What’s it like to dance with a house? Conrad Bender and I have been slowly restoring our 1892 Victorian home in Swarthmore, PA since 2008. The choreographer in me enjoys watching the simplicity and repetition in ordinary tasks we do. Any kind of movement can become a dance. I also have a theory that contemporary dancers make great contractors. We are used to doing the same movement over and over again and are often obsessive in perfecting whatever that movement may be and/or making movement more efficient.
Painting Pas de deux
Priming shingles. Sooooo many shingles on this house.
We devised several drying racks, jigs, and techniques to try to streamline our work as much as possible.
We also spent a significant amount of time high on oil based primer
Hammer time
One shingle at a time and all done by hand.
Scaffolding
Many thanks to Dave Godfrey for letting us use his scaffolding for over 7 years. Yes, it’s been 7 years since we started working on the exterior of the house & we’re still not done.
We also need to thank our neighbors for putting up with our shenanigans.
Rip van Shingle
Demolition is so much easier than putting it back together.