We tried. We really tried.

We tried to tell ourselves that we could just put in a new (insulated) picture window in the den and paint the paneling and it would be good enough. We tried. Really we did. We were almost ready to paint primer in the room.  But we just couldn't do it. The pictures tell the story.

This is the doorway in the den that leads to the enclosed porch. You can see the paneling and trim that was in the den. Well, still is in the den. About 1/2 of it is gone now.  I will replace the glass in the door before Adam and Kathy move in.

You can see the rotted wood around the window sill of the picture window. Not good. 

This is wall in the den with the trim and the paneling pulled off.  Next step is the drywall removal. I had to tape the picture window in place so it would not fall on me and cause massive blood loss.

That's the condition of the den tonight. If the windows are in tomorrow, the carpenter crew can easily remove the drywall and install the windows. I am trying to do everything that I know how to do so the carpenters (Carlton and Chris) can do the skillful stuff. 

Kathy worked on her room, cleaning walls, patching holes in the wall from the millions of nails that were in the walls and finally priming them. Her room is coming together. She needs a window replacement in that room as well. The only reason we did not gut her room is that we will install a bathroom in her room next year and it will have to be gutted then. We can make her room livable without gutting it.