April 2016 - Sorting through the Memories

Things are moving slow at the Hofmann Haus. Jim is focused on starting new projects. I, however, am still stuck on trying to bring closure. It seems every corner I look in reveals another pile of letters or a collection of photographs. In a way it makes me feel bad for the next generation. They will never have this experience because everything is digital now.

We have demolished more of the upstairs walls to make way for the larger bathroom and built-in closets. Oh my goodness, what a crazy mess. The walls didn’t reveal much, just an old brass plumb bob that was left in the bathroom wall.

There are a few things I have discovered about the Hofmann family:

   1. Grandma and Grampa Hofmann were very faithful people. I have found Holy Cards in every cabinet and box in the old house. I have kept the majority of them for the family. In addition to the Holy Cards I found pocket prayer books. A ladies book with the name Mildred Morganthal inscribed in it, the other, a man’s book, with Elmer Hofmann on the inside cover. My guess is they predated their marriage.

2.I found a few old newspaper clippings, another treasure my kids will never know. One in particular was a write up about the Hofmann Painters. I always thought my Grampa’s parents emigrated to the US, however it was on generation prior. His grandparents came to Cincinnati in 1861, settled in Over-the-Rhine, and William Hofmann started the painting business.

3. Many, many pictures evoked memories long tucked away in the corners of my mind. May Crownings, First Communions, lilac bushes, kitchen stencils, swings ands slides, screen doors, etc. I even got to know my Grandma a little better. All I had till now was what a four-year-old brain could file away.

4. Grampa threw little away, nor Audrey. Paint cans in the garage still contain the history that was the many shades of pink in the house. Bulletins announced the Memorial Day Parade and Fairmount Day at Coney Island in 1960, and a list of bowling scores for all the neighborhood business teams.

5. The days are getting warmer and the baked in scent of the old house releases a myriad of flashbacks of hot summer nights, trying to sleep on the top floor, no air conditioning, listening to the crickets outside. The rain of late provided a trickling creek that I haven’t seen in a long time. The water gurgling and giggling of the rocks as if to say “welcome back old friend”. Damn! Now I want to read “The Giving Tree” again with my new-found perspective.

 

Jim and I are on the same page when it comes to how to renovate the little cottage. He is helping me to preserve tiny remnants of the two generations before us. There will be a little blue here, a little red there (probably no pink). We intend to reuse as much as we can, from the tile on the bathroom floor to the old pipes from the plumbing to one lone existing ladder left over from the painting business.

Here we are trying different colors of paint. Hopefully May will bring some more noticeable changes in the appearance, but for now I am glad to have completed the task of sorting out memories.

February - March 2016. Let's Get This show on the Road

Up until recently not much has been taking place at the old homestead; or at least nothing too exciting. The lack of heat in the house was enough to deter me from spending any significant amount of time there. My focus has been to sort through all of Mom’s old stuff and start getting rid of what is not needed or wanted. A task that inadvertently derails me every time. The memories and curiosity always take over and what should have been an easy, breezy chore becomes an tenuous, time consuming distraction.

Jim, on the other hand, has vowed to do at least one thing everyday.

New garage doors were delivered in early February. Low temperatures did not stop Jim’s over zealous enthusiasm. He had them installed and working within a week or two of delivery. I was the one on premise to receive the doors and was a bit concerned after the driver repeatedly warned me of the dangers of installing garage doors yourself. Jim got some help from Ethan to relieve my worries a bit and all went as planned. Well almost.

 

Funny thing happened after everything was installed and ready for testing. One of the rafters was ever-so-slightly lower than the rest. Low enough to stop the door from rising. A few rail and hinge  adjustments and all was well. Beautiful!

After the successful installation of the garage doors but still pretty cold outside, Jim decided to see what was behind the old drywall upstairs. We have plans to move walls and change the layout upstairs anyway so, with hammers in hand and handkerchiefs around our faces we started to remove the old walls and insulation. If anybody needs to relieve some stress, come on down. There are two more rooms upstairs.

  

With the promise of warmer days ahead and the need to have a working bathroom at the work site,  we had the water turned back on. While planning for the worst but hoping for the best we weren’t too disappointed to discover a couple of leaks in the old pipes. This, of course, took Jim’s attention away from the drywall smashing and moved it to the plumbing.

He has decided to replace the majority of the old pipes with new PEX tubing to eliminate any soldering and to remove the chance of future broken pipes. Lucky for me he’s an engineer.

So you ask what have I been doing while he’s having all the fun? Well, while he’s beside himself researching insulation and buying plumbing supplies I have had bigger ideas. I have been spending many grueling hours scanning online auctions for useful home-improvement items. So far we have a brand new shower base I got for $17, a brand new shop-vac I picked up for $6, a bar refrigerator for $20, a desk for $9, a pre-lit Christmas tree and a 60-cup coffee maker for when all us Hofmanns get together.

January 22, 2016 - The Day We Saved a House

After what seemed like an eternity, Jim and I finally took possession of the house my grandfather built in 1931. It is the house my mother and her siblings grew up in. It is the house my sisters and I grew up in. And now it will remain in the family.

I didn't plan it that way. Jim and I wanted to find an old house to renovate into an energy efficient home and it was setting empty after Mom went into nursing care. Maybe it was meant to be.

Below is a collection of pictures taken the day we signed the deed.

The Bike Workshop

The garage is really big. Plenty of room for Jim's hobby.















The plan is to move this door to make room for more cabinets

This will be a half-bath and laundry room once the old bathtub is taken out.

YUK!

My old bedroom will be a walk-in closet

The basement bathroom need a lot of help. I think we will add a dog shower.





This will be a priority. You can't run too many power tools on that service.

The Wine Cellar

The old coal bin will be the new wine cellar.