Jill’s office needed more work than we thought at first. This is always happening to us — we underestimate what it will take. And that’s just as well because, otherwise, we might get overwhelmed. So , usually, we walk blissfully into a very complicated project, thinking we’ll knock it out in a few weeks and then it ends up taking a few months. Jill’s office took us 6 months.


This first major setback was wall paper. The Victorians loved their wall paper. Jill and I spent days wetting it down and scraping it off. I It had been painted over and I had plastered over many parts just to keep it stable ten years ago. That made things more difficult.

Notice that, before we did anything else, we stripped and refinished all of the woodwork and, under the paper, the floors too. Usually we’d save the stripping and refinishing for last but I wanted to get this nasty job out of the way while I had the time and the good weather (to keep the room aired out).

Here are the things we did:
1) strip, sand, and refinish the floor
2) strip, sand, and refinish the woodwork — including the oak mantel
3) remove wall paper from the walls
4) plaster the walls
5) re-hang the door to the porch so that it swings right to left
6) run new electric for three outlets and sconce lights
7) install an antique library ladder in the bookcase
8) install a built-in antique display cabinet for Jill’s Steiff animal collection — the cabinet was in pieces
9) faux paint things that could not be stripped well — like the display case
10) strip and refinish the radiator
11) re-caulk the windows and weatherize the porch door
12) strip, refinish, then install antique crown molding
13) build window seats
14) install vintage hardware so that all furniture matches
15) install antique sconces over fireplace