How I started my Home Restoration Project
Clean Up and More Clean Up
The place was a total mess when I had taken possession. It really made me wonder if Ihad done the right thing. This was no time to be second guessing myself, So we got right after the mess.
My parents were there to help get the cleanup process going. We had started with the interior. All of the large junk was thrown outside and stacked along the side of the house. There was quite a bit of left over lumber of various sizes. I kept all the extra lumber and stacked it for use at a later date.
Meanwhile, my stepdad was walking the yard picking up leftover trash. He had a fair size pile when he was done. Later on he brought his own lawn tractor and gave the yard its first cut. The lawn had gone quite a while without any trimming. Needless to say, It took a few cuttings to get all that grass in a manageable state.
The Outbuilding
The little 12 X 20 outbuilding looked as if it were used to store junk. I mean JUNK. There was just about nothing of any kind of value inside it. we pulled the junk out and stacked it up outside in preperation for a trip to the junk yard. The floor was a mix of dirt and rock along with some broken glass and other crap.
The building looked to be as old as the home. It was constructed of rough sawn oak. This was going to be another project in itself.
Yardwork
Luckily, I already had a Stihl chainsaw a.k.a. the Gas-Ax. That has been one of my most favorite tool purchases. With a sharp chain, the saw will cut through wood like a knife through butter. I made lots of use of the saw. Numerous trees needed trimmed slong with several downed tree limbs.
The burn pile pictured was used about once a week. It seems I always had wood to burn.