Len spent several weeknights preparing us for the second winter in our new old house. With kits of sheet plastic and double-sided tape, he has insulated most of our windows from the inside. True, disposable plastic is not the most sustainable approach to weather-proofing a house; however, most things in life require compromise. Here, the tradeoff is generating future garbage (when we remove and dispose of the temporary insulation in spring) in order to use less natural gas (because our furnace won't have to work so hard if the windows aren't letting cold air in and warm air out). You know the insulation kits are working, by the way, when the plastic breathes with the wind outside. Some of our windows are so drafty, the plastic sheeting bulges with pockets of the cold air that would otherwise be whooshing through our dining room.
We have long-term plans for restoring our 111-year-old windows back to perfect functionality and for replacing our dilapidated aluminum storm windows with historically accurate wooden ones that fit properly. News flash: Whole-house window restoration is a big, expensive project.
We knew of this eventual expense going in. We bought the old house knowing that its maintenance would be our new major "hobby." Some people save up their money to spend it on a motorcycle, or travel, or horses, or raising kids. We have prepared to spend ours on this house. And now, it's all about what projects to put money toward and when.
The city of Aurora has in the past offered a historical preservation grant for homeowners in the historic districts. We can apply for grant assistance to get some work done on our home, as long as it is exterior work that helps preserve the historical architecture and character of the neighborhood. We applied for the grant last year to tackle the windows. We were not one of the awardees. However, we listened to the grant committee meeting and garnered useful information about what else they'd like to see restored/repaired on our house.
One of those items was correcting the railing on our front porch steps. It was iron and losing some structural integrity, but it should be wooden and sound. Well, we can get that project done without grant assistance! Let's do it now as proof of our commitment to historical preservation, and we'll live with the crummy windows another year in the hopes of applying for the grant again.
So the saga of the front porch steps began. I'll sum it up briefly.
In June, Len finally found a carpenter who was willing to work within the historic district and obtain the appropriate permits. The steps would be entirely rebuilt, including lovely wooden railings.
With drawings finally approved and permits obtained, in October, the carpenters made quick work of removing the old stairs...
Then they were gone for awhile.
They brought back supplies. And left again for awhile.
Eventually they came back to cut and install the stringers.
At this point, the city inspector had to approve the installation so far. He didn't.
In a few days, the carpenters fixed the way the header board and stringers were attached to the house and got approval, but they didn't continue building right away.
Halloween loomed near.
On a cold misty day in late October, the carpenters came back and quickly affixed the treads and toe kicks (no railings yet), so at least we could host trick-or-treaters.
In early November, they finished the build. Looks nice, huh? They requested final inspection.
More than two weeks later, the city inspector finally came out and... did not approve the steps.
It's now mid-November, and we're waiting for the carpenters to return, to re-do stuff, and to re-request inspection.
All this to show the Historic Preservation Commission, "See? We're doing the stuff you think we should do! Please give us money to do more of it." We don't even know yet if they will continue the grant program in 2022.
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