Hilliard Adopt-A-House
2014 Photo Album

The photos below are from September 13, 2014 when the home in Urbancrest was dedicated. What a joyous celebration!!

Note: You may click on any photo below to get a better view. Low fidelity images of these photos are on the web site to reduce loading times. If you would like a higher resolution image of any photograph, just send an email to Howard Baulch.

Project history:

• March 11, 2014 - Made brief visits to view two home recycle projects.
• April 2, 2014 - The carpet, carpet pad and tack strips were removed and hauled away, the bathrooms were cleaned for volunteer use, the refrigerator was moved into the garage, the oven and dishwasher were removed and sent to the ReStore, all drywall issues received their first coat of compound, carpet pad staples were removed or hammered into the OSB, all rooms were swept, miscellaneous items from the basement were either stored in the garage, sent to the Restore or hauled away, damaged trim work was identified, removed and hauled away, the outside shrubs received an initial trimming, the broken blinds in the living room, dining area and kitchen were removed, the water heater was drained twice to flush the system from water held over the past months, the bathroom mirrors were removed, the baseboards and trim work in all but two bedrooms were cleaned in preparation for painter's tape, and the cranberry paint on the living room and dining area ceiling was removed on about one-fourth of the perimeter.
• April 5, 2014 - Additional attic insulation was blown-in to make the overall depth about 16", drywall patches were sanded and added additional compound where needed, metal corner beads were installed on two basement staircase corners and a coat of mud applied, trim was taped in living room and the three bedrooms (does not include closets), caulk was removed in the kitchen and taping begun, several holes were cut for new electric and cable boxes in living room and three bedrooms, hedges and one bush were trimmed, general cleanup of the front and along the garage-side of the house was completed, landscaping edging blocks were removed by owner and stacked next to garage, light bulbs were replaced in the attic, over the kitchen sink, and top of the stairs, interior door knobs were maintained, the entry vinyl flooring was secured with duct tape, door mats were made from the carpet remnants in the basement, bathroom accessories were removed, the front gable siding was straightened but will need additional attention to secure it in place.
• April 9, 2014 - Secured the gable siding, put another coat of compound on the two corners at the bottom of the basement stairs, removed the closet shelving from all closets, cut-in and rolled two coats of primer in the living/dining room, cut-in and rolled one coat of primer in the kitchen, primed the patched drywall areas in the bedrooms and bathrooms, re-set the garage door opener code and picked up a trash bag's worth of trash from the neighboring property.
• April 12, 2014 - Replaced the rear entry door, replaced the rear porch ceiling light, replaced the brick mould around the front garage door, removed all shrubbery from the front except the large bush to the left side at the owners request, replaced the top hand rails on both porches, replaced one rotten side rail in front, and at least one baluster, removed the satellite dish roof brackets, patched holes, and tarred down a raised roofing tab next to the electric mast head, finished priming living room and kitchen, put the first coat of paint in the living room including two accent walls, put the first coat of paint in the coat closet, started the cut in of paint in the front and second bedrooms, and removed all window screens and gave Charlie four damaged ones.
• April 16, 2014 - The living room, and front and middle bedrooms were painted with both coats, the kitchen, master bedroom, linen closet and storage closet received one coat, we started cut-in of paint on both bathrooms and taped the staircase, the alarm boxes in the living room were remounted, and the basement corners were sanded and additional compound was added.
• April 23, 2014 - Compound was applied to a few wall anomalies, two coats of interior paint were finished in all rooms on the main level of the home (only minor touch-up remains), the first coat of paint was applied in the basement stairs, many switch plate and outlet covers were re-installed, return air grates were installed, electrical outlets in the living and dining areas were replaced, shelving was installed in the coat closet, linen closet and two bedroom closets, and a portion of the exterior siding was powerwashed.
• April 26, 2014 - The house and garage were power washed, a second coat of paint was added to the stairwell, damaged siding was replaced on the house and garage, mildew was removed from front and back porch railings, all painted electric outlets were replaced, luan was installed and levelizer applied in kitchen archway, began laying flooring, primed new wood railing and caulked other areas, corrected furnace exhaust pipe leak, raised exhaust pipe to provide drainage to the outside, installed toilet seats, installed bath lights, installed main bath mirror, cleaned tub, re-installed most bath hardware, and installed window blinds.
• April 30, 2014 - Installed plank flooring on the dining area and about 70% of the kitchen, the front entry door was painted on both sides, the front porch ceiling was cleaned, the tub and vanities were caulked and cleaned, the half bath mirror, towel bar, and paper holder were installed, painting down the stairwell was completed, the handrail was sanded and stained, the windows were cleaned on the inside, smoke and CO detectors installed, two door hinge stops were installed, and two new electric outlets were installed.
• May 3, 2014 - Plants beds were tilled, flowers and shrubs plants, and mulched, the trash adjacent to the house was cleaned up, quarter round installed in the dining area, plank flooring was finished in the kitchen and basement step landing, the removed baseboard and door trim was replaced, the rear door was caulked and painted, a peep hole was installed, the alarm contact reinstalled, garage brick moulding was caulked, the rear porch ceiling was cleaned, a shower rod was installed along with a new shower head, and the half bath drain cleaned out.
• May 7, 2014 - Painted all known exterior trim, completed the varnishing of the handrail, and cleaned the kitchen cabinets and microwave.
• May 10, 2014 - Installed aprons on all windows, finished installing quarter round in the kitchen and stair landing, swept and mopped the basement, duct taped one elbow on the dryer vent, caulked the kitchen counter, installed shoe molding in the kitchen and master bedroom bathroom, replaced vanity sink stopper links in both bathrooms, fixed the flush mechanism in the main bathroom toilet, re-installed the basement railing, painted the first coat on three-quarters of the basement steps, caulked porch railing and around exterior door thresholds, vacuumed rooms, scrubbed front porch, cleaned windows on the outside and installed window screens.
• May 12, 2014 - Bio Green Ohio fertilized the lawn and treated it for weeds.
• May 14, 2014 - Moved Habitat items from the basement to the garage, scrubbed and powerwashed the sidewalks, scrubbed and powerwashed the graffiti from the rear fence, put a final coat of exterior paint on the front door, back door and garage man door, re-installed globes on ceiling light fixtures, completed the first coat of paint on the basement steps, put the second coat of paint on the basement steps except for the tops of even numbered steps, installed security plate on the garage man door, put a final coat of paint on the garage brickmold, cleaned the front storm door, puttied a couple of wall anomalies, cleaned window sills, re-caulked window sills, put concrete patch filler in cracks of the basement glass block windows, replaced two splash guards on garage downspouts, cleaned out the garage gutters, pre-drilled porch post for new house numbers, and removed many materials and trash from the garage.
• May 20, 2014 - Visited the project on Third Avenue to review its needs and plans and more closely examine near term work tasks.
• May 21, 2014 - On McCoy, completed painting the basement stairs, replaced the damaged storage door, did touch-up painting where necessary, replaced a damaged baseboard, removed a damaged quarter round from the front door threshold, cleaned out the garage, cleaned the basement windows, caulked various cracks in the basement wall and around windows, sprayed insecticide around house interior and outside, installed water line for the coming dishwasher, mopped vinyl areas, cleaned the subfloor for carpet installation and George worked on the TV cable work.
• May 22, 2014 - On Third Avenue sprayed Roundup on heavy weed areas.
• May 28, 2014 - On McCoy, the appliances were installed (and no leaks observed), carpets vacuumed and protector laid, bypass door guides installed, basement cobwebs were removed, kitchen screen installed, locks changed on all exterior doors and keyed to front door master dead bolt lock, bathrooms and kitchen tidied up, vinyl flooring cleaned and shined, trash and other items removed, addressed a leak in the half bath found by the inspector, tightened screws on the attic light found by an inspector, and Erik tightened the tub spigot.
• May 29, 2014 - On Third Avenue sprayed a second application of Roundup on heavy weed areas.
• May 31, 2014 - Everyone celebrated the dedication of the King Family home!
• June 4, 2014 - Now we are working on Third Avenue in Urbancrest. Today we removed the fence railings, removed the free standing deck in the back yard, removed the trellis lattice, moved logs, large rocks and concrete blocks to the curb, cut off limbs of small trees to facilitate a front loader taking them out next week, pruned four trees which will remain, removed the small trees from the egress area, dug up small bushes that were near the trees in the front yard, removed the storm doors, removed the kitchen exhaust which was vented into the attic space, removed all damaged doors (keeping the door knob sets), removed most damaged trimwork, took down the doors from the bathrooms and kitchen so that the underlayment and vinyl could be removed, pulled nails from trimwork and doors, took down the basement partition wall, took most of the cattle rail from the basement stairs, took down the basement railing, removed necessary baseboard from the kitchen and bathrooms, removed both bathroom vanities and vanity tops, removed one bathroom mirror, uninstalled most bathroom towel bars, and removed the underlayment and vinyl from the kitchen and stair landing.
• June 7, 2014 - Hauled away trash, filled in potholes, raked around the house and front yard, dug-up small plants, washed walls, hung new door blanks in the place of the old ones, framed for new kitchen ceiling light fixture, mounted electric box, patched hole with drywall, installed one downspout, cleaned out gutters, cleaned out shed, filled with shed leftover door frames, barred the shed door with 2x4s, borrowed neighbor's mower and mowed lawn, removed bad porch balusters and porch rail caps, cleaned electrical cover plates, outlets, switches, and registers, pulled numerous carpet padding staples, removed and disposed of toilets and bathroom flooring, and removed two drywall panels on the furnace side of the staircase wall to provide framing access to complete new staircase drywall.
• June 11, 2014 - Tree professionals cut down and removed many dead and poorly growing trees and concrete professionals leveled the rear porch steps, while volunteers primarily worked inside the home to patch several large drywall holes, apply drywall compound to numerous wall anomalies, clean the kitchen and bathroom walls, remove an ill-framed basement wall to the right of the stairs, remove vinyl from the back right basement floor area, frame one new basement wall, prime new porch balusters, and begin cleaning the vinyl siding on the front porch.
• June 14, 2014 - Opened the day with a Wall Raising Ceremony. Afterwards we sanded the first coat of drywall mud and added a second coat where needed, replaced the exterior rear door, primed and painted the mailbox post, pressure washed both sides of the house, primed front porch posts and railings and helped begin primining of neighbor's porch posts and railings, finished framing two wall sections in the basement, pulled up all known concrete paver steps from the driveway to shed/shed to back porch, picked up the old concrete HVAC compressor pad, and sanded the staircase handrail.
• June 18, 2014 - The 25' wide lot next door was cleared, trellis posts were removed, what was left of small trees and bushes were pulled out, window well guards were installed, topsoil was distributed and spread to improve the grade and level of the lot, priming was finished on the back porch and neighbor's front porch, a first coat of exterior paint was applied to the neighbor's front porch, most of the front and rear of the house was powerwashed, the front and rear porches were powerwashed, many tools and materials on the main level were moved to the basement, drywall anomalies were sanded and newly discovered opportunities were patched, the main level of the house was swept, the attic access walls were prepped for extending their height, the remaining base plates for the basement walls were secured to the concrete floor, electrical outlet boxes were mounted in the basement, and a ceiling drywall nailer was put in place in the basement.
• June 21, 2014 - Loaded and hauled away last Wednesday's trash from the parking pad, increased the height of the attic access walls to allow for a greater depth of insulation, sprayed expanding foam insulation around light receptacles in attic, blew insulation into attic to a depth of 16", completed basement framing by building and raising the door header, framing both sides of the basement stairs and boxing in the I-beam metal post in the area to be finished, replaced missing balusters on front and rear porch, cut new top caps for front and back porch (one remains), applied a first pass of caulk on porch railing systems as well as the neighbor's front porch, addressed safety issue on neighbor's front porch, replaced front exterior door and lock set, corrected vinyl siding next to front door, replaced all damaged vinyl siding (except for the one piece behind the air conditioner), installed Weathermate tape above all exposed windows, and corrected loose vinyl siding on neighbor's home.
• June 22, 2014 - Hand leveled topsoil and spread grass seed.
• June 23, 2014 - Sanded drywall patches and watered grass seed.
• June 25, 2014 - The walls were wiped down, the trim work was vacuumed and wiped down, painter's tape was applied to all trim work, all rooms on the main floor were primed, the painter's tape was removed from the trim work, the paint that leaked under the tape was cleaned off the trim work, the scarlet walls in the basement were primed, and another pass of caulk was applied to the front porch and the neighbor's front porch.
• June 26, 2014 - Light-checked primed walls, addressed issues and re-primed.
• June 28, 2014 - The old shingles, old drip edge, and lower felt paper were removed from the shed, the rotten OSB shed roof sheathing was replaced, new felt was laid where required, new drip edge was installed, shingles were laid until we ran out of material, the shed doors were repaired, the entire shed was protected with a blue tarp, the damaged vinyl siding behind the AC unit was replaced, a new top cap was cut and installed on the rear porch, the front and rear porch systems on the home were painted, the front porch on the neighbor's home was painted, the main level of the home received one coat of paint, two coats of cut-in were done in almost all areas, and the seeded areas were watered.
• July 2, 2014 - Cut back the ceiling drywall in the basement to access the ceiling wiring and to prepare for new ceiling drywall, added a nailer to a floor joist to carry the new ceiling drywall, put a second coat of paint on the rooms on the main floor, touched up cut-in areas in the rooms on the main floor, put a second coat of paint on the front porch railings, primed the kickboards beneath the front and back doors, filled nail holes in the brickmould of the exterior doors, patched a number of large holes in the finished area of the basement, put a second coat of primer on the kitchen ceiling, the stairwell and the basement scarlet room, did some general basement cleaning, and made numerous electrical changes in the basement (strung new wire, mounted new boxes, replaced a piece of 14 wire (rated at 15 amps) on a 20amp breaker in the breaker panel).
• July 9, 2014 - Moved a lot of items from the house and the shed for Habitat to pick up, insulated the new basement exterior wall, hung drywall in the new finished area of the basement as well as the stairwell, touched up wall paint anomalies on the main floor, painted much of the exterior of the front and rear doors, put a second coat of paint on the rear porch, completed wiring of the lights in the unfinished area of the basement, put corner bead on the outside corners of the basement drywall, put the first coat of tape and compound on the drywall seams, reinstalled many of the switch and outlet covers, and put compound on the basement drywall outside corners.
• July 12, 2014 - Unpacked the kitchen cabinets and removed doors and shelving, mounted one cabinet, finished the shed roofing, trim work, and latching of the doors, washed all windows inside and out, hand wiped porch ceilings and walls, removed tape residue from the front porch beam, installed all but three window screens, cleaned window sills, installed one front downspout, stained the basement handrail, put one coat of paint on the exterior doors, put second coat of paint on the door brick moulding, identified all PET plumbing lines from the manifold for reference, installed most of the wall registers, and scrubbed the front porch.
• July 16, 2014 - Added roofing nails to the roof ridge vent, scrubbed algae from shed and replaced lock screws with bolts, completed front downspouts, sanded the basement drywall, put a coat of varnish on the handrail, moved 2x4s and lawn stuff to shed, put second coat of paint on the exterior doors, hung the wall cabinet unit above the stove wall, removed staples in the porch posts and repainted, scrubbed more paint/stain off siding, and rimed the ceiling patch in the kitchen.
• July 19, 2014 - Finished installing kitchen cabinets, instaleld a new sump pump, sanded the basement walls further, wiped down and primed basement walls, touched up drywall on the beam between the two finished areas, laid luan in both bathrooms, skim coated luan joints, sanded and stained the window sills, and scrubbed paint drippings from the porches' concrete.
• July 23, 2014 - Sanded the bathroom underlayment skim coat, cut the vinyl for the bathroom floors, moved the bathroom light boxes to be centered over the 30" vanities, patched bathroom walls and put on the first coat of tape and mud, installed an electric line for the dishwasher, primed the basement ceiling and started the first coat of paint on the basement walls, installed a new kitchen light, changed out toilet valves, made an adjustment to the sump pump battery fluid level pickup to silence an alarm, finished electric work on a lighting junction box, did some general sweeping and vacuuming of the floors and floor vents, and put another coat of polyurethane on the hand rail and window sills.
• July 26, 2014 - The vinyl flooring was glued down in both bathrooms, a coat of white paint was put on the shed, all ceiling lights, fans, and exterior lights were installed, gutter guards were installed, the exterior doors were foam sealed, foam was squirted around a drain line passing through the concrete wall, the basement walls were painted, additional mud was applied to both bathrooms' drywall from the light relocation, door thresholds were trimmed where necessary to receive the plank flooring, and the laying of plank vinyl was begun on the main floor of the house.
• July 30, 2014 - Put a second coat of compound on the bathroom drywall where the electrical light boxes were moved, patched drywall anomalies in the basement, put a second coat of paint on the basement walls, moved all painting supplies and materials into the unfinished basement area, vacuumed the floors of the finished basement area, finished laying vinyl plank flooring in the dining area, kitchen and basement stairs landing, and laid about three-quarters of the vinyl plank flooring in the living room area.
• August 2, 2014 - Installed the kitchen counters, sink, faucet and disposal, finished laying the plank flooring on the main floor, mopped the finished basement area and tapered the vinyl edges, reinstalled the electrical panel and some outlet and register covers, sanded the area around the bathroom lights and retouched with compound, and added a second coat of varnish to the window sills.
• August 4, 2014 - Bio Green Ohio fertilized the lawn and treated it for weeds.
• August 6, 2014 - Finished the area around the relocated bathroom light boxes with light compound, primer and two coats of paint, completed the basement wiring, put the final coat of paint on the exterior doors, sanded, primed and painted various drywall anomalies on the main floor, basement stairway and basement, installed a window sill and added a window apron for the basement egress window, leveled the mailbox post, secured insulation to the attic access panel, painted the storage closet above the basement stairs, and laid two-thirds of the basement vinyl planking.
• August 9, 2014 - Finished the basement plank flooring, put Gorilla glue on one lifted plank edge, put a second coat of paint in the storage closet, reinstalled three door/frames removed on the main floor were reinstalled, installed bath vanities and tops, plumbed faucets, installed bathroom lighting, installed and connected toilets, installed smoke and CO detectors, taped ductwork joints, and changed register screws with the white hex head screws.
• August 13, 2014 - Installed all cabinet handles except the one to be replaced, changed out the sump pump and washer outlets to quad packages, glued another flooring edge on the main floor, installed the few remaining switch plates, made drywall repair required by range hood placement, installed the kitchen counter end caps and installed the new thermostat.
• August 16, 2014 - Primed neighbor's rear porch, finished drain plumbing in kitchen and bathrooms, installed bathroom mirrors, installed kitchen range hood, put a second coat of paint on the shed, put the new lockset on the rear door which was missing a strike plate, removed numerous bush stubble and stone around the yard, roto-tilled and planted 6 bushes in the front, mulched and watered plants, laid down stepping around under the outside faucets, filled in various low spots in the yard and improved drainage away from the house, replaced the front porch electric outlet, mounted the mailbox, flushed the hot water tank and fired it up, and checked the west front gutter-downspout junction.
• August 20, 2014 - Hung and trimmed the basement door, installed the linen closet and master bedroom door slabs, cleaned trimwork pieces, installed most of the baseboard and quarter round in the basement finished area, sanded the staircase stairs, patched drywall under the range hood, installed an extension for the front bedroom door jamb, watered the plantings, and placed the backup sump pump battery on treated 2x4s.
• August 23, 2014 - Installed the window blinds in all bedrooms and the basement finished area, hung two new replacement door slabs, shimmed out three door jambs to make a better fit, installed new door knob sets on all interior doors, cleaned up the unfinished basement area and vacuumed it, vacuumed and mopped the finished basement room, painted the sides and every other step of the basement stairs, installed bathroom towel bars, toilet paper holders and shower rod, painted a number of wall anomalies which had been patched, put gravel in the window wells, painted three-quarters of the neighbor's front porch, cleaned out most of the shed, put a first coat of drywall compound to the left of the front door and continued installation of baseboard and shoe moulding.
• August 27, 2014 - Put a second coat of drywall compound to the left of the front door, put more gravel in the window wells, moved all excess trim materials and other items out of the basement, mopped the basement, installed the dryer vent, repaired the glass block window screens, put a second coat of paint on the sides of the basement stairs, installed door trim on the master bathroom door, installed baseboard and shoe moulding in the coat closet, the remainder of the living area and kitchen, the basement stairs, and the remainder of the finished basement, puttied nail holes in trim work, and caulked baseboards on the main floor.
• August 29, 2014 - Sanded, primed and put one coat of paint on the drywall repair next to the front door, primed and painted the drywall repair above the door opening from the kitchen to the dining room, patched various drywall anomalies, vacuumed the finished basement area and mopped it with Favor 3-in-1.
• September 1, 2014 - Sanded, primed and painted various drywall anomalies, trimmed front exterior door, put a second coat of paint near the trim of that door and installed the basement stair railing.
• September 3, 2014 - Finished baseboard trim in the unfinished basement area and the top of the stairs, cleaned out all three bedrooms, installed the master bedroom cable receptacle, packaged up unused materials and tools for Habitat to take back to the warehouse, finished the second coat of paint on the backs of the stairs and the first coat of paint on the stair treads, put compound on more wall anomalies, puttied nail holes in trim work, caulked more trim work, vacuumed the main level of the home, mopped the vinyl plank flooring on the main level, painted more of the neighbor's back porch, painted the door edge of many of the interior doors, installed the replacement kitchen cabinet door, adjusted a couple of the window blinds and mounted the cord safety cleats, cleaned and wiped down doors and trim work, and put painter's tape on trim work where the wall paint needs to be touched up.
• September 6, 2014 - Installed the basement door threshold, installed a peep hole in each exterior door, remedied two squeaks in the master bedroom floor by screwing the OSB to the base plate from the basement, cleaned kitchen cabinets, bathroom vanities, and mirrors, spread the remaining topsoil, sowed grass seed, laid the concrete squares between the driveway to the shed, finished caulking and nail hole filling, secured a sagging gas line in the basement, finished painting the neighbor's rear porch, painted various wall touch-ups, mopped the basement flooring, glued another loose plank end, removed a dangling limb from a tree we just noticed from when the trees were cut down, and loaded up the Habitat truck with trash, material returns, and tools.
• September 10, 2014 - Vacuumed the carpet, laid carpet protector, adjusted several kitchen drawers, seated the stepping stones in the yard, cleaned the windows, cleaned the walls, touched up a little wall paint, installed the front door hardware, powerwashed the porches and driveway, washed off some of the vinyl siding, caulked a few miscellaneous areas, mowed the yard with the neighbor's lawnmower, trimmed the grass around the sidewlk, driveway and other miscellaneous areas, cut off the bottom of one bedroom door so that it would not drag on the carpet, mopped the vinyl plank flooring in the main level and moved remaining tools and materials near the front door for Habitat to return to the warehouse.
• September 13, 2014 - The home in Urbancrest was dedicated. What a joyous celebration!!