A little help from my friends... Update on the stone house

This house still has the original hardwood floors.  They have a lush amber patina and while they are well worn, they look restorable to me.  The house, like many we see, has a big space where the floor furnace originally was.  Typically, when the floor furnace is removed, people cover the original hole with some kind of board and that's what was done here.  I do all the sanding and refinishing myself but I count on a little help from my friends to fill the floor furnace hole with hardwood strips that in the end will match and blend with the original hardwood floors...

Here, Dennis is removing the plywood that was laid in and re-setting 2x4s to make a base for a new sub-floor which he will then use to inset hardwood into the existing floor. It's a job that requires patience and meticulous attention to detail and it will be just beautiful when he's done. The dog, of course, is ensuring that the work is up to snuff.

This restoration and repair is the biggest task before us now.  The paint should start to go on this week then I'll start sanding and refinishing about 700 square feet of flooring.  Because of some other projects, I am now moving my projected completion date to mid-March but you can stay tuned here.