Restoring the North Side of House 173: One Summer's Worth of Projects

Exterior

Windows, Doors and More

One neglected side of the house, dozens of small repairs, and another chapter in the ongoing story of House 173.

The north side of 173 had really begun to show its age - heck, begun?  Back in 2013 I was bemoaning the north side of 173!  Wood was getting punky in places, the stoop was so worn out that when I ran my hand across it by accident, I ended up with lacerations!  And the foundation surface had really gotten bad, there was mildew and moss, and the concrete was crumbling.  As the summer began I figured I needed to get out there and get started.  

One thing I've learned after all these years is that old houses rarely let you work on just one thing. You start with a single window or a loose board, and before long you're repairing concrete, rebuilding trim, fixing landscaping, and wondering how the afternoon disappeared. It can feel overwhelming in the moment, but when you step back at the end of the season, you realize you've given another little piece of the house a new lease on life.

It Started with One Window

The first thing was the window that is actually at the landing of the stairwell.  Time and weather had pretty much done it in, the sill was worn, the window putty had long since crumbled, and the window frame was almost to a really bad point:

So out came the ladder and the stabilizer. Come to think of it, I may do a product review on that wonderful item!

Some windows at 173 would just look plain ol' stupid if there were shutters on it.  These windows will instead have the framing painted black.  After stripping, glazing, priming and painting here's how the window turned out:

The upstairs windows will eventually get shutters.  

Discovering the Real Problems

After standing back and admiring my handiwork, I really started noticing all the wood and concrete issues.  

A:  A portion of the door frame had rotted out.

B:  I dug a shallow trench and some of  the concrete was crumbling in large sections.

C:  Some of the crumbling constituted large, deep holes.

D.  That horrible stoop!

Saving the Door Frame

Starting with the door-frame, after removing the rotted wood, I spliced in some pressure-treated pieces, including a gap behind the sill.

Once all that was done, I covered it with a piece of thin vinyl board. As it turned out, both sides of the door needed pretty much the same treatment.

Repairing the Foundation

Then it was time for the foundation concrete.  It's funny how over time one just doesn't notice how bad things can get.  Some of the holes along the length of the wall were as much as 5" deep!  In those holes I used some wire to give something to hold the concrete together.  Outside of that, I cleaned the walls really good, then applied some Quickcrete Bonding Adhesive and then just got going on applying new cement.

Of course, all that work and digging really tore up the ground, so I started fixing that as I went along.  Here's a shot of the resurfaced foundation, and the beginning of fixing the ground around the foundation:

Building a Better Stoop

Time for the stoop.  That stoop.  Perfect name for it - stoop.  It took quite a bit of figuring to finally decide on the approach to fixing it.  I considered resurfacing it, but after lots of internet searching, decided against that.  I also thought about taking it out altogether and building a (very) small deck-type stoop.  

In the end I decided to build over it.  I'm not sure how it's going to work out in the long run, but I thought it was worth a try.  I used pressure-treated lumber and TapCon screws and built right over the concrete.

And here it is:

Bringing the Landscape Back

Then it was just a matter of staining the stoop, finishing concrete, fixing the ground and fixing the shade garden. We put garden stone (the white ones) along the area where the rain comes off the roof and hits the ground. 

Here you can see the shade garden in the background. It's mostly a variety of hostas and ferns. By next summer it'll grow in full! Here's a shot a little closer:

One Side Finished...for Now

And finally, a long shot of the whole side:

So you can see, the upstairs windows need shutters, and at some point I'm going to replace the kitchen windows, but for now, the north side of 173 is done!  Just for fun, here are some bonus pictures:

The concrete just kept coming off!

Mid-project

You can see the mess I made in the shade garden

Shade garden rehab'ed

Hey, thanks for stopping by - see ya' next time!

One of the things I've always enjoyed about following House 173 is that you never make old-house projects look easier than they really are. This post is a perfect example. What starts as a window repair quickly becomes patching concrete, rebuilding a door frame, building a new stoop, repairing landscaping, and giving an entire side of the house a fresh start. Anyone who's lived in an older house knows that's exactly how these projects unfold. You pull on one loose thread, and before long you're fixing five other things you hadn't planned on.

What I appreciated most was that you didn't chase perfection, you chased longevity. You repaired what could be repaired, replaced what truly needed replacing, and worked with the house instead of against it. I also liked that you showed the less glamorous parts of the job. The crumbling foundation, the trench, the battered shade garden, and even the bonus photos of the mess made the finished project feel earned instead of effortless.

By the time I reached the final wide photo, I wasn't looking at any one repair anymore. I was looking at a side of the house that simply felt cared for. That's what keeps bringing me back to House 173. You don't restore an old house by chasing dramatic reveals, you do it one thoughtful project at a time, and over the years those small improvements add up to something really special. - The Neighbor

Frequently Asked Questions

Why repair wood windows instead of replacing them?

Well-built old wood windows can often be restored repeatedly. Replacing deteriorated glazing, repairing localized rot, and repainting can significantly extend their service life while preserving the character of an older home.

When should a rotted door frame be repaired instead of replaced?

If deterioration is confined to specific sections, cutting out the damaged wood and splicing in new pressure-treated material is often more economical while preserving the original frame.

Why use bonding adhesive before applying new concrete?

Concrete bonding adhesive improves adhesion between old and new concrete, reducing the likelihood that the repair will separate or delaminate over time.

Why build a wooden stoop over existing concrete?

If the concrete remains structurally sound but is badly worn, covering it with a pressure-treated wood platform can be faster and less expensive than complete demolition while providing a safer walking surface.

Why install stone beneath roof drip lines?

Decorative stone reduces soil erosion caused by roof runoff, minimizes mud splash onto siding and foundations, and helps protect nearby plantings.

Keywords

old house restoration, window restoration, concrete foundation repair, pressure treated stoop, exterior home repair, DIY home improvement, wood window repair, House 173, foundation resurfacing, old home maintenance