The big storm

"Is it over yet?"

Making gingerbread cookies!

Duncan takes his cookies very seriously.

Happy belated Halloween, from the penquin in Gratiot's Grove

 

Duncan gets the floor sander ready

four new bottom stairs

the stairs were modified in about 1900 and had a circular landing at the bottom.  It's great to have the original design back

upstairs

downstairs looking up

were making the closet into a bathroom

sauce sauce sauce

retuckpointing

in the past the tuckpointing repairs where made with Portland cement.   To replace it with a softer mortar the old must be cut out

stone mason Duncan hard at work

tuckpointing under the front door

I need more mortar

Happy fire safety week!

Good thing mommy and daddy ripped out all those old wires!

Tuck pointing buddies, Marius's annual fall visit

Last year Marius left us with hot water and counter tops in the kitchen.   This year's task is a detatchable mudroom. 

Marius builds a mud room for the eastside entrance way

The party never ends

Chris's dad tuckpointing the house with an audience

Nostalgia..sweet n sour red cabbage

Heathers Grandmother comes to visit

It doesn't matter how old you are, you don't get out of working here.

The basement ceiling is insulated with r30

Heather loves working with insulation

Its raining tomatoes!

Time to can salsa and pasta sauce

Repairing the old floors

Yes!!!!

Flat tipped wood screws were not used after 1846. It is a good way of dating when things were originally built in the house.

Window sill repair

Lots of epoxy brought this one back to life

Rebuilding the window jam outside trim

More bee frames

Let me get my safety glasses

The chickens hit the jack spot

Beat the heat

Just some rot

This window sill is beyond repair

Square at last

Dana and Patton hard at work

17 windows out. If it ever rained in wi we would be in trouble

New window jams

Time to start replacing and repairing the windows in the old side of the house.

Farmers Market in Mineral Point

Selling flower bouquets grown at our farm. Our first market!

Buon appetito!

Homemade lasagna n sauce from the Gratiot house farm kitchen. Layers of freshly picked Basil and zucchini from the garden! 

The girls at large

(And one boy!) Picking off summers bounty of insects and weed seeds:)

Just a little floor sag

The upstairs floors had saged 2.5 in.   The floor was built with a 16 foot span using 2x7 floor joists

Were done!!!!!

Jeff and Ed just couldn't stop talking about how much they liked working on the Gratiot House. All the many angles and curves made it much more interesting then building a modern house. Chris just loves the cool chimneys and Heather is glad the 5:30 am hammering is over.

East end almost finished