The View from the Roof

The sky lift rented from Home Depot made it possible to reach the eaves.  The chimney was rebuilt a few years back.  At that time, we dropped a 35 foot liner down it.  There had never been a liner in the chimney and it had caused not only deterioration, but provided an excellent entry point for bats.  The paint colors chosen were based on those used by the prior owner, Gary Rodgers.  We felt the colors were right for the period of the house.  It was also a question of economics.  Sticking to the same color required less paint.  This is a view looking West.  Notice the Niagara River in the upper right portion of the picture.  The history of this house is undoubtedly linked to the construction of the Erie Canal.

This is a view from the lift looking at the circa 1875 addition of the house.  It was at this time that the structure was transitioned to the Italianate style.  The house has many of the original six over six windows.  An impressive amount of the glass shows ripples, swirls and ridges indicative of age.  The trip up on the lift gave us a greater appreciation of the roof we had replaced three years ago.  The shingles are 30 year architectural and a full tear-off was done.  Yankee gutters will go in soon and we will be installing new downspouts.  Many birds nests were cleared from the eaves and brackets and many  bad boards were replaced.

Here is an even better view of the roof.  The chimney will get some repointing.  It is not in service now but we may decide to install a gas vented fireplace in the dining room.  This chimney served a coal burning fireplace.  The original insert and mantel remain largely intact:

This is an aerial view of the barn, which was constructed from box cars in the early 1900s.  While the white lower portion is bright and cheery, it's been decided to paint it yellow. Gary Rogers put the facing on the barn and had painted the lower portion red.  He also replaced the yard arm and tells me the thing could now lift a piano! The basketball hoop was put in about ten years ago as a birthday present to Tom.  It was installed by John Redman and meticulously leveled.  The door to the hay loft still opens. Since this used to be a barn, there is drainage out to the street.

As an added teaser for a future topic... The side porch will be repaired and given a major over-haul this month.  It will remain yellow.  A picture in the National Registry nomination shows the porch in 1975 and it was yellow then.  The porch is the L-shaped extension seen on the South side of the middle portion of the house.  The roof has been repaired a number of times but the foundation is no longer sound and major repairs are required.

The biggest treat in being up on the sky lift was seeing the church of St. Francis Xaviar from a high elevation.  I have climbed to the top of the tower and there is a crack in the face of the clock. You can see through it and over to Grand Island.  There are a few lovely views of the tower from inside 243 Dearborn and I will make a post showing them one of these days.