matching in old cedar siding

Still waiting on design drawing for ramp from architect.

Siders worked on reusing saved cedar siding and putting it into ice house where window was reframed to smaller size. Used hardiplank for where ice house foundation meets siding. Once painted, it will never show.

Purchased pump and new drop in utility sink for basement. Reusing old cabinet from kitchen as base for sink. Needed pump because sink drain is below the level of the septic drain outlet from the house.

Quiet again

So the work assigned after the preliminary framing inspection was done is finished. All the asbestos pipe insulation has been safely removed by a specially licensed contractor. More siding has gone up, all that is left is by the new front porch where I am extending the porch and making a ramp.

Work continues on repurposing the old kitchen cabinets as additional storage in the basement. Almost complete but need to put up something to work as a backsplash and put in better lighting after the heating/cooling ducts are run as well as rough plumbing. Some of the re-purposed cabinets need backs and tops but all of the old counter top was reused already. All and all, am feeling quite "green".

reusing existing detail

These doors are original to the 20's build and I decided that the new doors for the jack and jill bathroom and their matching walkin closets should be made on the same pattern rather than standard builder doors.

I also "found" a cool original fixture hiding in plain sight in a hallway. There is amazing detail that shows it is from the art deco period but being overhead, I could not get a good photo.

Also, the porch ceiling was finished with bead board in the same pattern - house to front - as the original porch.

more siding and framing

The siding on the rear of the existing house had to be replaced because of old kitchen vents and damage where the addition was tied into the house.

The kitchen is getting framed in where the new landing and entryway is going. Can't tell if they were able to keep the same level as the existing back door entry or whether they had to go down one more step to provide proper headroom.

It is interesting but probably too subtle to notice the difference in the two bare walls in the following photo. The right most wall in which the door hangs, was from the original build. There is a larger gap between the cedar sheath and there are square head nails. The left bare wall is part of the bump out done in the '30s and the sheathing has smaller gaps and round head nails.

1 furnace going in, siding on chimney, entry under work

They are removing the floor of the closet that is being transformed into the entryway into the new kitchen. The big question is whether the landing from the back door is low enough so there is sufficient head room. Watch and see.

The chimney has been sided. You seen shade there now but when the guys were working it was hot under direct sun.

The final picture was me snapping the photo too late to catch them pushing the new gas furnace thru the opening into the crawlspace under the addition. The existing house will have 1 furnace and the addition will have a separate one because the two foundations are basically separate.

Lots of activity

More demolition in kitchen and living room along with new framing. It is very dusty in the house because the old walls are plaster and lath. Lots of debris from that.

In the kitchen, the old cabinets are coming out and moved to the basement to create additional storage. Yes, they are the formica fronted ones from the '80's but still serviceable. The old appliances and sink are being put to the curb for someone to break down into scrap. Lots of people still affected by economy are willing and able to get a little cash for that back breaking work. Better than straight to the dumpster.

New siding is going on the addition as chunks of wall are carried away from the front of the house.

Glad heavy rain came after work moved inside

So most of the work except for some siding, painting whole house, and concrete work has moved inside lucky for me since we are now experiencing heavy wind and rain again for the next week.

They got more siding up yesterday and worked more on deconstruction and reconstruction of the existing house. The old bathroom is out and the new kitchen wall is up. Big red x's mark areas of wall that are coming down.

big hole in floor!

Dormers are being converted into light boxes by changing the 2 windows into 1 large window that operates by remote control and cutting through the floor on the 2nd story of the existing house. There will be 3 of these light boxes -- one in the ceiling of the front shower and one in each of the front bedrooms.

So this photo shows the workmen using a reciprocating saw to take out the pine flooring. They have to support the window before they can remove the joists and frame out the box. That white stuff on the walls will be coming down too as it is not wall board but compressed cornhusks. Cheap to install in the 1930's when everything was done with plaster walls. It crumbles now so it's not very safe. Sounds ecologically friendly but I wouldn't want to put it to a flame test.

siding going up; problem with entry to kitchen

The first photo is of an existing closet that is supposed to be converted to an entryway into the kitchen. The horizontal bead board is concealing the supports for a landing for the stairs from the existing hallway to the half story attic finished area. There doesn't appear to be enough headroom so we will have to see how the framer handles this problem.

Otherwise you can see the Hardiplank and window trim going on. The windows are being trimmed to match the existing house, which will contribute a lot to making the whole enchilda look like its been there forever when the project is finished.

No siding as promised but ...

Roofers finished up on Saturday. It is a beautiful sight with all the extra slopes and dormers. The roof ridges mean I will not need a fan for the attic so it vents properly.

I decided that the two front windows will be filled with pre-made privacy glass block windows instead of the casements planned. Will look better with the casements in the addition and the double hungs in the existing house.

The framers were busy creating the columns that will be parged on the front porch to match the bungalow style of the existing front. They were also busy removing the wall of the existing house so that the kitchen will bridge the existing house into the addition. The electrician started roughing in the wires too. There is alot of wire to run because the three coffers will have recessed lighting.

last big push to complete shingling roof

Shingling on curb side has begun. Delicate operation to remove old roofing around power lines using sawzall. North side of porch still needs old roof stripped off.

tyvek wrapped addition; siding to start Tuesday

Siding contractor was here yesterday to confirm we were using the same soffit material - center slash vent - and the hardiplank for the siding. The underside of the porch and breezeway will get vinyl beadboard.

My nephew-in-law came on Sunday and routed cable to the ice house; moved the modem; and with my nephew's help moved the flat screen and its stand. What a blessing it is to have smart, strong, capable male relatives.