Old Neighborhood Face Lift

My street is in chaos. My next door neighbor and the neighbor 2 doors on the other side are having their driveways repaved and I'm having 2 new windows put in. The construction vehicles on my little street make it look as though the whole neighborhood is being renovated.

These houses were all built around 1953 so they need the occasional face lift in order to remain livable. One of the nicest things about an older, well-kept neighborhood is that it looks so settled. The trees are full grown and the owners have finally figured out what grows best where.

My house is a storey and a half with a small, solid window on the landing going upstairs. That's one of the windows being replaced so, for the first time in 54 years it can be opened to allow the fresh air in. The other window being replaced is in the basement rec room. It will be a terrific improvement from the truly ugly window they put in when it was built.

There have been a lot of improvements made in my house this past year and I hope these windows are the last of it. It's costly and time consuming but I should recoup every penny spent when I sell the house in a few years.

Maintenance is of prime importance with older houses. It doesn't take long for a small repair job to become a major problem if not attended to quickly. I think the older houses are built better than new construction, too. This house is a double brick and that probably isn't done anymore.

I've always loved seeing work done on my house...it's like feathering your nest. My husband did all the renovations until he became sick but his heart was never really into it. He just did it to keep me happy. Now I have to hire someone to do the work and they only keep me happy as long as I pay them. One thing I've noticed, though...they whistle when they work.