Renovation Journal

As written by Chase P. Christopher, General Contractor

September 25, 2000 to October 5, 2000

September 25 - We broke ground on the project Monday Sept. 25, 2000, with the arrival of our new beautiful Scottsman portable office/trailer, our new lovely Porta Potty, that huge monster 40 yard dumpster and our 60 foot extension lift for accessing those hard to get locations high up on the roof and windows.

September 26 - We systematically began demolition of interior/exterior with 3 of our 2 man crews working as a cohesive unit.

September 27 - A majority of the week was spent gently hand removing all of the interior plaster that was badly damaged throughout the entire downstairs and a portion of stairway, including bathroom, kitchen and main rooms.

September 28 - The first week also included removal of both upper old balcony and the entire lower entry/porch.

September 29 - We removed 2 of what may quite possibly be the largest and smelliest "yucca" trees/plants in the entire world. Now we know where the term yucca comes from.

October 2 - Monday began a new week of unexpected surprises. We kept stumbling on unfound artifacts throughout the entire house that we never expected to find. Some of the examples: A turn of the century manual "floor jack" which was obviously used in the construction of the Congdon house. It is similar in size to the hydraulic jacks that we are using on site to shore up sections of home. We also found beautiful old mason/canning jars with the word mason on the jar. Most of the items were under earth that we excavated while removing old concrete, posts, etc. old porcelain plates were found, cups, an old dime, etc. we have hardly scratched the surface and are all so excited to be working on this extremely rare and unique project. We have had numerous visitors, some strangers and some locals simply wanting to take a look around. My favorite visitor is Mrs. Ilsa Burns, who is the local expert along with Joe Mankawich from the city. They are keeping us well advised of old folklore/history on the property.

October 3 - Greg Marano, my "chief superintendent" has done an incredible job with the guys and helping me stay on top of all of the minor and major details of the project. Also Greg Beeman, my master painter/refinisher has been incredible with his knowledge of restoring old finishes, painting, etc.

October 4 - We have stripped down all of the old doors/cabinet faces to their original condition and found some of the finest copper door hinges, throughout the entire home.

October 5 - Most all of the windows have been removed and are either being restored or are being replaced. That is about all for now. This should be enough to keep our readers apprised and up to date.

Thanks for now