Thanks Mojomom. I'll be sure to take lots of photos of the progress and post often with updates. The next step is floor insulation, radiant floor heat, and the concrete basement slab.

Fascinating to watch. Please keep posting.

I'll enjoy watching this, too. Having grown up in a 200 y/o home in Clinton, it's near and dear to my heart. My parents did a huge amount of restoration, albeit in slow motion.

Those walls are great! Thank you for posting. I read your first post too and you're right, this huge and worthy project is "not for the faint of heart"!

Was keeping the basement floor as is and raising the house a couple of feet above the foundation ever a consideration or even a possibility?

I'll be watching your posts too. Great stuff!

I'm glad you love those walls. It was so cool to see the clean stone for the first time. We thought about raising the house but the structure was in tough shape so we didn't want to risk it. Also, the cost to lower the floor was a great deal. I hired a large crew of landscapers who were out of work during the winter months and saved a bundle. I will post some more info and pics this evening.

Oh wow that has to be some serious work! How much further than existing will you end up lowering the floor? Underpinning is always a chore!

Old houses are fun to work on, such neat character. The stone foundation looks pretty cool, I do work on a lot of older houses and do not see that style of stone often. Love it!

I just wanted to post a link to my new renovation blog for anyone interested in following our progress. Take care1800's Farmhouse Renovation

Wow- small world! My parents considered buying the Arsenal when we were looking for a home in 1961. I moved from CT in 1980, although I still have friends there. I just finished building a new 'old House' in upstate SC.