| Newton MA News and Politics BlogJust outside my front door there’s been a fascinating construction project unfolding over recent months.

Since we moved to Newton in 2009 there’s always been a derelict house right across the street from us.

One half of the house was totally unhabitable.  The other half, just barely.

When the owner died a few years ago, the property got tied up for quite a while in probate court.  Eventually it was sold early this year.

 | Newton MA News and Politics BlogThe new owner hoped to knock it down and rebuild it from the ground up.  Because it’s in the Upper Falls Historic District, its not that simple. The new owner worked for months with the Upper Falls Historic Commission to come up with a plan that worked for both him and the Commission.  In the end, it was agreed by all that the rear portion of the L shaped house could be torn down because it was so far gone.  The Commission wanted to save the main portion of this 19th century.  Despite the fact that it was such an eyesore, if you squinted your eyes and had a little imagination you could see that the original house, if restored, could once again be a beauty.

The new owner came up with a plan and over the last few months we’ve been intrigued at  | Newton MA News and Politics Blogwatching out our front door at how its done.

The plan was to knock the rear section down, take the main portion of the house and move it 6′ forward towards the street and then build a new L portion towards the back of the lot.

They stripped off all the external shingles, covered the exterior with sheetwood, then wrapped it all in Tyvek and braced the bottom of the house.

Next they dug out all around the foundation and inserted steel rails under the house.  I’m a bit fuzzy about the next few steps but eventually they dug out the entire basement and  | Newton MA News and Politics Blogfoundation and ended up with the house suspended about 6′ above the ground on wooden supports with the steel rails on top, and the house above that.

This week they’ve been digging out what will be the new foundation extending out in front of the house towards the street.

I’m definitely looking forward to see how they move it forward and plant it in its new location in the coming weeks.  I’m sure the project still has a long road ahead of it but I’m looking forward to to the day when its done, and the ramshackle house that we’ve always had out our front door is replaced by a new?  handsome 19th centrury house