ZehrPhotos.com
From stonework to quiet landscapes, these are the details that tell the story.
Real photos. Real work. Real places.
Captured one moment at a time.
From stonework to quiet landscapes, these are the details that tell the story.
Captured one moment at a time.
A good photo captures more than a subject — it captures a moment, a process, and a sense of place. Many of these images come from real projects, real work, and real days along the way.
Over View of Zehr Photos
This site is organized around real projects over time. You can begin with the early years, follow the progress, or jump into more recent work.
Stabilize the structure
Reduce ongoing damage
Create one livable space
Establish long-term infrastructure
Build visible momentum
The first year was not about finishing. It was about survival, strategy, and making the property stable enough to move forward. Every decision had to balance cost, time, safety, and visible progress.
Paying down the loan was a high priority, and time was always limited. Stone work became one of the smartest early investments because it could be done gradually, improved the appearance of the property, and kept costs lower when buying stone directly from farmers.
The outside work also showed immediate progress to the community. What began as a practical decision quickly became a defining part of the restoration. By about the second year, work on the front stone fence alone had already involved an estimated 150 loads of stone, and many more loads followed after that.
One major early goal was to eliminate the overhead lines. More than 40 lines, including electric, cable, and phone, crossed the property. The long-term vision was to take that number to zero and clean up both the appearance and the infrastructure.
Fiber service was just starting in town, and Zehr Estate became one of the first hookups and the first underground hookup. We hand dug the trench, paid for a new 400 amp electric service, and ran the underground fiber in the same trench. With guidance from the electric inspector, I completed the service panel setup in preparation for the hookup. He later said it was the cleanest panel setup he had ever seen, which was a proud moment, especially since it was my first solo panel of that scale.
Our daughter was planning to move in, so one apartment became the first major interior priority. That meant focusing on a main room, a small kitchen, and a bathroom for restoration and repair.
This also led to careful decisions about the electrical system. As I reviewed the building, I checked which outlets and circuits were still connected and worth keeping. When the new electric service was installed, only the reviewed and needed circuits were reconnected. Around that same time, I also had the water turned off so I could install a new and reliable main water shutoff, an important step even though it is not shown in the photos.
Another major first-year goal was documenting the interior condition of the property as tenants moved out. The damage, clutter, and years of deferred maintenance quickly made it clear that restoration alongside active rentals would not be workable.
A large portion of the year was spent cleaning, organizing, sorting, and removing items for disposal or salvage. These efforts may not always appear dramatic in photos, but they were essential in understanding the true scope of the project and preparing the building for serious restoration work.
These photos reflect the more difficult side of the project. At the same time, we captured many images that highlight the unique craftsmanship and character of the Zehr Estate. Follow our progress on YouTube to see that potential come back to life, one step at a time.
The roofs were another major challenge. The plan from the beginning was to gradually redo one roof at a time, but deciding which roof to tackle first was not easy because so many areas leaked.
For a while, buckets were simply part of daily life. After each rain, they had to be emptied as we worked to hold the situation together long enough to make strategic repairs. These roof decisions were not only about materials and labor, but also about protecting the work already being done inside.
The carriage house became an important early focus for two reasons. First, it still had cement shingle siding, which presented a potential hazard and seemed wise to address before regulations became tighter. Second, it was much smaller than the main house, making it possible to show progress faster and build momentum.
As the owner, I was able to suit up with protection and remove the siding myself. At first, I had been exploring the cost of replacing everything with new wood siding. Instead, we discovered that the original siding underneath could be saved. It was ready for scraping, re-nailing, repair where needed, priming, and paint. I also added molding details to better connect the carriage house visually to the design language of the main house.
When we first purchased the property, nearly every roof leaked, and several porches in need of major repair. Some days, it felt more like managing water than restoring a home. Photos from these years capture what we were really dealing with and therefore had a heavy focus on roof repair.
As we worked through the major issues, the project began to shift from survival to progress. This is when we started capturing more of the process.
Photos came first. Then, as the project grew, we began documenting the work through photos & video. That decision opened the door to sharing the process in a whole new way.
These photos capture key moments along the way. For step-by-step progress and real-time decisions, visit our YouTube channel where each stage of the work is documented as it happens.
Victorian Estate YouTube Channel
Zehr.net | ZehrWoodArtistry.com
ZehrPhotos.com