, I am so glad that your job situation worked out so well. It sounds like it was stressful.
Thanks. Since I got a raise, I’m going to take out a home equity line of credit and throw money at the door.
OMG i can’t believe the bricks! holy crap. and your job situation sounds about as good as it could get considering you were getting laid off! congrats on the new job, the new cat (adorable), the boyfriend moving in (yay!) and a week off.
Yes, Chad, you had been quiet for so long I was going to contact your mother and ask if you were yet living. 🙂 So glad all the stress–good personal stress and bad job stress–is over. It sounds like everything worked out for the best. And the bricks look great! Did the acid burn on your forehead leave a scar, or is it all healed?
Tell Tito it is nice to meet him virtually and we’d all like to meet him in person.
You will find that having a cat is not only good for the mice problem but also good for your blood pressure. We love Ninja! He looks like a Ninja, a tuxedo all in black with a white spot on his chest. How did you come up with the name, or did he have it when he came to you? Cat names are so strange (see Eliot’s _Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats_). If I’d known Occum was going to be a soccer player, I would have named him Beckam or Pele. But now that he’s learned to respond to “Occum, come!” I don’t want to change it. I agree with Nine Dark Moons’ suggestion of making a scratching post out of what the cat already likes. (You’ve seen our carpet remnant scratching corner, which we replace when it gets too raggedy.)
BTW, the Ninja photo shows how good the floors in your house look. Unfortunately, they will soon feature what Bruce calls “tumblefur,” those fur balls that blow in like desert tumbleweed from who knows where, especially just after you’ve finished vacuuming and mopping.
Did you know I finally finished my poetry chapbook, _Permanent Guests_? The first half of the book is poems about fixing up an old house.
I think I did hear about your book being published!
Say what you will about tumblefur but I can only hope that I can get it together enough to have my house as clean as you had yours when we visited.
And Ninja got his name because when he was really little he was dark grey and had a black mask-shaped spot on his face.
Wowza – on all counts – boyfriend, kitty and bricks – in that order.
Your bricks, your cat and your bf look good 🙂
Handsome BF, studly kitty, but, forgive me, what really turns me on is the mention of EaCo Chem AcryliStrip. Where does one get it?
I found EaCo Chem through LimeWorks in Telford. EaCo Chem’s site also allows you to search for a distributor. Because LimeWorks only carries a few of their products, I did a search and found that Cava, much closer to home for me, also can get the stuff by special order.
I personally hate any kind of demolition or stripping so kudos to your finishing the hard part. Who went to PSU, so did I? Jo @ Let’s Face the Music
I did!
Also, we’ve just about gotten all the household combination clutter under control. We still have too many spatulas and wooden spoons and one piece of furniture still on Craigslist, plus a box of Philly AIDS Thrift stuff.