Snow has arrived for Winter Solstice. This was just the first storm, about 8". Two storms later, we're a bit more buried. School is out for Christmas break... good thing Schuyler and Claire are available to do some shoveling.

Here's our new furnace, modern compact, forced air, natural gas. Baby, it's cold inside!

Ductwork for the heating system ready to be installed.

Back in the basement: the floor is poured December 12th, starting to look like a usable space.

Here is Nick working on the exterior of the window framing. This was in mid-December before the major snowfall, but a plenty cold job site, none-the-less....

Here are some of the windows we've removed, a few have the original old glass panes. We plan to donate them to the Architectural Parts Warehouse in Albany.
http://www.historic-albany.org/warehous.html

Sub floor upstairs being shimmed and prepped for floor sheathing.

Late December Update

Floor boards on 2nd floor being removed

Future home of cutting/layout table facing north.

Interior Framing

It will be an open floor plan both upstairs and downstairs with some delineation between the front gallery display area, the loom room, and the sewing/cutting area in the back. The image with the blue wheelbarrow in it is the North end of the building which will house our huge cutting table. We are very pleased with the raised ceiling and wrap around windows in this space- part of it was once an enclosed porch which we opened up to let all that great North light in....

The mahogany banister and stairway is staying put, just needs a little TLC.

Once the house was jacked up to level it, most of the clapboard siding which we were hoping to reclaim, cracked and split. There was no siding (!) between the old clapboard and the brick piles inside the framing which served as insulation (!) for the last 150 years. So at least we will be warm and cozy...

Richard had surgery on his Achilles tendon in early December since our show schedule is winding down for the holidays. Is HE winding down? No way, he has to check out the sheathing on the east side....

Here's the building permit where it actually belongs. Amazing how a flimsy little piece of paper kept our project on hold for so many months....

Start with a Foundation

Concrete Piers and Posts


More Posts



An old baking oven unearthed in the dirt floor basement. Gotta get some French bread recipes.

We got the Building Permit!

October 24, 2008. After months of waiting, we are finally issued our building permit. Work may now begin on our building. First step is to button it up for the winter. We are eager to join the vibrant arts community that is the Arts District on Beekman in Saratoga Springs, NY.