In the summer of 2000, we decided that we needed to start residing the house.  One wall in particular was looking pretty shabby - the west wall over the garage.  But, since we were going to be ripping into the wall, we might as well put in a window for more light.  And if we were going to do that, we might as well pull up the old carpet and see what was underneath.  Also, maybe we could do something to make the living-dining room look less boring.  You get the picture - the job began to escalate into something big.  Fortunately, Erik is now back in Vermont and was itching to do some more construction work.
 
 

As you can see, the outside is pretty weathered and needing replacement.
 
 
 
 

Cutting a big hole in the wall was somewhat frightening.  You can't make mistakes.
 
 
 
 
 

Now we have the bay window installed and the new cedar siding starts going up quickly.  The little roof over the window was especially challenging.  Erik and I worked many more hours than we planned.
 
 
 

Our neighbors Wally and John were very helpful when we needed extra hands to lift the window into place.  Raleigh, Erik's dog, was a good cheerleader.
 
 

Commpared to what it was, the inside is looking much brighter, don't you think.  Erik and I also put up a small wall segment and soffit to divide the room up a little.  The floor was a pleasant surprise.  We knew there was oak down there, but we didn't expect it to be in such good shape.
 
 

Here is a shot of how the outside of the house (one side) came out.  We are having the rest done by a contractor.
 

There is still plenty of work left on the project - finishing the wall, the trim, the paint and refinishing the floor.  I'll post more pictures when we make progress.