It started this week with just three people doing little things — scraping paint, touching up, getting ready. Just a start.
But by the time everything is finished sometime next year, Plumb Place should really be something to see.
After a long period of fund-raising and grant-writing, the $100,000 is finally there to start renovating the outside of the 19th century home, which provides transitional housing for women in need. The work itself got under way Monday, to the satisfaction and relief of director Jill Wheeler.
“It’s finally time that the outside matches the inside,” she said. “As much as I hate to admit it, people judge a book by its cover.”
The interior work, a project in itself, became more or less complete in October when the old ballroom was restored — although Wheeler was quick to point out that, like any old home, the work is never completely done. But now things are stable enough for attention to shift to the outside, which has its own long laundry list of chores.
The trim needs to be repainted.
Rotted wood needs to be replaced.
New storm windows need to go in and the old windows need new glazing.
Some of the sprucing up is more or less cosmetic, turning a weather-beaten old home into a bright shiny showpiece. But some of it will save money in the long run. Many of the repairs are meant to make the home more airtight now so that Plumb Place can save on heating and cooling bills down the road.
“Part of the problem has always been that we haven’t had enough money to fix things properly,” Wheeler said. “We’ve put Band-Aids on so much and done temporary fixes for so long that it’s catching up with us. Now we’ve finally got the money in to get to some longer-lasting repairs.”
And when that’s done? Well, then it may be time to look at the inside again, specifically the residential areas. Last year, Wheeler said, 63 women stayed at Plumb Place. That leaves a certain amount of wear and tear on any building. But now the work can be keep-up instead of catch-up.
And since February, Wheeler’s got a little more help keeping up with things. A grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development allowed Plumb Place to hire Mary Halleran, Wheeler’s onetime administrative assistant, as director of resident services. Halleran works directly with the women on residential issues, freeing Wheeler up for more of the day-to-day responsibilities.
“She has been an absolute godsend,” Wheeler said. “I didn’t realize what I was doing all by myself until Mary came along. I was being pulled in so many directions.”
Wheeler said she expects the work on Plumb Place to take at least a year, with more people getting involved as the work gets further along.