on the fifth day of renovations...

on the left: 10AM and on the right: 4PM

granted they are not finished, but it is definitely a step in the right direction

ZERO insulation in the walls...we're working on that. 

view from the street - a large portion of today's work involved getting the primer up while the weather is somewhat decent. 

granted they usually spend most of their day being lazy and sleeping but with people coming in and out of the house, hammering, drilling, sawing, etc. i thought our dogs would bark non-stop, but as you can see they have been very calm and easy to handle so far.  

back window is in!

back of the house with the wall/window completed. if you have seen the before pictures, this is MUCH better. 

day four

With the fourth day of renovations having come and gone we are seeing great changes to our old house. Below are a number of photos of the work that was done today. 

Air vents for central heat and air upstairs finally - we are freezing! 

Out with the old attic fan and in with the new air/heat system. 

New intake vent. 

Continued progress on the back wall that had to be removed. 

Charlie curled up trying to stay warm again today. Hopefully the worst of the cold weather is moving on and some warmer weather will come through and stay for a while. 

Back of the house completed except for the new window and repainting that will be done next week. 

day three

a montage, if you will, of the work that was done today. since it was 45 degrees here today the process was quite difficult for me and the dogs (you can see the photo below of them bundled up), but we made it through and are excited about the work that was done. 

tis' the season

Our first Christmas in the new house has been greatly memorable. From decorating to entertaining and being able to relish in our Christmas traditions we recognize the fact that we are truly blessed.

This was the first Christmas that Robert and I have been in our home for Christmas since we have been married. We usually travel at this time of year but work and contractor schedules hindered us from making a big trip. However, we were very excited to spend the time together in our new home.

Our plans for Christmas were quite simple, just the way we like it. We hosted Christmas Eve dinner for my dad, stepmom, sister, and her boyfriend. Christmas Day was spent doing absolutely nothing and it was fantastic. Our Christmas morning tradition consists of cinnamon rolls and watching the Christmas classic A Christmas Story and we ended the day by spending the evening at my mom's house for dinner.

Tomorrow is back to work for Robert Alan and the contractors will arrive to complete the biggest part of the renovations - removing an entire wall and Iwill certainly update with pictures as the process unfolds. This week for me will focus on planning for the upcoming semester as I am again teaching three new classes that I have never taught before.

Hoping your Christmas was as special as ours,

The Hawks

first two days

Little by little we are starting to see changes to the exterior and it is really exciting. So far a great deal of sanding has taken place and a number of pieces of siding are beginning to be replaced.

Part of my job during this process is to keep a keen eye on the dogs. As we have a doggie door for them to use I had to close that off and keep them in the house for a majority of the day which for two of our dogs (Charlie would stay inside asleep all day every day if we let him) is driving them crazy. As you can see below, Lucky has found a spot upstairs that allows her the opportunity to look out over the contractors to make sure all is well and Gracie likes to stand near the front door and cock her head sideways as she is trying to figure out every little sound.

Taking a break from the renovations for a few days we are preparing for Christmas Eve dinner at our house followed by a few days of complete relaxation.

Wishing you and yours a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year,

The Hawks