General Clean-up
Before and after pictures of a total team effort.
It is amazing what can be done when you surround yourself with the right group of people.
Thanks to all the hard work done by:
- Randall Roberts General Contractor, Window Works
- Steve Doolittle, Doolittle Construction, and
- Paul Palmgren, Paul’s Fine Painters
Thank you guys for all of your hard work, you produced a great product!
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- Here is a look at the property before the work started. Old windows, old roof, and old siding that is falling apart.
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- Here is another look at the house from the driveway looking at the tired property from an angle.
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- Here is a look at the house before it was power washed and updated
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- Here is a look at the house, and you can just feel the age of it.
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- Here is a look at the updated windows, roof and siding after the work was completed.
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- Here is another angle of the front of the house after the work was complete. See the nice new windows, the new roof and the new stained side.
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- Here is a rear view angle shot of the work complete. Looks really nice, and bold.
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- Here is a look at the finished porch and back side of the house. The color really makes a loud statement.
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- It is amazing what power washing and two coats of semi transparent stain can do to an old house.
Repairing water damage.
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- This was an Oak Threshold that had not been properly sealed and had been damaged by water over the years.
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- Here is the replacement threshold with a medal cover to protect the door from water in the future. We also added spray phone insulation in the door jam to better insulate the door with an improved air barrier.
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- You can see the wear and tear of the threshold in this picture.
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- There was no damage from water because it was properly sealed the first time, so we put a protective coat of paint on it for an aesthetic value.
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- You can see the aging of the paint, and the mold and mildew build-up.
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- You can see more of the effects of water over the years.
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- Here is another corner with evidence of water damage. The gutters had been repaired, now it was time to repair the inside.
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- We took a good look at what was there, and treated the basement for mold and mildew.
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- After applying mold and mildew spray to kill the existing mildew, we applied a substance called “Lock-dry” to help prevent the same thing from happening.
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- Here is another look at the wall after the treatment and application.
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- The camera adjusted for the morning light coming in, which doesn’t do the wall justice, since it is now a bold, bright white.
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- This picture does better justice to the white walls after the treatment of mold and mildew remover, and Lock-Dry application.
Rebuilding the retaining wall at Lake Wyola, in Shutesbury MA
Here are some before and after shots of the retaining wall that was long overdue to be rebuilt. I certainly enjoy this project but it is not easy to build a flat wall with round stones.
The before shots.
Well… which is it? Spring, Summer or Winter?
Are we out of the Winter yet? Are we in the Summer? Neither, this is just Spring in New England!
I think it is funny that we can have a week of 75-80 degree weather, surrounded by weeks of 50-70 degree weather, only to have a week of 20-40 degree weather. In that order, one would think it was the fall and we were heading towards Winter. Nope, not the case, it is Spring time in New England. Poor students had 80 degree weather heading into Spring break, where the probably went somewhere where there was 80 degree weather so they left their winter clothes at home when they returned to school. Oh boy were they in for a rude awakening.
Well, truth be told, this is the actual temperature that we are supposed to have this time of year. On the down side, we have normal, cold, New England weather. On the up side, we have beautiful green yards again, it will soon be time to start grooming them again because areas have received nice warm days and plenty of moisture. If anyone was excited about the weather, they probably got out there and started doing some Spring cleaning. I know I did. Now we have the opportunity to clean-up from the storms that have knocked down any weak branches that might have been in the air. We also have nice warm days to move the debris we didn’t get too.
Oh, and baseball season is right around the corner, CHEERS!!!
This is just a taste of the things Crossman Properties can do for you.
This is what it looked like after we arranged where the plants were going to go. It would do more Justice to see what it looked like before the plants arrived.This is what it looked like after we finished working. I think it looks much better don't you?
This is what it looked like after we finished working. I think it looks much better don't you?
You call that SNOW!? I am already thinking Spring.
So mother nature brought a little bit of snow our way, and when I say, “a little bit”, I really mean it. The flurries we saw barely made a presence on the ground, and even less of it made it passed lunch time. I am not worried though because I am already thinking Spring. I have already pulled out the Softball glove and have been gearing up for Adult softball, and been checking up on my beloved Red Sox.
This past week has been warm enough that I even started to put some mulch down on my property in North Amherst. The tenants told me it looks great and I didn’t even ask for their opinion. I certainly do enjoy making them happy. I was even able to finish up the chainsaw work that I missed. Some people don’t realize if you leave broken limbs the way they are, you leave the tree exposed to bugs and disease to have an easy entry to potentially harm the entire tree. By cutting the broken limbs off and all the way back you can ad life to the tree, and you can potentially see some new sprouts grow in.
Mulching plus some fertilizer is good too. This provides a good amount of nitrogen to the soil enabling the bushes, plants or trees the opportunity for additional nurishment to grow healthy after a rough New England winter.
Finally, on another note, I have posted a few more properties in the Amherst Area for people to take a look at. I am hoping to have these rented by the end of March so I can focus my energy on maintenance. Since making properties look better is what I enjoy doing most, and Spring Clean-up should be pretty interesting this year.
-Tom-
Getting ready for the spring, already!
This winter was very mild, or at least it has been so far. I can’t forget last winter, where we had six weeks of punishment from halfway thru January to the end of February. Mother Nature certainly pounded us with snow in the Pioneer Valley which led to lots of water/flooding in the spring. La Nina really has had something different to say this year, and I am ok with that. My friends/colleagues are telling me that we have another storm or two coming our way, and I cautiously agree, we will see some more snow. I just don’t see anything that we can’t handle.
I am wondering, when we got hit with flooding, a hurricane, a tornado, and then an early snow storm did we make national news? I obviously can’t tell because I am here in Amherst, but does anyone know if we did or not?
Whatever the case, I am about ready to put this “winter” behind me, and I am ready and excited for the spring. Am I being premature? Maybe, but I am OK with that. I was born and raised in New England so I think it comes natural that I “suffer” thru these winters and appreciate the spring and summer that much more. I am always up for getting back out there, and getting dirty with work. I have been putting some estimates out there already, for stuff that will be started in two months. I have always tried to stay ahead, because it seems like every day brings a new and exciting challenge and if I don’t take care of what I know I have to do, then how am I going to take care of what I don’t know I have to do?
Sincerely, “rooting for spring”!
Winter time.
This has been quite the experience with La Nina and her effects. WHERE IS THE SNOW!!! I don’t mind too much because I am a summer guy anyway, but I always tell people that I enjoy the summer that much more because I have to tolerate the winters in New England. In the mean time I have been filling up rooms and I am actually going to start to list properties for June 1st. By getting started with the rentals 5-6 months in advance, it will allow me the ability to focus my energy on other things when the weather allows it. Things like:
- Landscape design, which I enjoy doing with “Tierra Sustainable Landscapes“.
- Carpentery, renovation, and remodeling, which I enjoy doing with “Doolittle Construction“.
- Or clean-outs and clean-ups which I enjoy doing with “T.L.C. Cleaning“.
I also like to take on other projects like staining, painting, or maintaining a property.
Either way, this winter has been peaceful and I can’t wait for it to leave so I can get out there and get my hands dirty again!
-Tom Crossman-
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