Top 5 Best Surprises So Far

As promised, a list of the top five best surprises we have found working on the house.

Top Five Best Surprises (so far)

5. Unique Finds: We've found some interesting things at the house. Here are a few:

Kevin found this street sign in the basement. The closest Hughitt Ave to us is in Superior, Wisconsin. 

These were the the highlight of the utensil draw. I especially like that they put a bird on the whisk.

Neat old breaker.

Our mail slot works :) Our first piece of mail (thanks Bud and Carole!) and it wasn't a bill!

Built in ironing board in the kitchen. We thought about converting it to a spice rack.

Bleeding Heart

4. Overgrown Garden: There are some really cool flowers in the overgrown garden beds at the house. I can't wait to get my hands dirty next year and get everything cleaned up. Kev and I have some neat plans for the yard including a patio in the back, raised beds and maybe a fire pit. But I guess we should just focus on getting our certificate of occupancy, haha.

Does anyone have any suggestions on which plants we should put in the garden?

Lily of the Valley

Some sort of blooming sedum.

Yarrow

Daylilies

3. Roof View: I've mentioned this a bunch already but the view of the lake from our roof is truly amazing. A few weeks ago while Kevin was checking his patch jobs, I got to enjoy watching some ships move in and out of the harbor with the sun on my back and a nice breeze keeping the bugs away.

Blatnik Bridge

Old, dirty manhole.

2. Qualifying for Grants: We were informed by neighbors and contractors about a few grants out there for sewer work and we are definitely taking advantage of them. Shubitz Plumbing and Heating has dug out our manhole and trap in the basement and replaced them. The manhole was replaced with an actual drain and a brand new sump pump was installed. We also got an additional electrical outlet out of it. The workers were very professional, did great work and cleaned up everything! The best part was that we paid $0!

We have heard from our neighbors that the previous owner had problems with her sewer lines and that they maybe clogged and/or damaged. So we are going to have Northland Lining check them out. They will be coming out with their super cool snakey camera and take a look. If the sewer line is partially blocked or collapsed, then they can auger it out and line it. Currently Duluth also has a grant for this type of work, which will pay for 80% of the cost up to $3,000. Hopefully Northland will be coming our soon to assess our line. 

1. Awesome neighbors: Kevin and I have some how been privileged with amazing neighbors. Everyone we have met on our street have been so nice and welcoming. They have helped call the police on punks throwing rocks at the windows while we were gone. They have also helped us hunt for the garage raccoons and given us some great advice and tools on certain projects. And that's just the neighbors on our street! Our Lincoln Park neighbors have feed us and helped us out with a variety of projects around the house including everything from tree trimming to demoing to fixing leaky pipes. We really appreciate everyone's support throughout this renovation :)