"Ogres are like Onions"

Woodrow might be an Ogre

Lord knows ... He's got some Layers! 

Some layers are cooler than others - as you'll see in the pictures from the last week. We've almost hated to strip the poor guy - but we have to in order to bring him back to life.

4 layers on the kitchen/ hall/ pantry & bath floors.

The good news is - all of those layers kept the sub floors in great shape and they will be perfect to sand and finish.

4 layers on these walls too!

Wallpaper - paint -  papered over again -  more paint - then more....well, you get the idea.  

Pantry layers making a pretty pile of sugary sweet chips

( yes - they were disposed of properly) 

I do wish that some of Woodrow's layers could talk.

I'd love to know more about his history and what was happening during each of these home improvements and decorating projects

Except this layer 

I don't really want to hear from the brown and yellow layer - that was definitely just a paint sale!

This was a before shot of the kitchen

We really struggled with how to keep the charm of this kitchen - but actually get all of the storage & appliances that we needed to fit in there. 

The plan ....

We're going to keep the upper cabinets that flank the window, but move them up to make the countertop usable, and then have all new base cabinets for storage & appliances.

As much as we loved these ... They were not as salvageable as the upper cabinets, and no one wants cabinets that they can't close in their new kitchen. 

The dismantling process....

Ooh - and this was fun!  

We were treated to a fun surprise while pulling out radiators this week.

A treasure!

From a really big man, with really thick fingers!

We also found a new home for the window unit that Steve pulled out of the window. 

Our neighbors across the street were happy to haul it away for us. 

(We were so happy that it was out of the yard - and had to giggle when we saw it in the alley right across the street. I will definitely thank them when I see them. It really was a help. That was a heavy one, and we were not looking forward to moving it! ) 

We've also made some friends who've been great about coming by everyday to pick up radiators, pipes, the boiler, you name it! 

It is actually a huge help. Saves us time, and space in the dumpster - and they can make some money recycling. Win - win! 

Here are just some additional shots - of nothing in particular ... 

Pulling apart the bathroom 

Steve - making his point on why we should remove the 2nd doorway to the bathroom.

"Bridget - really? This door is just not big enough for an average sized person!" 

.

He's right ( of course) - and we're closing it to make additional closet space for the back bedroom.

Pipe demo day 

Give this boy a sawzaw and he can do a number on some old pipes - fast! 

He saved one or two for me - saying ...

" Here you go. I don't want to have all the fun!" 

( I think my arms are still vibrating! But it was fun! Except when the old yucky water poured out on us! Bleh 😝)

I love all of the Windows in the basement and the light that pours in, but feel like it's a bit risky - and a little bit of an open door.

So I had to come up with a way to lock Woodrow up for now.

The fork seems to be working.

All of the wood on the exterior had been wrapped with aluminum - probably back in the 70's or 80's when that was the thing to do.  It was clean, and in good shape.

I thought I'd paint it white and call it a day.

No maintenance - easy up keep...

Steve thought that was a terrible idea.

He decided to take matters into his own hands and save Woodrow from the embarrassment of my poor taste.

I was scared for what we would find lurking under the aluminum.

But to my happy surprise ...

He was right. 

( there - I said it. Twice in one post I think!) The columns are perfect and have so much more character than they did covered in that ugly armor! 

So Woodrow will be even more charming than I had hoped.

He is coming along. 

It usually takes me much longer to warm up to a house, but this guy is just so darn cute! 

( I can't even imagine how I am going to feel when we finally get the power turned on! Hopefully that will be this week. After that we can even have heat!  Fingers crossed! ) 

The third time is a Charmer!

Meet my new love ....

 Woodrow!

Woodrow is a fine old gentleman of a house ( not at all like Miss Alycia!), built in 1924 and solid as a rock!

This Brick & Slate bungalow is on the Northside of Richmond, in an area where I've sold a bunch of houses this year.

Out of town & out of state buyers love Northside. Locals are starting to realize that they might be missing something great, and have started to pay attention. 

The streets all have sidewalks, there are alleys to create back yard parking spaces, it has easy access to public transportation, you can pick up the highway just down the road, AND it is only a couple of miles of downtown RVA.

What's not to love? 

Check out this grand entrance to the dining room. This may have only been a one story bungalow, but don't tell Woodrow! He clearly has delusions of Grandeur! 

The dining room has a bank of Windows that get flooded with sunlight throughout the day. We have had no power since we bought the house - and even on the gloomiest days we've had no trouble working until dark!

Ahhh - the sink. I love the sink  -  but it can't stay. There's simply not enough room for any other cabinets.

It was cute to see though - they obviously used the radiator as a drying rack for washcloths because there was one tucked in every groove along the top. 

The centerpiece of the living room is this incredible fireplace & mantle.

It has built in cast sconces that are going to need some work - but they will be worth the effort!

The hall bath is currently the only bath in the home. 

It has a large linen closet ( that you can't see) and a very pretty tub.

We will need to do some floor work in here, and reconfigure the layout, but as of right now I think we will keep the tub. What do you think? 

All of the doors are gorgeous, and the hardware is in perfect condition.

Normally I would paint old doors - but not these. They are way too nice.   

The big surprise of Woodrow is that it has a full basement!

The previous owners ( there since 1966) had partitioned it off to create bedrooms.

We decided that those walls had to go.

There's a ton of light from the door to outside and there are 7 Windows.

You can see the sunlight pouring in. Imagine how bright it will be when we get lights! 

It does not have the towering 9+ft ceilings of upstairs, but there is plenty of headroom. ( Shout out to my friend and fellow renovator Steve for demonstrating this for you :) ) 

Woodrow is going to be a challenge - but he's SO handsome, that I know he will be worth every bit of effort that we put in!