Home Renovation Adventures

Bob has brought us more updates on his Chambers Street home. This time he is working on original double hung screens on his windows. Only one has survived. It’s original quirky details like these that make Newburgh’s old homes so unique and worth restoring.

Bob says, “When I first saw the house in 2008, both rear double windows had their original screens, which are in frames on hinges set into the building, like shutters.  Only the ones on the lower rear window survived, and they’re not in great shape. So far, I’ve repaired and re-screened only one, but it shows some progress. I took some effort to remove the old screen and the tacks and staples, repair the frame (wood filler, metal angle irons and screws), paint it and put in the new screening and beading. I hope to get the other one done soon. I don’t know whether there were also glass filled frames to put in for the winter.  If so, they are long gone.  I hope to put such screens back on the upper window and the parlor window on the front porch.  The upper window on the front has triple track aluminum windows, old to be sure, but if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it…It is still a house of horrors in some regards, but I’m getting things accomplished and every bit of decency restored is a victory.”

Indeed, restoring original details back is a victory, even if it’s just one window. And so many people can be inspired to do this kind of work on their own Newburgh home someday! We love the work you are doing. Keep going!

If you would like to share your own home renovation adventure photos or a before an after transformation, please email me!

Over at Door Sixteen, Anna and her husband have installed new plywood floors in the kitchen. That’s right, not hardwood, they installed plywood. And the whole project cost them a whooping $140 to create! We can’t wait to see what it looks like painted.

If you would like to share your own home renovation adventure photos or a before an after transformation, please email me!

Photo © Anna Dorfman, Door Sixteen

On his latest home renovation adventures Bob shares with us the work that he is doing to the base of the stairs to the third floor of his home. There used to be a hole in the wall before Bob patched it up which, he thinks was either put there by a fist or a foot! He’s fixing this space in phases but knew he wanted a strong color, and so opted for a deep Aura Red. It still needs another coat.

About this second photo Bob says, “The picture over the bookcase hung over my parents’ sofa throughout my long, long, long ago childhood. It has gotten dark and had been stored away for almost 20 years. My mom kept great records of her expenses as a bride and newlywed. The picture cost ten 1940 dollars.” It’s so great to see Bob is moving in and getting cozy in his century old home. Decorating is the best part!

 To share your own Newburgh home renovation adventure email me.

You might not see cranes and tractor trailers on every block in Newburgh, but that doesn’t mean Newburghers aren’t busy at work fixing up their historic homes. These are photos from the Pavlik Family newlyweds who moved to Newburgh in August of 2012 and wed August of 2013. Nathan describes the renovation pictures:

Our latest project was to install a rear entrance door. Like most projects around the house, this is a work “in progress”. We’ve replaced all the windows in the rear of the house, and swapped the one for a door. We still need to address the soffits and basement windows… and the list goes on. A deck is (hopefully) next summers project.

See what their project looks like now:

It’s so great to see a new generation caring for an old home and filling it with love. If you would like to do the same in the City of Newburgh, there are plenty of options for you!

If you would like to share your own home renovation adventure photos or a before an after transformation, please email me!

Bob has come back with smaller projects in his home renovation adventures. When fixing up these old houses sometimes there isn’t as many electrical outlets as we would like for things like new fixtures or new switches. That is exactly what Bob ran into when he wanted to install his lovely crystal light fixture. He was so excited that he hung all the crystal on the fixture before the ceiling spackling was done and painted, but as he said, “I needed to have something to spur me on and the fixture gleaming overhead had just that effect.”

Here is another one of Bob’s light fixtures that he found at a junk in Long Island. He plans to put in some pretty Edison vintage style bulbs. This certainly ties in with Victorian theme he is going for. Thanks for sharing Bob!

If you would like to share your own home renovation adventure photos, please email me.

Photo: Jeff Goulding/Times Herald-Record

There was an article this week that came out in the THR about the Newburgh Christian Science Church that is now being repurposed into a home. It was a sale facilitated by the land bank and was bought my Michael Lidgus, a retired aerospace design engineer, whose has a passion for old buildings. To read the full article click below. It is so awesome to see these old buildings coming back slowly but surely.

New life for N’burgh church [THR]