#no floor

The floor in the upstairs bedroom had been stripped away years ago during a renovation project, making it completely inaccessible. In fact, we saw the old wooden floorboards lying in a pile on the living room floor downstairs. The floor joists we could see offered a rather huge surprise we weren't expecting--they were held together by wooden pegs!

In an article written in the Daily Post Athenian in May of 2003, the old Cleage property was abuzz with life for the first time in many years. An area businessman had purchased the property from the previous owners for an untold sum of money, believing the historic site to be perfect for his nursery and landscaping business. By 2001, his business had expanded so much that it didn't have enough room to grow to its full potential. The land provided him with more than enough space, a prospect that had attracted him to make this purchase. His plans included renovating an old barn for future use as an office for his business, restoring the house itself for him to live in, and clearing the land.

The barn was eventually renovated after 10 months of hard work. The original roof was replaced, the rotting wooden boards on both the exterior and interior walls were removed, a porch was added on, and stone flooring was placed in the new office. Unfortunately, the barn wouldn't survive long enough in its brand new life as an office building. According to the new landowners, the barn was destroyed by an arsonist several years ago. All that remains today of the barn is an overgrown pile of singed wood.

An industrial cleaning service was hired to pressure wash the bricks. Once this task had been completed, they would seal in the bricks with a waterproofing substance to protect the facade from weather damage. During this time period, a brand new roof was added in 2003, replacing the old one. The old stucco walls had been repaired and walls in the other rooms had been re-plastered.

The article ends on an optimistic note, with the gentleman expressing his excitement on adding new windows and doors. Only one door had been added.

That thing is about 60-70 kilograms. 60-70 KILOGRAMS. That thing is nearly my weight and I’m pretty damn big. MY WEIGHT. IN 6x6x6 INCHES. WTH???