blog @ stone lion cape cod » being in business

A Time and a Season

Janet Loewenstein — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 19:25:07 +0000

Hard to believe winter is almost over. On the one hand it’s been a long one, on the other, as with each of the years I’ve been doing this, the busy season is approaching all too quickly. As usual, there is a lot to do around here.

This is the time of year when I take a look around and decide what needs to be done either to keep up or to improve the property. There’s always some simple maintenance, like patching plaster and touching up paint, tightening faucets, re-caulking showers (one of my least favorite jobs), etc. That kind of stuff is sort of a no-brainer. Then there are things that should be replaced because they’re showing signs of wear & tear. Some of those things I replace often, like towels. Other things, like area rugs, need to be replaced because after ten years they’re showing signs of wear. The house also needs new shutters, the existing ones are probably original and they’re falling apart. These are the projects I do myself.

Then there are some larger projects with which I need help. To that end I’ve been having what I call “The Running of the Contractors”. It’s kind of like The Running of the Bulls, but different. So far this year that has included a roofing contractor to replace a leaky skylight in the apartment, a masonry contractor to install a cobblestone apron at the front of the driveway (an attempt to keep the stones in the driveway) and a concrete countertop guy to look at replacing the sink counter in my kitchen. The first two of those three projects should be done by the end of this week; I’m still waiting on the countertop estimate to make my decision on that. I’d like to do it, but it’s not critical and I may need to spend the money elsewhere.

I still need to talk to my house painter, there’s exterior painting and power washing that need to be done and I want to see if his crew can install new shutters for me. There’s also some landscaping work that I need to have done, parts of the brick foundation that need to be repointed and a couple of exterior carpentry jobs that can’t wait. Oh, and it’s really all got to be done by the middle of May if not sooner. It’s a small window of time, but with the exception of the kitchen countertop, this is all exterior work that needs to be done in reasonably good weather.

Looking at the above list, I’m well aware of how short time is. No doubt about it, summer is coming.

Ten

Janet Loewenstein — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 20:36:36 +0000

It was ten years ago this week that we first took hammer and pry bar to plaster and started the renovation on the inn. Want to take a little walk down memory lane with me and revisit the project?

It was a daunting task; we had two sets of walls to remove on each side of the house, including plaster, lath, vertical supports and, on one side of the house, a bunch of brick. The plaster dust was horrid and I remember that the combination of dust mask and goggles made my glasses fog up something awful, but not wearing the protective gear was worse.

We worked from about 8 a.m. to dusk seven days a week that winter, and on into spring. My dad, who lives two hours away, drove out every weekend for six months and put in two days of work to help out. That extra pair of hands was an enormous help, especially when hanging sheetrock. In addition to my dad we had a team of plumbers and an electrician to handle those trades and I found someone to hang the wallpaper in the bathrooms. A couple of friends came out and gave us the gift of a few days of work, mostly painting, and towards the very end I did hire someone local to help with the interior painting and another local person to scrape & repaint the front facade of the house. Other than that, my husband & I did all the work ourselves.

Our goal was to try to open by Memorial Day weekend but we knew there was a good chance we wouldn’t be ready by then so we didn’t actually take any reservations for that weekend, figuring that if by some miracle we were ready for guests we’d find some somehow. It turned out to be a good call. We had a ton of work to do, mostly by ourselves, and there was no way we could have made that deadline. We did somehow manage to get open in late June and went right into the busy season… that first year is something of a blur to me.

Want to know what we got done in those seven months? As best as I can remember, here’s the list:

demolished walls on 2nd floor necessary to create new bathrooms
built platforms for the new bathrooms to sit on (helps accommodate the plumbing without cutting through structural joists)
removed the clawfoot tub from the existing bathroom, gutted that bathroom including the flooring, installed new floor joists, created new door opening
plumbing & new fixtures for three new bathrooms on 2nd floor, considerable new plumbing for the old bathroom
framed, insulated & sheetrocked new walls for bathrooms
purchase, hang, trim & paint new doors for 3 bathrooms
installed beadboard, trim & wallpaper in all four bathrooms
installed new furnace & hot water heater for house, new duct work for 2nd floor bedrooms, new programmable thermostat
installed exhaust fans & dropped ceilings in all 4 bathrooms
tiled all 4 bathroom floors, built & installed steps to raised bathrooms
installed new sheetrock ceilings in one bedroom and a small back hallway
installed ceiling fans & medallions in all 4 bedrooms
caulked & painted every wall & ceiling on 2nd floor
had substantial rewiring done throughout the house
gutted & entirely re-did the bathroom in the apartment including new plumbing & fixtures and a new tile floor
repainted apartment
gutted third floor (personal living space), expanded bathroom, moved tub & installed a new sink – this all involved a certain amount of wall building as well
painted entire 3rd floor, had carpet installed
removed loft bed from what was to become my office/laundry/storage room on the first floor, installed desk & shelves
moved washer, purchased and installed a dryer
purchased & installed two new base cabinets in kitchen to replace existing, added an extra high shelf along 2 walls of the kitchen
installed new medallions and ceiling fans in living & dining rooms
painted living room, dining room, foyer and entry hall on first floor
new sheetrock & blocking in the 1st floor half-bath to support sink, repainted half-bath
carpeted main staircase
installed new pass-through counter on first floor, added trim, caulked & painted pass-through
various outdoor projects to clean up property and rehab some of the lawn
repainted entire interior of cottage, removed ceiling fans (they were too low to be legal) and installed light fixtures in 3 bedrooms

That was the renovation. We also had to purchase some new furniture, set up rooms and hang art. All our stuff from Brooklyn had to be unpacked & put away – especially for the kitchen – and our computers had to get set up.

We were lucky enough to have my mother-in-law’s house ten minutes away to stay in so we didn’t have to live in a construction site. That very likely saved our sanity. When it got too dark to work (we had a lot of the wiring ripped out so limited ability to plug in work lights) we’d go back to the other house, shower, feed ourselves and hit the computers. A brochure and website had to be designed, mailings sent out, guest management programs had to be researched, additional phone lines had to be ordered, bed & bath linens, window treatments and curtain rods had to be researched, purchased and installed, same with soaps & other amenities for the bathrooms. Dishes, flatware, glasses and serving pieces for the dining room had to be decided upon and ordered. New bank accounts had to be opened and a credit card processing account set up. Breakfast recipes had to be created or adapted.

Somehow it all got done, but ten years later I’ll be damned if I know how.

Holiday Musings

Janet Loewenstein — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 06:11:42 +0000

Some towns go all out for the holidays with tons of decorations, a huge tree & lighting ceremony, house tours, concerts, plays, caroling and so forth. Not so much in Wellfleet. A lot of the shops and restaurants are closed. Decorations are understated: two large, living trees in front of town hall are lit with strings of white lights (LED of course) and the doorway of town hall is similarly surrounded. Green wreaths are attached to a few lamp posts on Main Street. Preservation Hall had a holiday sale one weekend and there’s an event for local kids with Santa followed by a free matinee movie at the cinema. That’s about it. Drive through the center of town after dark and there are a hand full of cars in front of The Lighthouse but the scene is utterly subdued and peaceful.

Not being a Christmas person myself, I like it this way. On the other hand, it would also be nice if there was something to attract guests here during this time. The weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas are often the quietest of the winter. I’ve been thinking of making my own event next year but it would have to be something unique. Perhaps even a NON-Christmas event; something to get away from all the holiday stuff. What do you all think about this? Any ideas for what would be a fun way to get away and forget about Christmas for a night or two? Post any and all ideas in the comments and if I use your idea in an event next year you’ll get your choice of one night free on the event weekend or $50 off your next stay at the inn.

The Blogging Wagon

Janet Loewenstein — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 04:44:15 +0000

Yes, I fell off, apologies to my regular readers (if I have any). I’m going to try to get back on and stay there, though.

It’s been an interesting season, mostly in a good way. It was my first as a solo innkeeper, so there was a lot to figure out as far as how to do what I normally do plus the things my ex-husband did, like grocery shopping. That may seem like a small thing, but let me tell you in July and August it is definitely not! In those months it has to be done about every 4 – 5 days and the traffic can be a challenge. Not to mention the additional crowds at the supermarket. Figure it out I did, however.

I’m not going to try to summarize the entire summer in one post, I’ll relate stories as I think of them and have time. I did have a good season, despite the grim economy and the less-than-stellar weather, so I can’t complain on that front. And I’m still here. And I will try to stay on the wagon.

Anniversary

Janet Loewenstein — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 03:11:49 +0000

Ten years ago today I checked in my first guests.

I can’t believe how quickly the time has passed, it’s been quite a ride! I’ve learned a lot, grown a lot, met amazing people and am going through a huge transition in my life, but I wouldn’t change a minute of it. And how many people can say that about their jobs?

Social Networking

Janet Loewenstein — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 15:19:00 +0000

It’s a connected world out there people!

Are you all aware that I have a Facebook Fan Page for the inn? No? Visit it here. Become a fan! Leave a comment! If you send me pictures from your stay I’ll post them for you – or I think you can post them yourself.

You can also follow me on Twitter. I wasn’t sure I’d like using it, but I actually do. I love the 140 character limit, it makes me think about my wording and it makes it much easier to go through the posts of the people I follow.

It’s a beautiful day today, I’d best make the most of it. Thanks for reading!

Me/We

Janet Loewenstein — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 01:33:00 +0000

I’m having a bit of trouble with pronouns lately. It took me years of conscious effort to learn to use we and us when speaking of the business because my husband, quite rightly, wished to feel included. Now that he is no longer part of the business, I find that the habit is thoroughly ingrained and I catch myself using the plural where the singular is now correct. This is one of the odd, unexpected consequences of splitting up, I guess.

On a lighter note, reservations are definitely coming in for the summer so I’m cautiously optimistic about the season. If anyone out there is considering staying with me this summer, making reservations early is advised. That is particularly true if you are tied to specific dates for an event or anniversary, or for any time in August.

Let Me Clue You In

Janet Loewenstein — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 19:26:00 +0000

If you’re a company wanting to do business with me, let me give you two little suggestions:

1) Hire people to make your phone calls who I can understand and who can understand me. Speaking to someone who’s English is so heavily accented that I have to ask them to repeat things several times just frustrates me, and I’m sure it frustrates them as well. And it’s equally unhelpful if I have to keep repeating myself to be understood.*

2) When I say I’m not interested, thank me and hang up. Do not keep talking. I do not enjoy hanging up on you, but I will.

*I have nothing against people who’s first language is not English, but heavy accents are much more difficult to understand on the phone than face-to-face. All I’m suggesting is that when companies hire people to do phone sales, they should conduct a test run on the phone with the candidate to see if there’s a problem with making themselves understood/understanding the other person.

End of rant. Thanks for listening.