Siding is up.

After some weather delays, the new siding is all in place now. The terracotta color looks great and adds one last outer layer of protection over all the new insulation.

The rear of the Mackinaw House complete with new insulation, siding and windows.

All the paint had been purchased, so we'll continue painting through the next weeks as drywall and other repairs happen. We decided on Behr low-VOC paint. Looking for a low or no VOC paint is important to maintain air quality in your home and avoid unnecessary chemicals that can cause respiratory problems.

More updates to come. Stay healthy friends!

Windows are going in today!

The old drafty windows are out and we will have all new Energy Star qualified windows (which means they are efficient and cut down on heat loss) in place by the end of the day today.

Out with the old!

In with the new efficient windows, thanks to Lawrence Smith Window and Door!

The siding will start going up as soon as the windows are complete, so we should be done with all of our "outer shell" upgrades to the Mackinaw House by the end of this week.

Patching and primer!

It's been a little dull this week with a lot of grunt work going into finishing the hardwood floors, patching/sanding the drywall, painting all the ceilings and getting going on primer in the rest of the house. Paint colors have been decided on so when the primer is done we'll continue with the rollers, but will add some color in the house.  That's slightly more exciting than white!

Window installation has been scheduled for next week and that will be followed by our new siding. We've had several more audits in the area as well, so we're keeping very busy!

Refinishing floors and planning.

It's been another full week getting ready for audits and continuing work on the Mackinaw house. Refinishing the original hardwood floors topped some of the more interesting things we did this week.

Check out the nice work in the room vs. the scratched up mess in the hall!

We've been working on some of the more fun stuff this week, like paint colors and kitchen cabinets. We're currently investigating which paint brand will be best with low or no VOC. There are quite a few options out there these days which are much better for air quality than formerly-traditional paints.

Windows and siding to come soon!