Here We Go...!

Time for a new blog - this one about our own home and how we are going about repairing and rehabbing it.  We have lived in this home for 9 years, having moved to Watertown, MA from a short stint in Acton, MA, and previous to that a sweet little house in Ossining, NY.  Working in the immediate vicinity made it impossible to pass up purchasing this 2-family home in a family-oriented neighborhood.  The street is wide and almost tree-lined: but Mayberry it is not.  Our neighbors are kind, generous and wonderful, and the crime is almost non-existent.  Our children can play all around and never have any problems.  There is a park across the street, and a school nearby to spread out and have fun.  

The house itself has been a monkey on my back for years.  I have always envisioned myself living in a dainty victorian or vast farmhouse in some quaint New England town.  As you can see from the picture, trooh (the roof over our heads) is neither of those.  However, for the most part, it keeps us warm (drafty windows challenge that) and dry (rain comes right down on us in 3 spots) and safe (no disputes there).  And being that we work in the neighborhood, it is a valuable investment for us.  And besides, our children adore it, even in its run-down state.  Kids are so great.

For years, we have tried to get our energy going to repair some of our house.  Lack of funds and experience has kept us slogging through the simpler plumbing, electrical and carpentry tasks without being able to hire out for the more involved jobs.  The roof has leaked for years, but re-roofing comes at a steep price for these tall victorians, and we have had to wait.  John and his father worked on and off for over 2 years to locate and fix the leaks to no avail.  The driveway needs to be replaced, yet my neighbor who shares it with us is determined to have it redone when he demolishes his home to build fancy townhouses (terminally pending approval by Town Hall).  The rock wall in front is beginning to lean forward.  Before long, we will have our own little avalanche of front yard into the street - hey! more landscaping space!  The front walkway is being carved into iceberg-shaped islands with each winter freeze, so that I now can look down into the earth holding the home intact.  The living room windows let in so much cold air - even covered in plastic - that we have to wear coats in there on the coldest winter days.  The boilers, just replaced this week, and the reason this blog was born, were so unsafe we had to shut one of them down and switch to space heaters.  There are several more projects, big and little, but I think I have captured most of what ails us here at 'trooh'.

I have published this blog to document our rehabbing attempts, trials and tribulations.  By publishing to our friendly community, it will hopefully keep us on track to keep slogging away at the small stuff, hire out for the big stuff, and possibly provide our friends with some comic relief at the same time.  And advice will always be welcome!