We officially started the big renovation project on Monday.  Taking off the first row of siding was terrifying.  It really meant we were doing this.  No going back now.

We figured out what was under the siding, and how someone had gotten away with putting aluminum on in the historic district (they didn’t pull any permits… o.O).  Under the aluminum looks like a manufactured wood.  The boards are about a foot high (such a weird proportion for our little house) and it’s in pretty awful condition.

The roof will be nearly finished this afternoon.  A little more to go on the upper roof.  In the photo on the right below you can see a good comparison between the old shingle and the new dimensional shingles (click to get a better look).

For those wondering, we are using IKO’s Cambridge in Charcoal Grey on the roof.

This whole week have been 90+ degrees.  I feel awful for the guys on the roof.  We are going through cases of water to keep them hydrated up there.  It is supposed to cool down a little next week when they get to work on the siding.

Other progress this week includes…

• We purchased the all glass storm door.  We ended up going with brass hardware.  Can’t wait to throw out that old one.
• I settled on our lighting for the front.  Can’t WAIT to share them with you.  I splurged a little and they are gorgeous.
• For the back light we got a super cheap Jelly Jar light.  We just need something that will throw light when we take the dog out at night and looks clean.  This one fit the bill.

It’s been a long week.  We have progress, but also more problems.  I can’t wait to see this project finished.  Even though I’m not physically doing any work at this point, I’m still exhausted  every single night.  Hopefully next week I’ll have prettier pictures to share.