The Photo Album

Welcome to the Green Home Project Photo Album page. Enter at your own risk!

In case you're wondering what these pictures are all about, you can get the details by clicking on the different navigation buttons.

With so many rooms, you will certainly need a map! I have pasted my rustic rendition of the ground floor plan a bit further down.

Photo Album No. 1: "Before" Photos of my Future Green Home

These photos were taken the day I took possession of the house, in early 2007. They are not for the weak-hearted! Witness all that fake wood panelling, those tiled ceilings, those patterned wall-to-wall-to-wall carpets!

Put yourself in my shoes when I saw that basement for the first time: no wonder I refer to it as every home buyer's nightmare.

Yet this little abandoned house spoke to me; it said, "Adopt me!".

And so I did.

The house exterior, as it was when I bought it. It's typical of most houses in this village.	The rear. That dangerous shed was demolished immediately.	The West side. That small window at the side (beyond the sun porch) was the only natural light for the kitchen.

East side. Only possible location for a carport. Lot stretches about 100 feet into the woods, home to an apple tree, raspberry bushes, a rhubarb patch and some very tame deer.	This sun porch was added in the 70s; door at right is original entrance. Note the pervasive panelling, typical of houses of that era.	Stairway to upper storey. This Before photo shows the total absence of nice woodwork anywhere! Not even one hardwood floor under all that carpeting...

I "stole" those shiny-new chandeliers for my other house; they looked great there and I'm sure they helped me get a better price when I sold it. Nice door, worth reusing.	This part of the kitchen is in an addition at the rear. There's a chimney for a wood stove. That big window was home-made and a good example of why this should be left to the experts.	I was hoping to salvage some of the cupboards, but when we disassembled them, we discovered a lot of moisture damage and we had to discard them.

I call this the dining-room because it's next to the kitchen but I think it was actually used as a bedroom. I've never appreciated the decorative value of turned posts placed inside a window...	This tiny bedroom, to the left of the entrance, had no closet. In fact, there isn't a single closet on the main floor. The window to the right used to open to the outside, before the sun porch was added.	Pure retro style! This tiny "avocado" bathroom was added when the occupant became too old to climb the stairs. I kept the glass doors with the flamingos etched in -- suggestions anyone?

This second-floor bedroom must have been the master one. It's very large, has a closet and a storage room. I pulled the carpet away to see what was underneath: pure subflooring. The house had all its original wood windows and they all worked smoothly -- a pleasant surprise indeed.	Before photos of a house of that vintage wouldn't be authentic if they didn't show walls that are clad in this ubiquitous fake wood panelling.	My favourite Before photo! Every home buyer's nightmare: a basement full of junk! This one included an old oil tank that still has oil in it, and a year's supply of home-made jams and pickles!

Still in the basement: an old, inefficient oil furnace, and a rented hot water heater that had been left turned on for six years while the house was abandoned and without a water supply!	The most difficult things to get rid of are old refrigerators and freezers. You have to have the freon gas sucked out by an authorized person. Then, you have to find someone willing to carry them up and out to the kerb!	Does anyone collect wringer washers? Surely brown ones are worth a premium! I believe this basement is the main reason I got the house so cheap. Who but a nut like me would tackle that muckle of muck and those pickles?