Friends,
At the beginning of the manse renovation project, I told myself that it would be fun, on occasion, to share pictures of the remodeling progress in my weekly Contact space. So far, it has happened only once; this is mostly because the work is progressing at so dizzying a speed that I missed what I’m sure would have been a few interesting updates and photos. I’ll try to make up for that now.
Here is a photo of newly-installed sheetrock in the great room. As you can see, it is in the process of being taped and mudded in preparation for painting.
Here is a photo of the kitchen with the cabinets installed, waiting for a counter top, which my brother Morgan will install because (as Leonard Nielson has said) every house needs a story, and for this house, we will tell the story about how the pastor’s brother, who is a luthier, installed the kitchen counter in exchange for some Victorian-era redwood paneling Leonard salvaged from a renovated church building in San Francisco, which said fraternal luthier will use for sound boards in future guitar projects. It also happens to be true that the counters will be made from a sustainable and green product called Paperstone, with which no one currently working on the manse renovation has worked, but which my brother installed in his own kitchen.
Here is a photo of the main bathroom, in the process of being transformed.
Here is a photo of the hallway, anticipating paint and trim.
This is exciting. Not only will this be a lovely pastor’s residence, but it will go a long way toward making our congregation both economically and ecologically sustainable.
With a Grateful Heart, Ben