Hardwood floors revealed and taking some time off this week!

Our progress continues... we (okay that would be the royal we)  ... Larry has completed removal of all the carpet from the front hall, the stairs and the tile from both front and back door entrances.  We have found hardwood flooring underneath all and it flows perfectly with all the main level rooms.   We have hired our second contractor (first was the crew who replaced all the knob and tube wiring) to refinish the floors on the main level.  This work will begin around the end of August so stay tuned for the after pictures.  The other big job that Larry undertook was stripping all the old paint from the wooden staircase (17 in total) ... the work was so tedious that after he completed the job he declared he was ready to go back to corporate life. And so he has brushed off the resume and has met with several head hunters to find his ideal next role. The renovations are taking a pause for a few days;  we are going to enjoy a week off and tour about our new county - Northumberland County and discover more of our corner of Ontario.  

Carpet off reveals hardwood flooring

Stripping the old paint

Before pic - green carpet in main level hall and upstairs to 2nd level

The wallpaper comes down

Upper Hall 

Paper almost off upper landing

Voila - no more paper now the walls need to be repaired

Larry worked for the first two weeks removing all the wallpaper on the main level and the upper hall of our home. Here are a few before and after pics...

And we begin

We moved in May 31st, 2011 and this charming old house was a home filled with love and good energy.  We felt it the minute we walked in and have had friends comment on the "good" vibes they feel when in the house.  We inherited the name Sonning House and Larry has it on his list of "things to do" to dig into the town records to learn more about her beginnings.  We do know that she was an original Ontario cottage built in 1840 and the second floor was added in the early 1900's.  The previous owners gently restored her over several years by doing keys restorations such as exposing the original plaster mouldings. We have A LOT of work to do both inside and out and we hope you enjoy our journey as we start to make this house our home.