3rd Floor Bathroom

Tom raised the floor of the 3rd floor bathroom so the shower is a walk-in without any door/curtain. He also installed heating in the floor. Tom looks as if he's having a wonderful time tiling the floor, too!

Fireplace

Here is the fireplace that we bought in England. It's a cast iron coal fireplace. We're planning on warming up a bit more environmentally appropriate than using coal. It was covered with black dust that easily rubbed off onto hands, clothes and anything else that touched it....so we had it painted a similar color (black/silver/coal sort of color).

We're Back

It's been quite a Spring so far. I haven't been able to keep the blog up since my father became ill and died. Thanks so much for all your love and support. Tom and I miss him so much. Unfortunately, he never had a chance to visit Lewes...but he was an active listener to all the trials, tribulations, challenges and successes that we've had during this adventure. Dad was never one to keep his thoughts to himself....so he had lots of opportunities to share his thoughts and suggestions. Of course, he checked out the blog all the time as well as seeing additional photos that we'd bring up to him during visits.
Richard

Furniture

Here are some interior photos. Finally some seating in the living room; Tom’s Grandmother’s kitchen table temporarily being used in the dining room. The kitchen is fully functional for cooking as well as doubling as a “paint station”. Also, a photo of the pantry…WOW! We're currently finishing the 1st floor trim, painting the trim and painting the living room, dining room and kitchen walls.

The move

We moved into our home just before Thanksgiving. We couldn't have done it without the help of Richard’s brother Steve as well as the entire Shockley family (Carolyn, Jerry, Jenna and Dylan)! It’s great to finally be home…..still need to finish the closets, paint the walls, finish the trim, unpack the boxes…but it’s HOME!!!!

Friends visiting Lewes

Our friends the Steiningers (Jim and Anna) and Shockleys (Carolyn, Jerry, Dylan + Jenna) visited us before Thanksgiving. Tom used to work with Jim and Carolyn. We all had a lot to catch up with post General Electric. What happened to Jenna in the picture?....must have been in back of the camera!

First Floor Floors

The house originally had pine plank floors. A Lewes “old timer” told us that when pine floors were painted, it was called “Lewes carpeting”!

White Oak floors were installed on the 1st floor and landing on the 2nd floor in the 1920’s (we think?). In the 1980’s, when the house was split up into a two family house, pass through walls were boarded up and the dining room was turned into a kitchen (with hole drilled right through the middle of the floor for water, drainage pipes).

We’ve taken all the protective sheathing that we installed when we began renovation and are now working on the floors. We’ve taken up and reconfigured some of the flooring and installed flooring in some areas where there was no floor (such as the areas that were walls/pocket doors that divided the living room). We purchased 500 square feet of quarter sawn white oak from North Carolina, cut into the same widths of the original floor. We’re using the new flooring in the 1st floor bedroom/office and hallway.

In the photos:
1-3 – front entrance – before, during and resulting square pattern
4 – what a mess!
5- pile of new flooring
6 – pencil patterns on floor of bedroom/office
7 – Tom installing floor in bedroom/office

The wood on the staircase, 2nd and 3rd floors will be addressed during the next phase of renovation.