Pantry Sneak Peak

 Peter is painting the pantry(I'm minding the children...or whatever you call keeping them alive).   This is the first non-primer paint we've put up in the downstairs.  I have been waiting for this for a long time! I'm so excited, I just have to share a sneak with you!

Demolishing the Summer Kitchen

We had to take this down almost immediately after moving in, due to our home owners insurance not liking it.  Luckily we had Peter's family step up to help, along with a couple new-us-neighbors. 

Dormer Windows added after 1900. 

Doors to the summer kitchen.
Not sure what the left hand one was for.  It was very narrow. 

A daunting task, just to clean it out.  

We hired Mahan Slate to remove and save all slate tiles for us. 

Peter looking down through the hole that the log elevator went through.  

Door to 2nd floor kitchen.  

There was a small workspace built into the end of the attic space.
It had horsehair plaster and two very thick wood slab work benches. 

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Up there, that is where the 5-seater outhouse was.  

We ended up hiring someone with a log truck to help take down the largest beams and get them into the barn for storage.  

The diagonal beam stretches from this photo to the next.  It was the back beam , and is one solid piece that ran the entire  length of the summer kitchen. 

Slate Roof Repairs

This was our first big job we hired out for.  Slate roof repaired. New copper around the chimneys.  We also had the slate roof taken off the summer kitchen, as that needed to come down.  Having it resulted in a total mess.  6 years later and we're still picking bits of slate out of the yard.

The thing about our slate is it's put on top of wooden shakes. The shakes can be seen from the attic and crawl space.  There isn't any type of tar paper or moisture barrier.  Makes for interesting snow drifts in the winter.

Master Bedroom Ceiling Light

When we chose our bedroom, there were no light fixtures in the room.  The only way to light it was 2 wall outlets on opposite sides of the room.  We also only owned two floor lamps at the time.  If I remember correctly, the electrical box was there, in the center of the ceiling, but nothing was attached.  So voila! One cheap light from Home Depot.  Peter added the pull chain to the light, so that it was a quicker installation and we would have light that very night.

Basement Circuitry

When we first moved into the house, back in 2010, it was set up as a 2 family home.  It had an old fuse panel that desperately needed upgrading.   This was one of the first projects we hired out for.  Not that exciting, but necessary.  

We've since upgraded even further, what with the solar installation, but that is another post for another day. 

A timeline of events

Dude it's hard keeping up with kids, a farm, a house, and blogs.
Here we go.
Another attempt at updates.   Peter put together a lovely timeline of what we've done and when.  As I find the photos and make individual posts, I will attempt to do it in chronological order.

July 2010 - Installed new 200 amp electrical service

Aug 2010 - Installed ceiling light in second floor master bedroom

Aug - Sept 2010 - Repaired slate roof.  New copper ridge and flashings. Repaired fascia and
                              replacement aluminum trim.

Sept - Oct 2010 - Deconstruction of summer kitchen/carriage shed

Oct 2010 - Installed Insulation in Second Floor Living Room

Jan 2011 - Removed old boiler and converted first floor heating to new boiler

Feb 2011 - Installed chimney liner & Vermont Castings wood stove on second floor

Feb 2011 - July 2012 Renovated Second floor rear bedroom, refinished floor and walls, built closet,
                  installed new electrical wiring, switch & light fixture

Jan 2012 - Restored antique doorbell  on front door

Aug 2012 - Installed crown molding in second floor master bedroom

Oct 2010 - May 2014 - Replacement of 36 windows, new trim installed around windows

Feb 2014 - removed old first floor kitchen flooring

Mar - Apr 2014 - Removed old first floor kitchen ceiling tiles, plaster, and lath board

Mar - May 2014 - Lead Paint Abatement.  1st floor hall sanded, 2nd floor hall and master bedroom        
                              sanded, interior doors removed & stripped, front porch columns & trim scraped

Jun 2014 - Installed new plumbing between basement and second floor

Jul 2014 - Repainted master bedroom and sealed sanded floors in bedroom and halls

Nov 2014 - Installed insulation in first floor kitchen & pantry ceilings

Dec 2014 - Jan 2015 - Repairs to first floor kitchen & pantry.  Repaired rotten beam, sub-flooring,
                                    flooring, and wall.  Installed new electrical wiring and switches in hall,
                                    kitchen pantry.  Removed metal door and rehung original wooden kitchen door.

Jan - Feb 2015 - Demo of 1st floor bathroom, insulated ceiling, new electrical and drywall installed

Mar 2015 - Removed 1st floor dining room ceiling plaster & lath board, installed new wiring, switch,
                   & light

Apr 2015 - Installed Outdoor shower enclosure and plumbing, replaced roof of bulkhead

Apr - May 2015 - Additional Lead Paint Abatement.  Stripped wood trim, pantry shelves, fireplace mantels. New Plaster ceilings in kitchen, dining room, and pantry.

June 2015 - Repainted front door and replaced glass

Oct 2015 - Jan 2016 - Rebuilt front porch.  Dig & install 6 footings, new framing, new deck, added
                                    two custom turned porch columns for support, installed new electrical wiring                
                                    &  porch lights, new ceiling, new roof & flashing, stairs and railings.

May - Jul 2016 - Installed copper gutter & downspout on front porch.

Bits and Pieces...the history of Spruce Corner

Spruce Corner is located in the southwestern corner of Ashfield.  It borders on the towns of Goshen and Plainfield which are both in Hampshire County.  At one time Spruce Corner had its own post office, wagon, and blacksmith shop (later a gas station and store), and several mills, including those operated by the Williams, Dyer, Gardner, Thayer and Luce families. 

The two earliest known settlers of Spruce Corner were Elisha Cranson from Spencer and Ephraim Williams from Easton.  Other early settlers, most of whom served in the Revolutionary War from their respective communities and arrived in Spruce Corner after 1780 were: Lot and Deborah (Howes) Basset from Yarmouth; Comfort Beal(s), Jesse Dyer, John Ford, Joseph and Tamer (Jackson) Gurney, Isaiah and Lydia (Hersey) Jenkins, Jr., and Laban Stetson from Abington; Stephen and Dorcas (Whitney) Warren from Upton; Caleb Packard and Solomon Sally (Hollis) Hill from Bridgewater.
Ephraim Williams came to Spruce Corner in 1771 to build a saw mill on land owned by his father, Daniel, but he did not own land there until November 1774. 

In June 1775 Ephriam Williams, was accused of being sympathetic to the British.  However, the Committee of Correspondence voted "not to take any notice of Ephraim Williams a suspected Tory" and "voted that if there should be a complaint laid before the committee against any person as being a Tory and not supported the complainer shall be liable to pay the cost  of the committee sitting..."