It's just a typical 1980's mid-west suburban home, with the garage the main feature you see from the street. It does have cedar siding, however which I really like and I will never replace. The tree in the front yard is a Red Maple, a good match for the house, and the bush by the driveway on the left turns bright red in the fall.
The interior centers around a "great room" combination living room and kitchen. It barely has enough space for a "dining area" between the living room and the kitchen. The furniture is Mission Style knock-offs. The posters are reproductions of 1930's WPA advertisements for National Parks, all of which I have visited.
The wood stove came with the house. It has heated the house by itself well above 80 degrees when the temperature outside was about zero. Yes, I do move the posters, speakers, and candle when I use it.
I was lucky the kitchen cabinet's wood matches my furniture. The kitchen is definitely outdated by today's standards, but everything is in good shape and I really like it. The '50's table definitely clashes with the rest of the house, but it is so useful that I am reluctant to get rid of it.
The Mission Style guest bedroom awaits your visit. It has a private bathroom to the left. You're welcome to try one of the Tavern Puzzles hanging on the wall.
The den is where I spend most of my time. It is filled with my old Enrico Bartolini "screw together" furniture from 1980 to 1982. Although this furniture has definitely gone out of style, and it's old and beat up, I still love it. I have replaced the canvas slings once, and you can see that the couch needs a second sling replacement now. I have used this furniture daily for 30 years now. The hanging lamps are made of cardboard and they are also 30 years old, but still in good shape. The posters all have personal significance for me. The television is a Sony wide screen Trinitron tube-type. Sony only sold them in America for a few years, although they had them in Japan for about two decades. I bought it because it had a much better contrast ratio and picture quality than the flat screen plasma and LCD's at the time. It weighs about 250 pounds. The black thing on the left is a Yamaha electric piano. I can only play one piece, "Bumble Boogie", but I have been playing it for over 50 years.
The computer chair in the den and more of the Enrico Bartolini furniture. I bought out the store in 1981 -- "The Assembly Line" in Wappingers Falls, N.Y.
Refurbishing the Deck - Fall 2010 and August 2011
Before - after 25 years the exposed surfaces of the wood were very weathered, grey, with lots of green mold.
The frame and unexposed bottoms of the planks were in good shape.
Fall 2010: I removed all the floor planks, and pressure washed them and the frame.
Notice the seating rail hasn't been pressure washed yet in this picture.
I then stained all the non-visible parts of the frame with a 8-year white base stain.
After I took this picture, I also stained all the planks with a 2-year "Honey Gold" stain.
The deck went for a year like this, except the floor planks were just laid down flat, but not screwed down.
Elliot didn't have any stairs, and had to jump on and off the deck, plus the unsecured planks
creaked every time he stepped on one. He didn't like that.
August 2011 - The finished deck, after flipping the seating rail planks,
building the small square rail to fit on top of the bare post,
and staining all exposed surfaces with two coats of "Honey Gold" stain.
The frame and all the planks are screwed down, not nailed. It is very solid.
Hopefully it will last another 25 years with regular re-staining every two or three
years of the sun-exposed surfaces. Re-staining is just a half-day job and only takes about
two thirds of a gallon of stain. I have 2 1/3 gallons of stain left over, so I am good for about
six to eight years. Elliot is a lot happier now.
A full rainbow over my house and my neighbor Pete's similar house.