In case you don't recognize us...

The Trust girls both got hair cuts yesterday. Note Kristi's do, which emulates the 1920's flapper style-bob.

We did that!

The Trust staff can finally claim construction experience on our personal resumes! Yesterday, we headed to our restoration project at 276 Hydrick Street to assist the contractor with assembly of the kitchen cabinets from IKEA. Kristi has recent experience installing IKEA cabinets in her own kitchen, so her knowledge was put to great use!

IKEA's cabinets come in flat boxes, so "assembly required"is an understatement. The contractor had already installed the cabinet frames in the kitchen. Trust staff, along with Erin (the future homeowner), put together drawers first. We then assembled the hinges. After lunch we started to install the tracts for the drawers and hang the doors. It was rewarding work to see the cabinetry come together.

Yesterday's work on site gave us an appreciation for the pace of restoration work. The HVAC unit had not yet been set on site, so the only repreive from the 101 degree heat was a box fan and refreshing water and Gatorade. It is incredible that contractors work in the heat daily! Despite the weather, it was a great chance to take an active role in a project and share time with a homeowner and contractor. It was exciting to see Erin's customized design take shape. Plus, it further proved that for the Trust, every day is different--our work is not limited to a desk and email and phone calls....truly a fun change of pace we will attempt again in the future!

Another great use for old windows

Friends William Gray and Kristin Starnes sent us the following examples of what they created using windows from SAS...we loved these ideas and wanted to pass them on!

Above: Picture frame with mosiac glass
Below: Painted windows make a great outdoor decor!

Moving forward with 232 Hydrick Street

We officially have a contract for 232 Hydrick Street, the former residence of Governor I.C. Blackwood! We will close by the end of July and begin work on the severely decayed home ASAP. We are so lucky to have a photograph of the home from the 1983 National Register application (see left)and are seeking other photos to further allow us to restore using original details.
We will also be seeking in kind donations for services or materials and grant funds to restore the home. We realize that tackling a project like this is, by no means, a money-making venture and partnering to complete this project is a must! If anyone out there in blog-land is willing to help or interested in the project, please let us know!

Great idea for unused windows

We recently opened our architectural salvage store (Spartanburg Architectural Salvage, or SAS) and used some old windows to help advertise it.

How, you ask?

First, we cleaned the windows of the usual grime and such. Then, intern Patrick painted the windows with black chalkboard paint (note this was done in the well ventilated area of the Trust front porch, atop newspaper).

The chalkboard paint takes a mere hour or two to dry and voila... instant blank canvas for chalkin' it up!

We have since painted a few more windows to use in the SAS store to display prices and general information. As seen below, we used a painted window to announce our Kudzu Cleanup Project at the kickoff event on June 19th.

SAS has many windows of various shapes and sizes that are available for reuse in a home restoration project or art project.