The Party

We had a party to show off the Delaney House yesterday - it was a lot of fun.  Many friends came, along with lots of our neighbors.  Everyone seemed to have a good time, and to enjoy seeing the house.

For Tom and me, it was a very emotional day, the culmination of an incredible journey.  We first saw the Delaney House back in October of 2009, so we've been working on 62nd Street for 4 years.  Now seeing the project coming to completion, and seeing so many of our friends in the house, eating and talking and enjoying themselves, was a very powerful feeling.

One of the guests was Doris Anderson, the woman from whom we bought the house in 2009.  Mrs. Anderson's family bought the house in 1947, and she came with her daughter and nephew, and shared wonderful stories about their family's life on 62nd Street.  They were all happy to see the house restored and ready for occupants.  They were particularly happy to see that the tree Mrs. Anderson's mother had planted in the front yard - the redwood tree we removed in 2010 - is now the trim and counters in the new first floor of the house.

Mrs. Anderson had sent us a photograph of herself at the house in about 1950:

Doris Anderson on the porch, circa 1950

So while she was at the house, we asked if we could recreate the photo, with Mrs. Anderson again on the porch of her family's home:

Doris Anderson, back on the porch on Saturday

Soon, we'll post some photos of the completed house.  Stay tuned.

Another picture

The Open House is this Saturday, and the house is coming together (mostly) in time for the party.

Here is a look at the kitchen, with the new floor, trim, cabinets etc.  The stove still needs cleaning.....

The new kitchen in the Delaney House

If you're in the Bay Area, please come and see the progress.  The Delaney House is turning out to be pretty amazing.

Sneak Peak

Here are a couple pictures I took today of the new first floor of the Delaney House, after we installed the window trim.  The trim in the new first floor is all made from the redwood from the tree we removed out front - talk about locally grown!

The electrical inspection is tomorrow (which is why the outlets are still sticking out of the wall).

The corner of the living room in the Delaney House, with the view of the redwood tree

The view toward the living room from the entry

Next up: the hickory floors and the baseboards!

You're Invited

That was then: the Delaney House, circa 1950

You are Cordially Invited

to an 

Open House

at the 

Delaney House

1634 62nd Street

Berkeley California

on 

Saturday October 26, 2013

1 - 5 PM

The Big Push

It has been over a month since I posted anything to the blog.  That hasn't been because we didn't get anything done, but because we have been so busy working on the house.  We have been spending pretty much every free moment at the house, and except for one day I spent working with Sabastian at the Fulton Street house, we have been at 62nd Street constantly.  I'm even taking most of this week off work to focus on finishing the house.

So what have you missed?

The pantry cabinet, installed in the Delaney kitchen

• The upstairs floors have been refinished, and most of the radiators installed.  Much of the missing trim has been replaced, and now we need to paint all the trim.
• The downstairs walls are in, and about half have been painted. 
• The Kitchen cabinets are mostly installed, and the counters have been fabricated.  
• The stairs have been trimmed out, and the treads and risers installed.  (That was today's project.)
• All the appliances are now on site (or will be, once we pick up the dishwasher.)

The stairs to the second floor

Tomorrow, Tom Pedemonte is bringing over the banister and railing for the stairs and upstairs hall.  The railing has been made out of some old growth redwood, and, because they are made by Tom Pedemonte, should be stunning.

High ceilings make for long stairways

Why the big push?  We are planning on having an Open House at the Delaney House in October 19th. That gives us this week, this weekend, and one more week to get the lion's share of the work done.

And then, we have tenants who want to move in.  We are hoping they can start moving in on October 20th, assuming we get our final electrical inspection and PG&E instals the meter, so we finally - FINALLY - have electrical service in the house.

Once the house is mostly done inside, we will still have work to do - there is a need for landscaping and cleaning up the back and side yards.  But there's light at the end of the tunnel.  This long blog may soon be coming to an end!