Welcome!

Hi, and Welcome to Builders Share, a forum for Home Improvement stories, instructional guides, tips, and tricks from our user community.  I'm Handyman James Graham and I'll be sharing my experiences with you regarding my own house renovation project. Call it a "handyman special" or "this old house for the common man," it's a gut rehab of an 1850's farm house.   I've had some great successes, made plenty of mistakes, and learned a whole lot along the way.  I'll be sharing all that with you and I'll also be looking for your suggestions and encouragement as I continue with this seemingly endless project.

In November of 2004, my wife and I bought this 1800's cape-style cottage from an elderly lady whose health didn't allow her to live alone as she had for many years.  She was of strong New England stock and drove a hard bargain, so I can't say we got one of those legendary deals where I seemed like such a nice boy that she practically gave it to me.  Don't get me wrong, I'm a nice boy, but property values in this small New Hampshire town, like so many places of late, have gone through the roof.  Speaking of -- the roof was one thing that didn't need replacing.  But I digress.

Mrs. Melendy did alright for herself, and we got ourselves a charming little house and barn that quickly morphed into a monster of a project.  Like all real estate, though, location, location, location, and that's one thing we knew was solid.  We're loving it here.

In small town New Hampshire, if your house isn't brand new, it’s referred to by the name of the prior owner -- in our case “the Melendy Place,” or as the French might say, “Chez Melendy.”  And since the latter has a more international, shall we say, cosmopolitan ring to it, that’s what this transplanted New York family prefers to call our little home.

In the beginning, we were renting a little house, right across the street, that used to be a market.  So for the initial six months, before moving in, I was able to dash back and forth across Market Street for meals, sleep, and quality time with the family.  And probably most important, I could work late into the night and not have to worry about a long journey between tool belt and bed.

Knowing that I was about to embark on probably the biggest project of my life, I tried to bone up on old house renovations and, in the process, came across this great book by George Nash, Renovating Old Houses: Bringing New Life to Vintage Homes. It was just the reading I needed for getting my eyes opened, and for providing encouragement and solice for my recent affliction. Some of the other books I picked up, and which have become either well-worn and dog-eared, or are just great reading when you’re immersed in building, are:

 

• Selecting and Renovating an Old House: A Complete Guide
• Building Traditional Kitchen Cabinets: Completely Revised and Updated
• Complete Wiring (Stanley Complete Projects Made Easy)
• New Complete Do-It-Yourself Manual
• Home Improvement 1-2-3 from Home Depot
• This Old House Guide to Building and Remodeling Materials
• Plumbing 1-2-3 from Home Depot 

Having reference material handy is essential for the Do-It-Yourselfer. The web is terrific of course, but when you’re in the middle of a project, and need a quick answer without getting distracted from the task at hand, good print materials are indispensable.

A lot happened in the initial stages of my renovation project, and as this blog continues, I'll be revisiting that period with clear hindsight. At the same time I'll be describing projects I'm currently involved in, starting with making and installing door jambs in the next installment.

So again, welcome to Builders Share. I hope my experiences can help you with your projects and I look forward to hearing about your own. 

Handyman