Restoring a House Pt. 01

Mely leaned back and took a sip of her iced tea. "I'm impressed, Kirk, by your ability to get this work moving so fast. Let's talk money for a minute. I guess that's not socially correct at a meal, is it, but let's do it anyway." She smiled and half laughed.

I was about to say something soothing when she interrupted and said, "We've probably committed a hundred thousand already, haven't we?"

Cicely looked at me and grinned. The client was still out in front.

"Pretty much, depending on what Arturo and Bruce find when they get into the work." I tried a careful smile.

"And that doesn't touch the inside remodeling, does it? Or the broken down wiring and plumbing?" She looked grim. Cicely was looking worried.

"So Kirk, when you and Cicely and your helpers are done giving me a brand new restored house, one that will go another hundred years after I'm dead and buried, what is the price tag?"

I looked beseechingly at Cicely for help. Silence.

Amelia looked intently at me, "What's going through your mind, Kirk? Just give it to me straight."

I gasped out, "Half a million," and started to try to qualify that. Mely gave a long cackle. "I knew it. You're going to ruin an old lady in her dotage. She'll have a new house but be so poor she can't live in it."

Cicely and I were staring at our plates, wondering how things had gone wrong so quickly.

Amelia jumped up and said, "Both of you, come over here and hug me."

We did and she kissed us wildly, saying, "That's the deal of the century. Here's how we are going to handle the money. Every time your numbers add up to another hundred thousand, you tell me and I'll have it transferred to the project account. I've already had the first hundred put in a new account for you and have the signature cards on my desk."

Cicely and I were struck dumb. Then Amelia was pushing us together and saying, "Well, give her a kiss and tell her you love her."

We were struck dumb a second time but did as instructed. I whispered in her ear. "This isn't even the second date." She smiled, "What would mother say?"

Amelia cut in, "Mother thinks the two of you make a wonderful couple. Now give me a kiss too."

There was kissing and hugging all around. She led us to the back of the house. There was a beautifully paneled room with an antique mahogany desk in it that was worth a lot.

"This was my grandfather's home office. After he retired from full time, his law books and personal files were all in here. I disposed of most of it to the historical society a while back. I think it would make a good project office for the two of you. Cicely can have her big drawing table over there, and you can set up the rest of the room with white boards and so on."

My new girlfriend and I stood there with arms around each other, wondering how much good fortune we were going to enjoy from the world's greatest client.

The meeting with Arturo and Maria went well. The five of us walked the property, imagining all the years of neglect cleared away. Maria asked, "Do you have a survey of the lot? I need to make a careful landscaping plan. I need elevations."

Amelia looked at me. "I think we need a new survey. Kirk can get that done, can't you?"

Damn, I was beginning to get irritated that the client was always one jump ahead of me. "I'll get on it still today." Maria smiled at me with her best gotcha look. Arturo tried to look dignified and above it all. "We will need a large trash container, too. Can you have that delivered by day after tomorrow?"

We settled on a price of ten thousand to get the place cleared off and a preliminary plan submitted.

Cicely and I said our goodbyes to Amelia, promising to return in the morning ready to set up the project office.

In the car, she said, "Am I trusted to make dinner?" I kissed the back of her hand. "Are you one of these women who takes cooking seriously? Who sends me out with instructions about the wine? Who appreciates a properly dry and cold martini?"

Now she was kissing my hand. "All of the above. Do you shower with your girlfriends? I need to be scrubbed to make sure I didn't get poison oak out there on the back forty."

"Scrubbed," I repeated. "I'm the world's leading expert on getting poison oak off immediately. But let's do a joint shopping and then go to your place and clean up. Maybe even take a pass by my place for some clothes and stuff."

She gave me a hard look, and said, "I knew it. You give these guys one night of bliss and they are moving in the next day."

I pulled her hair and kissed the side of her face. "Bliss, eh? I have the best sex of my life and now you are throwing me out like the garbage. By the way, I have an idea to try out on you in the shower."

After the shopping, with a small roast and some potatoes in the oven, we were standing in her generous shower, soaping each other gently. I sat on the floor and scrubbed away at ankles and calves. She had an athletic body that excited me. Her neatly trimmed bush was inches from my tongue. One hand on her butt brought me in range and I darted my tongue where it would do the most good.

"You devil. There is NO poison oak there."

I raised one leg over my shoulder and dove much deeper into her. She pulled my hair and boxed my ears, shouting at me to stop.

I stood up and stuffed my tongue into her mouth so she could taste herself. "I like the taste of you. Maybe you can try a taste of me?"

She turned off the shower and grabbed two towels. "You are a rascal. Did I give you permission to just come after me like that?" Her eyes were wide and glistening. I turned her around and dried her back as I fondled the firm boobs and stiff nipples. She leaned her head back on me and turned for a kiss.

I pulled my head back, "I was a fool for going along with that excuse you gave me about getting over your bad love affair. The best way to forget a guy is to find another one who appreciates you and makes you happy, in more ways than one."

She bucked into me and said, "So now I am a hostage to your alpha male view of the world?"

We were standing in front of her vanity mirror. She was all pink and looked delicious. I said nothing but bent her forward onto her elbows so that I could drive my cock all the way home in one big thrust.

She gave a loud moan and straightened up. I straightened with her and lifted. I had one hand on her boobs and the other around her waist. But mostly she was impaled on my cock and squeezing me like mad.

In a stage whisper I said, "Cicely, you are mine forever. Your wish is my command. If you are tired of my rude behavior, please instruct me in how I may please you!"

She hopped down, turned around and spent several minutes cuffing me around the head and shoulders while telling me what a total boor and rogue I was. This didn't mean too much, because in between belts to my head, she gave me long wet kisses. I picked her up and walked us to the bedroom and tossed her into the middle of the bed and jumped in after. We wrestled around for a few minutes and she ended up on top of me.

"We have to be serious for a minute."

I looked into those captivating blue eyes and saw determination. "This is going too fast. I'm losing my heart to you and I'm not sure I should do that. I made a mistake before and I don't need a second."

I stared up past her glorious tits and saw a half smile. "Ok, this fits into my other idea. Let's get dressed and fix dinner. I'll spell out our new deal for you."

She did salad while I opened the wine. A five year old Cabernet to go with the roast. I warmed the plates and carved the meat. We sat next to each other at a small kitchen table. After a bit, she nudged me, "What deal?"

"Amelia wants the back bedroom and bath done first. What if we do that, and ask her if we can be the first occupants while the project is being finished?"

"You're kidding, she'd never agree."

"She will when she hears the rest of the deal. Until the room is ready, you and I will be dating friends. You get to do whatever you want to terrorize me about our relationship. On the night before we go to her and ask for the bedroom, I propose to you and you accept. We tell her we are engaged and need a place to cohabit."

"My god, you are really batty. I have until the room is ready, and then I'm hooked, is that it?"

"Yup, a ring and lots of kisses. And a few other activities you seem to like."

"But I make a lot of noise when we have sex. What is she going to say about that?"

"We invite her to join us. You have to make sure the four poster is generously sized."

"This will never work. What if the room is ready and I decide I can't marry you."

"I keep romancing you until you give in. I get Amelia to plead my cause."

"I have to be strong. I have to sleep on this. Maybe I should send you away, so I will be lonely and have a good cry."

"You don't have to send me away to have a good cry. I have a soft shoulder." I got up and started doing the dishes. She sat there in silence while I washed and banged around. I turned around and there were big fat tears running down her cheeks.

"OMG, you can't do that. I didn't mean for you to cry." I picked her up and dashed for the sofa. She folded herself into me and sobbed. I held her and patted her and made sympathy noises.

She pushed me on my back and lay on me again. "You are a no good bastard. Stealing innocent women's hearts, doing their dishes, making incredible love to them."

She put her head down and cried some more. After a while, she sat up and said, "Are you serious about giving me some space to work this out?"

I nodded and at the same time noticed a wonderful odor seeping out from under the hem of the long tee shirt just in front of me. On the spur of the moment, I lifted the bottom of the tee over my head and clasping my arms around her, moved the source of all those pheremones right down to my face.

After a couple of good licks, she gushed on me and screamed at the same time. "No!"

She leapt off and ran into the bedroom and slammed the door.

I went back to kitchen chores, thinking I had screwed up pretty badly.

Suddenly the light went out and her arms were around me. The tee shirt was gone and her nipples were burning a hole in my back. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have screamed at you. It's just that my body likes your tongue so much, even when I'm trying to ration our loving!"

"Rationing probably isn't going to work. But I promise to clean up my act. No more of that without permission."

"Let's go to bed and talk about the project. Like we told Amelia we were going to do last night but didn't."

We did go to bed, and we did talk about the project, and we did fall asleep in less than five minutes.

For the second morning in a row, I woke up to smell of fresh brewed coffee, which arrived along with juice, toast and a naked Cicely, who hopped in beside me.

For once, my mind was on the project rather than the fabulous body next to me. "I need to have Vic Lansing come out and survey the plumbing. Do you think there is any salvage? I'm not anxious to break into those hand plastered walls."

She munched on her toast and smiled at me. "Vic is very good. I don't think we can save the plaster in the bathrooms anyway. Maybe in one if we try to preserve Victorian ambiance. But modern bathrooms are very different. We'll likely have to move walls, change windows, completely redo the floors."

"What if we suggested a grandparent's suite, with redone furnishings in period style?"

"That's a good idea, Kirk." She hesitated while she put our plates on the night table, swung her leg over me, and straddled up close. "I have to congratulate you. We've actually talked about the project for five minutes without your attacking the bare boob that has been pointing at you the whole time. I'm not sure how to relate to the new Kirk." Then she laid the warmest wettest kiss she could on me and wiggled her bottom on top of the part of me that was getting hard. Before I could react, she jumped up and disappeared into her closet, saying, "Get dressed, we have lots of work before we're due at Amelia's at eleven. And I insist on bringing lunch today."

While Cice was setting up her architect's equipment, I was in the basement with Vic, who was able to fit me in for a late morning visit. "This was done very well in its day, Kirk, but a hundred years is a long time. And its wildly out of current code. There may be asbestos in here, and I wouldn't be surprised to find a leftover lead pipe or two."

"I guess everything down here goes in the dumpster. But there are historically valuable plaster walls upstairs that we would like to preserve where we can. We might be able to find some space for chases to reach the bathrooms."

"If you want me to do the work, I'll be happy to design around the restoration priorities. But Kirk, this isn't a new construction spec house."

"I'd love to have you on the team, Vic. Thanks for offering. The owner understands about restoration budgets."

"Good. Call me when there are schematics to go over. And, you'd better file a preliminary application with the city right away, even before you have plans. They are going to have a zillion questions about this project."

Over lunch, I said to Amelia, "We need to develop our approach to the city building department. Projects like this have a way of getting lost for months. Cicely and I will write a preliminary application and she will hand carry it to the planners. But, as the saying goes, we need contacts with people in high places."

She looked at us, "You know, I'm not anxious for publicity, but was wondering if perhaps an article in the weekly paper about the background of the house and the importance of the restoration in saving it for future generations."

"Wonderful idea. They are always looking for features. I know their editor and we could arrange a conversation. What about your Council member?" Cicely asked.

"She's married to a distant cousin of mine, and we get along fine. I'll give her a call, treating it as an opportunity for the city to get some local visibility."

I had to get ready to talk to Bruce Tarleton about the exterior repairs, and the women went off to draft some words for a restoration article.

I had a crude list ready when Bruce drove up in his large pickup with equipment racks and other goodies. He is tall, lanky, and very down home.

"Kirk, it's good to see you." Gazing at the house, he said, "Big project to take this back to original condition. Lots of code issues. You got a letter saying the client understands the probability of unexpected costs?"

"Bruce, wait until you meet Amelia. This is one smart lady. She has been one step ahead of Cicely and me ever since we started. Our budget talk started with her saying she had already transferred the first hundred thousand to a project account."

"So you have Cicely Anderson as project Architect? That's a good sign."

Bruce was deliberately giving me the third degree. We'd known each other for years. Competed for some business now and then. He was just checking to make sure I was aware that these kinds of complicated restorations of hundred year old houses could turn into the projects from hell.

"Before we meet with Amelia and Cicely, let's take a look around and see if we agree on where to start and how to prioritize things."

"Fine with me. I talked to Tony this morning and he said it was ok if this was my top job for awhile. I told him he could count on me for quick jobs if he needed."

"I haven't been in the attic, but there is probably bad news up there. Do you think we can get a variance to leave the framing alone and fix the roof itself?"

"That's a tricky question. If everything is sound, probably yes. If there is rot and water damage, it all has to come off."

"What do you think about the siding?"

"Should have been painted a long time ago. But they must have built with old growth redwood. Look how hard and clean the bare wood is. Don't see that anymore. I have a painting sub who knows how to be careful with a blowtorch and we should be able to get the remaining paint off. Impossible to match what's on there with today's paint formulas."

"I'm almost scared to ask you about the drain pipes?"

"Forget the paint, that looks like old style copper to me. Worth a fortune and we will hang on to every bit we can. But the city will insist on installing perimeter drains to get the water away from the house. They never bothered with that in the old days."

We spent a few more minutes checking porch railings and trim, most of which was ok. Bruce and I were standing near the front entrance when Amelia and Cicely came out. Amelia said, "I can't tell from the looks on your faces whether you have good news or bad news for me." She smiled.

I introduced Bruce and we gave her a general reprise of our quick walkaround. Bruce said, "Could be worse, could be better. I hope you are not offended if I tell you that putting things right, including the drainage, will be at least fifty thousand, and might hit a hundred if the attic is in tough shape."

"Bruce, thank you for being candid. All I ask is that you keep me informed of both the good news and the bad news as you start. Kirk tells me you have the best reputation in town for quality work."

"Amelia, you have a beautiful home. It will be a privilege to help put it back in restored condition."

Cicely and I exchanged looks. This was a relief. The public would make a lot of judgments about the success of the project based on how it looked from the outside. Bruce's willingness to take on such a visible effort was encouraging.

I walked him down to the truck. He asked about permits. "We have that on a fast track and Amelia is calling in chits from friends who can influence the building department. Cicely will file preliminary plans tomorrow. I should have a start date for you by early next week. It would probably be best for you to do your own formal site inspection and scoping. The county knows you but will want to see the documentation. Give me your card and I'll get a check cut for an initial progress payment."

I walked back to the house and found the women in the new project office. "Amelia, why don't the three of us take a look at the attic? We need a good flashlight to look in the corners."

A few minutes later, we were peering through the cobwebs. "Haven't been up here in years. I have no idea what most of this stuff is. My memory isn't much good anymore."

I was more interested in Bruce's alarming comment about the possible need for the whole top of the house to come off.

"Amelia, when is the last time there was major work on the roof?"

"Must be more than a dozen years ago. Before my husband died. He was very good about seeing to the house repairs. I'm afraid I haven't been a good owner over the years, but I am trying to make up for it now."

I'd been in attics where you saw a lot of daylight looking up. There wasn't any daylight here, but there were water streaks on the rafters of very indeterminate age. In the old days, they used a lot of redwood for framing, even though it isn't as strong as fir. No one realized that over many years, the rot resistance of the dense old growth timbers would make life easier for restorers.

I put my arm around Amelia and said, "Looking at this, I feel better. About a hundred thousand dollars better!"

We are all laughed and she looked at me with curiosity.

I said, "Let's have some tea and see where we are. In fact, why don't you let Cicely and me take you to dinner?"

Cicely cut in, "I already asked her to my place for dinner and she accepted. You have cocktail duties."

We wandered downstairs and regrouped in the project office. I leaned on the mahogany desk and felt guilty. It probably belonged in a museum.

I built a small fire in the fireplace and we sat around, sipping our tea.