There is a plus side to having Our Old House in such disarray. I now have an excuse for losing things. Among all of our stuff, there are floor plans, paint samples, tiles, wood pieces with different finishes, countertop options, books, and magazines. I think Jimmy Hoffa or Whitey Bulger could be here and we wouldn't know it.

Case in Point: A while ago I was in downtown Boston and received a call from Heath, the production assistant, asking if there was a second set of my car keys at the house. I assured him that they were in the small bowl at the top of the stairs. I also told him the car might not start as it had been acting up lately.

When I returned home the car was not in its original parking spot. I was pretty happy that the keys had been found and that the car was working. But Heath apprised me that there were no keys in a little bowl at the top of the stairs and rather than wait for me, the "Boys" picked up the car and actually moved it in order to make room for one of their job vehicles. I was very surprised, and duly impressed.

At the top of the stairs there was not one, but three small bowls and not a key in any of them...hmmm...I could have sworn I left them there...hmmm, now where did I put my laptop?

—Chris

Richard Trethewey and master plumber Ron Coldwell work in the newly insulated attic

Can you get fired from failing to keep up with a blog? I just haven't gotten around to doing it and that's that. I feel like it's a Monday morning and I am at St. Mary's grammar school confessing to the nun, "Sister, there was a black-out in our neighborhood and I wasn't able to finish my homework." Some things never change.

Another return from yet another red eye, this time from Napa. (Beautiful place—why haven't I been there before?) I'll recap the last events that I was privy to prior to my departure: The big goings-on centered around the insulation. A huge truck was on the street with hoses running from it into the house, where they are placed into holes less than an inch in diameter that have been drilled into the walls. The Icynene is pumped in as liquid and then fills the walls with an open cell foam that "breathes."  We never really see the foam except for remnants coming out of the holes and the "show and tell" session that we have with Tom and the folks involved with the product. We are reminded about how energy efficient and warm this will make our igloo, and that in the summer the opposite effect will take place as the house will be naturally cooled down. The top floor has no holes drilled into it as the Icynene will be forced through the roof openings into the attic…these guys are "wicked smaht."

Then there was Richard T. He is like someone from an Alfred Hitchcock movie that could be titled "Surprises In The Cellar."  He knows about the flow of H2O, pressure, boilers, etc. more than anyone I have met (well, other than Mr. Wizard). Since Liz and I are not too savvy (though Liz got into the whole oil tank education when they changed the boilers), it seems that our "on screen" interaction with Richard is limited. Kevin and Norm ask him questions using words that I cannot even pronounce. God bless them.

O.K., so I come in from the red eye and pull up to the house—fuggedahboutit!!! The entire house is surrounded by blue scaffolding right up to the roof. It reminds me of the bamboo scaffolding in China tied with nylon fasteners. This looks much safer. We must be getting ready for alot of work and SOON.

Er, wasn't I going to sleep when I got home?  Not a chance. No rest for the weary nor wicked…

—Chris

Here is a question that comes up rather frequently: "How are your neighbors dealing with everything?"

Let me tell you, they have been great (so far!). And guess what? I don't think any of them even knows about the blog, so this is not written to sweeten them up. Seriously, every day there are trucks of some sort at our house—coming, going, and parking. We are talking about a city neighborhood where parking is at a premium. The neighbors couldn't be nicer—they are welcoming, warm, funny and genuinely NICE.

The kids are a scream…they just happen to be throwing a football when the cameras are around. The teenage girls parade by all spiffed up and adorable. In fact, Guiseppe (you can call me "Joe") had to ride his bicycle six times the other day as David, the director, and Deborah, the producer, integrated him into a scene.

The guys lean against the trucks, hang out and swap stories about home repair—but mostly about boats and the water (seems to be a common thread). Dottie and Lucy have brought over fried dough, tomatoes, etc. Luann and Tommy even offered the usage of their pool to the guys on the extremely hot days. (Now that's a visual: Kevin or Roger in a speedo!) Jack, next door, has been very obliging, allowing scaffolding, etc to be very near his property line.

No one is ever "in your face."  They have put up with a lot—portable toilets on our lawn (long gone), Dumpsters curbside, and cherry-pickers randomly in and out and up and down. Believe me, the workers clean up after themselves at the end of the day—"Done and Dusted!" 

We had hoped to have an open house for all of the neighbors, but our insurance and legal stuff consider it a "live" job site and prohibit a general viewing while it is under construction. But many of them have actually seen the site and are awe-struck by the transformation taking place. A big thank you to all of them.

—Chris

Kathy Marshall sits alongside the unpainted trim

Today, Lisey Good (interior designer) and Kathy Marshall (kitchen designer) are showing us the colors that we have picked out for the interior. We are going to get some samples and she how they look. 

We are considering painting the woodwork. If you have seen some of the pics of the house, you will see that there is a lot of woodwork, that does need to be buffed. So, to paint or not to paint is a question. I know some of the guys don't want us to, but we will have to see when the colors go up on the walls. As we learned with the paint on the outside—although it is stucco, it can look quite different. Light vs shade vs night vs day! You get the picture.

What do you guys think?

—Liz

Thank God we are having clear and cooler weather these days, as there was a team of about 20 guys ripping up the roof yesterday. We are replacing the slate roof :(  with new three-tab asphalt shingles. (Upon closer inspection by Tommy and crew, we were informed about how bad the shape of the roof was.)

The guys were like an act out of Cirque de Soleil, climbing, scaling, swinging—you name it. They started at 6:30am, and I know they were not finished as of 7pm. When I came home later that night they were gone—but then again it was dark. The house was shaking and dark, as they have to place temporary boards on the windows so they will not break.   

But now that the insulation has been completed—coupled with the new roof—the 3rd floor will not be an "icebox," as my grandparents used to say. It should retain cooler temps in the summer as well.   

By the way, did I mention that every building I am in on a daily basis is under construction? My house, my gym and my office. Just fyi   :)   

—Liz

Details in the new bathroom are not quite finished yet—but it works!
(photo by Deborah Hood)