Fri, 22 Dec 2006 16:52:00 PST http://www.thehallway.net/hallhouse.htm Old Portland Style Bungalow, rescued from neglect, restored to fabulosity. en-us http://www.thehallway.net/hallhouse.htm ...the way we're writing big checks around here. Last month was the Water Main Replacement Extravaganza, which involved yep, replacing the water main, along with having an electrician come in and have the house grounded to the pipes or somesuch since it's never been done, then the requisite inspections and by the time it was all said and done, the money we'd been saving to replace the poor Subaru, which had been due for replacement for well over a year, was gone. And then some. Story of a homeowner's life, right? http://www.thehallway.net/hallhouse.htm Well, you know we don't send out holiday cards and in past years, we've sent e-cards. This year, we decided to try something a little different and create our very own e-card. Yes, that's right -- it only took four years of having our own website to put two and two together and realized...um, hey! http://www.thehallway.net/hallhouse.htm Monday, when we were leaving for work, we noticed the street in front of our house (running under the Subaru) was wet. Not standing water, but like when a hose runs over a little bit. Didn't really think anything of it until we got home and noticed that the same spot was still there. We go up to our water meter box thingie (in the sidewalk strip) and there's water pooled a little bit in the rocks around it. Sal lifts the cover and the meter is submerged in water. Great. http://www.thehallway.net/hallhouse.htm Now that we finally had some outdoor space in which to entertain, is there a better way to break it in than with a party? Or more specifically, converting it into a Turkish Bazaar? You would be right to ask yourself these questions and the answer is NO THERE IS NO BETTER WAY TO CELEBRATE AND WE BELIEVE THAT WHEN YOU SEE THE PHOTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE FOR YOURSELVES, YOU WILL AGREE THAT WE MAY IN FACT HAVE THE MARKET CORNERED ON PARTIES THAT ARE THE AWESOMEST AWESOME THAT EVER AWESOMED OMG SRSLY. http://www.thehallway.net/hallhouse.htm (You've got that song stuck in your head now, don't you? You're welcome.) Since we were working so hard on getting the outside of the house itself whipped into shape, it was time to do the same for our poor, neglected back yard. It'd been three years since we dug out the hillside for our patio, two and half years since the last of the retaining walls went up, and a year since we put down the gravel. It was long past time to finish up what we started and instill some civilization into the Amazonian growth. http://www.thehallway.net/hallhouse.htm That's what we've been hearing for the last six months as friends and family visit and see the house for the first time since it's been painted. The reaction is always the same -- "I can't believe this is even the same place!" http://www.thehallway.net/hallhouse.htm In honor of our four year House-iversary, and with all the updates on our projects, it was time to do a major overhaul of the project navigation on the site. A renovation, if you will...