Foster Road farm sign

Farm Journal

Thoughts and images from life at Foster Road

 

Entry: JULY 3, 2009

 

Permit

At long last, the building permit has been secured. Everyone at the zoning office in Skaneateles was very helpful and I thank Debbie, Todd and Suzanne for their patience and guidance. It was exciting to post the permit in the wndow and know that work could now begin in ernest.

 

The wide shingles have been removed from the back of the house and reveal the old wood siding and changes to the windows from earlier times. The proportions of the siding to the scale of house are more balanced than the deeper modern shingles. Even in disrepair, the house is more beautiful to me now.

 

Day two of the interior demo just about finished off the gutting of the second floor. Beneath the old plaster we could see the remarkable construction and materials from the mid-1800’s. Planks twenty inches wide and a full two inches thick formed the exterior walls. Hand-hewn beams, carved mortise and tenons, and heavy iron nails hold the structure together. Pencil marks that have not seen daylight for 150 years show the hand of the original builder. And a stack of beautiful old wood has been moved to the barn for later use—sweet as money in the bank.