All Jacked Up

Going into The Joseph Maynard Project, we were well aware that two original, circa 1775, sills at the front of the house needed to be replaced due to moisture and bug damage. After getting into the house and beginning work, we soon learned that sills in the rear and side of home needed to be rebuilt as well. In total, over 60 feet of sills needed to be removed and replaced.

We currently working on this task and have already completed the back of the house. We have now turned our attention to the more labor/expertise intensive side and front.

As you’ll see the photos below, the house has been raised and the work is in progress. We had to jack from the exterior the entire left side of the home. This is going to allow us to remove the rotted sills and replace with the new. Also, the foundation fieldstone will need to be replaced and leveled back to original height. Years of moisture, no gutters and asphalt that the previous owner laid around the border of the house – and we’ve since removed – have deteriorated the stone walls and pushed them into the crawl space below.

This situation is very common in moist climates like New England. In the case of dirt crawl space and no gutters, deteriorated sills were not surprising. Making matters worse, as mentioned above, the previous owners tried to remedy both problems by pouring black top around the house. They probably thought this would help secure the foundation and help water drain away while it fell from the roof. The asphalt though, in fact, did the exact opposite. It may have helped secure the foundation a little from the outside, but the water hitting it actually wicked down the crack between the black top and the sills. This then caused the foundations to slowly be pushed in as the house began to sag around the outside of the foundation. The sills did not stand a chance. These were ideal conditions for all types of wood boring insects to take over, in our case: termites!

What we’re doing now is replacing the sub-floor, sills and joists with pressure treated lumber and a very comprehensive in-ground termite treatment – both under and outside the house. We will also be installing corrugated pipe about 18”-24” deep and follow the perimeter of the foundation to help with water drainage do to the grade. This will give us peace of mind for now, but we’ll have to be vigilant against moisture and termites for the rest of our days at the house.

In addition to the sill work, the field stone foundation in the front/side left corner of the house needs to be built up. New England Country has carefully chosen field stone found on the property to improve the foundation.

What Lies Beneath

While doing some raking recently, we happened upon a piece of slate in the front yard. It was mostly buried by dirt and grass, but a small section remained visible.

We did some quick digging and unearthed, several inches beneath the ground -- a slate walkway.

After many days of excavating (during breaks from working inside the house) we cleared the entire pathway that stretches from the road all the way to the middle section of the house - which we know to have been built in the mid-1800s. A mason (David Cadden) advised us the walkway likely dates back to that time.

We think the slate probably came right the bed of the brook that runs through our property.

New England Country ~ Spring Open House

Just wanted to take a minute to let you know about New England Country's big event next month. We hope to see you there!

SPRING OPEN HOUSE & RIBBON CUTTING

Saturday, May 17, 10a.m.-4p.m.
(Ribbon Cutting Ceremony @ 10a.m.)

218 High Street, Clinton, MA
(beneath the Spillway Bar)

Please join us as the Wachusett Chamber of Commerce officially cuts the ribbon on the New England Country Furniture Showroom & Design Center.

Come check out our new Spring items and automatically be entered to win a New England Country hanging cabinet (see left). No purchase necessary.

The Welcome Wagon

On any given Sunday … or Saturday or weeknight, you can find us hard at work at 100 South Meadow. And that’s exactly what our neighbors have done … found us. By car, by bike and on foot – we get several visitors each day. Most folks are just curious about the fate of the little farmhouse that has stood vacant for so many years. And most are very pleased to hear not only that we’ve bought the property, but that we are not tearing it down.

The first thing 85 percent of them say is that we have our work cut out for us. This, we know. But we also know the potential of this home and our lives in it. That thought leaves us less troubled by the hard work and potential setbacks ahead.

These passerby-ers are always interested to learn about whatever tidbits of information we have on the house … for instance, that the main structure was built in 1775 by Joseph Maynard who we believe was a sea captain, that the additions were made sometime in the mid-1800s.

But what’s of particular interest to us is the bits of information they can offer about the properties more recent owners, whom we know little about. From what we’ve been told, our house used to full of children, it used to boast a kaki-green hue and it’s previous occupants were collectors of antiques. It makes us wonder why then has it been left in such disrepair for so many years.

All of this newfound information only works to make us even more excited and anxious to restore the home and its (what was once) beautiful landscape.

Later this week: New England Country rebuilds the sills. Here’s a look at the “before” …

A Long Weekend

It's been a long last few days working on the house. Luckily we had some great helpers: Nathan Blew and Sam Licata.

Here are some visuals. (And no, you're not imagining it ... it is getting worse in there ... but it must, before it gets better.)

What’s Black and White and Aquamarine All Over?

The Joseph Maynard House has been unoccupied for several years. But we’re told that about four years ago, the property was purchased by a gentleman (unknown to us) who attempted to renovate the antique home. He didn’t accomplish much before walking away, but did manage to make some small updates. From what we can tell, these updates include a few newer windows and some fresh paint. The “fresh” paint is perhaps this man’s most interesting contribution to the Joseph Maynard property. He painted the exterior an aquamarine-ish hue of blue and the bathroom was donned a two-tone pink – the darker shade can be likened to Pepto-Bismol and the lighter is reminiscent of bubblegum.

These paint choices are unique. Especially when you consider that this was among the only work done by this person and that the home is an 18th century property – not a good style fit for these glaring pastel colors … at least not from an historical perspective.

What could have led to this interesting color palette? Was Easter his favorite holiday? Was this some sort of homage to the 80’s? Was the local paint store having a clearance sale?

We’ll never know. But in the meantime, please take a moment to view the interesting range of colors … because they will soon be gone, forever.