The inside looks fabulous!

We have been working very hard, and now the old girl looks all spiffed up!  She even got some new updated ventilation.  Can't wait for our walk-thru with everybody so they can see her!

Here's our new railing

Safety First!  It was really scary up in this part of the Lighthouse before. I always felt that if somebody accidentally bumped me, down I'd go!  Now it feels much better.  Ok...yes...I will admit that I'm a big baby, but now I don't have to worry.  It looks great.

Our beautiful Lighthouse just gleams!

Ooooohhhhh.  Pretty shiny stairs!

Creative solutions

One of the locks for the lighthouse wasn't working.  When Rob opened it up, there were two pieces of steel floating around inside the casing.  Since the backset didn't have any tension on it, he knew it had to be related to keeping the backset pushed out.

Inside the warded lock casing with the mystery piece

Better view, minus 100 years of crud

How do you replace a broken piece in an obsolete lock?  The first stop was Grosse Ile Hardware.  Terry found a clip used to repair window screens that was the right width, thickness, and most importantly, had the right amount of spring to push the backset out after the knob is turned.  It just needed to be trimmed and bent into shape.

New piece after trimming and bending

Back in action!

The lock works again!

We are at it again!

Well, we are at it again! Now we have the great pleasure of making the inside of the Lighthouse look beautiful again. The painters have been working diligently all week and I have been told that the inside of the Lighthouse just shines! I hope to have some pictures soon to share with everyone.

What a beautiful morning!

The scaffolding is down and touch-ups are being done. We will be 100% completed with our beautiful Lighthouse project by the end of the week! We definitely enjoyed being a part of this historical renovation and being an integral part of helping to keep Grosse Ile beautiful!

Took down the tarp

The pretty lighthouse sees daylight again!

Thanks Supervisor Loftus!

Got this cool picture from Supervisor Brian Loftus that he took at our inspection yesterday. Pictured from left to right are: Bryan Lijewski, Michelle Smay, and my awesome boss Charlie Lowler. What a fine looking Lighthouse inspection team! Thanks Mr. Loftus for the picture!

Final Inspection Day!

Supervisor and Mrs. Brian Loftus and Carol Knopp from Grosse Ile Township, Michelle Smay from Smay Trombley Architecture, Bryan Lijewski and Denise Sachau from the State of Michigan Historic Preservation Office in Lansing, Charlie, and I had our big inspection today! They started at the top at the lantern and worked their way down. We had a few items on the punchlist to take care of once the scaffold is out of the way, but other than that, the painting will be done today! They said we did a really good job. We will be removing the tarp by the end of the week-weather permitting. Stay tuned for pictures of the unveiling!

Railings are back up