Starting at the core…
She’s got solid bones…
This is not my first rodeo at a property renovation. I was doing fix and flips in the Beechwood Neighborhood of Rochester, NY back in the early 80’s before fix & flip was a thing of reality shows and side gigs. I probably did a good 25 of them over a few years. The one thing I learned the hard way was to start in the basement and look up. So that’s what we did here beginning with the partial full basement under the main lodge.
That section of Rochester near the Goodman Street/Webster Avenue split is chockfull of some historical architecture least of which is the building on the pie-shaped lot at the hub of the neighborhood.
For more on that neighborhood go here. I consider being a perfect example of urban neighborhood renovation and preservation. I unofficially dubbed it “Gumwood City” in 1981 but it never stuck but the reason I did was that it was built in the early 20th Century @ 1912ish and there was heavy use of gumwood in these houses used as door & window trim during that era as a cheaper alternative to oak, mahogany or walnut popular at the time. For those unfamiliar with gumwood go here. Essentially gumwood is eucalyptus and not considered to be a “hardwood”. Tack on top of that layers and layers of lead-based paint. So the combination of the soft, porous wood, the toxic, lead-based paint layers created a noxious mess when using a hot air gun to strip the paint off in order to get down and restore the beautiful hardwood trim in those houses had to be done in a safe environment similar to asbestos abatement with full respirators and hazmat suits. Talk about blowing a budget in a hurry.
Takeaway: Always attempt to know exactly what will be involved in any rehabilitation/restoration project before estimating costs. The place to start is at the foundation. That’s the point I was trying to make…where was I? (sharp readers will just skim my “takeaways”.
Ahh yes, the basement of the main Lodge here at El Lodge. Looking at it from below we appear to be in pretty good shape thus I say she’s got “good bones.”
Inadequate, non-grounded electrical outlet not in a box. Easy but required replacement.
For those readers more advanced, you are excused from the next five posts but I’m writing this tutorial for the uninitiated. Later
