For What It’s Worth….

Well, I finished the walls today. Tomorrow I will start on the ceiling and then I will have to go over the whole thing again and sand and smooth areas that do not meet my highest of high standards. I am my own worst critic. At my last house I cut one of the steps on one of the stringers for the stairs wrong. It was off by just a hair and I didn’t notice until I trimmed it out. I don’t think anyone noticed but it bugged me for the next 3 years until I sold that house.

Tonight I have a little R&R planned. There is a group of old house owners that get together once a month for a pot luck. Every month it is at a different group members house. I don’t go to every meeting but it’s fun. Tonight we are meeting at the home of a couple that runs an antique store in Old Town. They live in a really nice 1910 house. I guess it would be called a 4 Square. It is a large and imposing home. They've been working on it for about 10 years and are doing a very nice period restoration. They had a Christmas party last December and were showing off their brand new Carrara Marble counter tops in the kitchen. Very nice.

I kind of feel like the odd man out at these things. They are all a bit older then me and more socially conservative. Also, most of them have owned their homes a lot longer and so are so much farther along then me. I do get to go into some great homes, though, and they are all fixed up really nice. Most every one in the group is doing period restorations as opposed to remodels. Some of these places are over-the-top. The area is dominated by grand Victorians and so most of the houses are late 19th century.

Last month we met at a 5000 sq ft 1901 house. I think it would be termed Free Classic, but I’m not really sure. It has a huge Onion Dome turret on the corner. The foyer is huge and is dominated by these massive redwood Corinthian columns and a great open stairwell also made of redwood. It is just spectacular. The meetings start with drinks and mingling, and then a pot-luck dinner. After that the owners give a little presentation about the house or recent projects. Then there is a brief meeting. Right now many of them are working to help restore a 1901 (?) fire house in the city so that dominates the meeting portion. Finally we get a tour of the home. Going up in the onion dome is pretty cool.

I’ll be having the meeting at my house in August. I wonder if the kitchen will be done by then?