Getting Ready for the Siding

There was a lot of small detail work done over the last week.  The electrician has put in switch boxes, ceiling fan boxes, recessed lighting boxes and is starting to run the new wiring in the walls and ceiling.  The carpenter has put linseed oil on the exposed cedar on the front porch and office door portico. 

The most visible difference are the lath 2x4s to nail on the Hardi Board siding, a low maintenance cement board plank.  They provide the support for the siding, which will hopefully be installed next week. The siding will be a vertical board and batten style, so you can begin to see how the outside will look.

The picture on the right shows the street side of the sun porch.  We have reduced the size of the windows facing the street so they are a "transom" style.  This will provide us more privacy while also reducing the hot, late afternoon sun. It is also the utility area, with the meters, propane gas tank, HVAC compressor.  So, not a pretty view.

On the bay side of the house, you can see the arrangement of the sun porch windows.  The lower windows open out to let a breeze through, while the top windows provide a big open view of the Chesapeake Bay.  We both expect that will become a favorite place. 

"There's a place for us . . . Somewhere. Sometime."

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

During our visit last Friday, we were able to see progress, though much of it is not obvious.  The plumber did get the baseboard radiators installed and connected into the furnace, as visible in this picture of the sun porch.  With temperatures dropping into the 30's at night, the thermostat set at 55 will avoid any frozen pipes.

However, the windows for the West side of the porch were wrong.  If you look carefully, you can see the two left windows have cranks to open and the two right windows are stationary.  That is not what we ordered.  Our contractor has notified the company and replacements are expected this week.

What is very different with the new radiators is how much shorter they need to be.  Here is the new radiator in the Master Bedroom.  The old radiator ran the length of that wall, turned the corner, and ran the length of the wall next to it.  The addition of 4" of insulation inside the concrete block walls and 8" in the ceiling will make a big difference.

In addition, the plumber began "roughing in" the plumbing.  Here are the pipes for the half-bathroom.  There are water lines for the sink and toilet, the toilet flange, and the vent line.  However, nothing has been done on the main bathroom.

We recently decided to place the TV on the wall above/beside the stairs to the basement.  Talking to the contractor, we decided to do a change order, and they inset a box into the wall, so the TV will be set back into the wall.  There were lots of other things affected which we are still working out, such as where to put the DVD player and other potential hardware.

The final picture is looking from the guest bedroom, through the wall that will have the TV, into the living room. The big 2x6 will hold the TV bracket.  

Closing in the Outside

The day before Thanksgiving, the roofer was able to get the entire roof done.  We were grateful since there was a lot of rain during that weekend, and it avoided more water in the basement.  The roof is not very visible from the road, but this gives an idea of the color.

In the front of the house, you can see a section lighter than the rest.  It is a transitional section between the original roof and the addition.  It doesn't have enough of a slope for regular shingles, so they built up "flat roof."  The only reason you can see it in this picture is I climbed on top of a neighbor's wall to take the shot.  It cannot be seen from the road.

When we visited today, the big picture windows in the living/dining room were installed, and the crew  was working on the sun porch windows.  I am so excited to finally get those done.  All of the windows should be in place by tonight.

You can see the very deep window sills the entire house will have.  In addition to the thick cinder block walls, there is a new 4 inch stud so that we can actually get in a reasonable layer of insulation.  That gives us about a 12 inch deep window casing and window sill.

Here is the view from our neighbor's house across the ravine.  The vinyl siding has not been entirely removed, so it is hanging down.

That swath of tall ornamental grasses is on the edge of our property.  Over 15 years ago Dad helped David an I divide up the clumps we found onsite. Then we replanted them down the slope to control erosion - which they still do very well. 

Slow but Steady

The view of the front is more complete.  The front edge of the roof is in place between the old roof on the left and the new porch roof on the right.  We had expected the roofers to have finished their work yesterday when this picture was taken.  But no.  Just before writing this, we got a text from our neighbor that old shingles are being removed.  So, hopefully, it will get done today. I am tired of finding water in the basement.

This is the new portico for the side entrance into my office.  It is using the same rough cut cedar as the front porch with similar trusses supporting it.  There will be simple brackets on the sides rather than columns. With a light beside the door, this will be a much more welcoming entrance when people come for spiritual direction in the evening.

In preparation for the roofers, the crew has been removing the fascia and trim boards on the edges It makes things look very raw.  They also began striping off the old vinyl siding. We are learning things about our house that we didn't know - things covered over by the siding.  I am taking pictures so we have a record for future reference. 

Work done in the inside is giving a better sense of how the layout is changing. Here you can see the half-wall that is the outer edge of the kitchen.  It will be 48" high so it can hide any clutter.  The sink will be in the center of that wall.  Standing there you can see the Chesapeake Bay and the entire living and dining room areas. 

This is how it looks from the opposite direction.  It surprised us how far the kitchen projects into the room.  On the plans it did not seem as big.  Yet, it does put the kitchen into the center of the house and all activity in the house.  While we are not doing the renovation just to sell the house, the layout will be very attractive to many buyers.

These are the live edge planks that have been planed, sanded and sealed with polyurethane to preserve the color of the cedar as much as possible.  The long plank in the middle will be on the top of the half-wall in front of the basement steps.  One of the other two will become the fireplace mantle.  We haven't made final decision about where to use the other one. One option is to do a shelf above the mantel, or somewhere else.  We will see what ideas we get.

Progress and an Expensive Change Order

The front roof porch trusses have been built.  You can see they are cedar heartwood, with the beautiful red tone of the wood visible.  We have asked for an overhang on the front edge, since the roof around the house has a two foot overhang, like you see on the sides. 

Another view from underneath shows the wood and the knotty planks above.  We probably will cover it with linseed oil to seal the wood and protect the red color from fading.  The office on the side will have a smaller canopy with a similar look.

We got bad news from the roofer that our current roof has only a few more years before needing to be replaced.  The contractor had built into the contract several thousand dollars to cover only the new section of roof.  So after much angst and deliberation, we have approved an additional cost of almost $11,000 to replace the entire roof of the house.  We will be meeting with our financial planner next week, and will ask about where to pull money for additional costs.

They have installed the transom window that will be over the bed in the Master Bedroom.  It will provide lots of light for the room, but has opaque glass, so people walking on the street will not be able to see into the house. 

You can see the roots of the yew that used to grow there.  I had pruned the branches back to the stump, and the crew pulled the stump out.

This is what the window and bedroom from the inside.

Today the contractor's son, Austin, sent us a picture of the cedar "live-edge" planks to use for the mantel over the fireplace and for the half wall beside the stairs down to the basement. I am excited with the possibilities.

A Busy Week

A lot has been happening this week.  On Monday I worked on demolishing the raised hearth in front of the fireplace.  It was solid masonry, including cinder blocks and bricks.  I spent about three hours, with most of the time spent loading up the bricks, mortar and pieces in a bucket and carrying them to the edge of the ravine.  I had to keep each bucket load light enough to carry down the basement steps, and out the back door.

You can get a sense of how much material was in the hearth when you see the pile.

While I was doing that, the carpenter was putting in two temporary walls which will be used to support the roof beams while they install the laminated beam across the open space at the end of the kitchen.

 

They also began taking out the top section of the wall on the side of the stairs to the basement, which will be only a half-wall. This will make the living room appear larger.

While we were away for a few days, the crew was able to put in a new laminated beam over the top of this wall beside the stairwell.  I would include a picture, but there is not a lot to see.

A lot of the work up to now has been on things that will disappear behind the walls and ceilings of the house.  Having worked with Dad and Mom on our house when I was growing up, I find it interesting to see how things are done, and know how important those things are.  We have had to replace a number of old beams, as well as put in new beams, because building codes have changed.  They had done things that are no longer allowed.  That is part of the adventure of working on an old house. 

When I arrived today, the front porch and steps have been poured, and several new windows installed.  Here you can see one of the Master Bedroom windows that looks toward the porch.  The strand board is covering where they have taken out the cinder block and put in the frame for a new transom window.

Here is the a view from the inside, with the framing for the transom window.  This window looks out onto the North Garden, what I call the "Secret Garden."  Usually the deer cannot see into it, with cars parked in front, and the house and a fence on the other three side.  However, that has not always worked.

By the end of the day the crew installed six windows, including the two on this side of my new office.  I am very excited to see them in place.  Yet, tempering my happiness,  all of the plants in the garden bed were badly beaten up.  Most are herbaceous perennials, which will be okay.  But the bush in the corner had a lot of branches broken.  It will grow back, but slowly.

Studs Everywhere

This is a view from the Master Bedroom down the hallway to the kitchen, and doorway onto the sun porch in the distance.  What, you say it just looks like a bunch of two by fours?  Yes, but the future walls are becoming more clear.  So let me try to walk you through the maze.

At the bottom of the picture you can see the the old oak hardwood floor.  On the right side of the floor near the bottom of the photo is the walk-in closet (with pocket door).  Running across the top above the edge of the old flooring you can see a new laminated beam that carries the weight of the edge of the existing roof. Then the hall turns to the right, past the new half-bath, and continues out to the kitchen.  But if you turn left at the end of the hardwood floor, you would enter the Master Bath. Does that make sense? 

 Looking from the living room, the new kitchen space is visible in the cut out area in the floor.  The kitchen will project about three feet into the former Dining Room/Living room rectangle.  For some unclear reason, the existing beam, visible at the top, did not extend all the way to the outside wall, requiring the supports visible on the left.  This coming week we expect a new, longer laminated beam to be installed.

Here is one end of the laminated beam in the Sun Porch.  It is very big and long!  I wonder how they will get it up into place?  Also visible is the framing for the new windows on the porch.  These are the windows with the view of the Chesapeake Bay, so they are as large as possible. 

We go out tomorrow for a doctor appointment.  We have lots of laundry to get done, and more rubble to throw down into the ravine.

After the Rain

We have had six weeks of no rain, until last Sunday.  That was much too tempting for the mischievous Rain Gods who could see all of the framing up with no roof.  They gleefully tipped buckets of water and we got at least two inches of rain.  Our carpenter put 2x4's and plastic over the open area of the addition, to keep it out.  What he didn't know is that the gutter was full of leaf debris that worked like a dam to keep the water away from the downspout.  As a result, we had water run down into the basement ceiling and down to the floor.

Fortunately we went out to the house on Tuesday because David had an evening meeting.  It rained again Tuesday afternoon, while we were there. We were able to find the problem, and resolve it, but only after further flood waters flowed into the basement. The focus the rest of this week was getting the roof into position before the next rain. Tomorrow.

On Friday afternoon the right side sloping roof of the addition was in place, and they are putting in the joists covering the section between the old roof to the left and the new peak on the right.  This is what it looked like from the front on Friday. You can see how they are making a transitional slope to avoid a deep valley between the sections.

This is how it looked from above on Friday.  The edge of the original roof is on the right, and the new roof will overlap it so that it makes a smooth transition between the two.  It is very complicated getting the wood cut to meet all of the different angles needed to fit the puzzle pieces together.  We are quite impressed with the crew.

Two of the crew came in today to get everything done before the rain tomorrow.  As we were leaving this afternoon they were finishing up with the boards for the roof decking.  So with tar paper and a tarpaulin, we hope it all stays dry through whatever buckets of water the Rain Gods decide to pour down tomorrow.  

Framing the Addition

Now you can see how big the addition will be on the house!

On Saturday we drove down for a second day of rescuing the old blocks, bricks and rubble from the outside wall, to keep them out of the dumpster.  We are carefully throwing them down as far a possible into the ravine. Then I climbed my way down, like a mountain goat, as our neighbor describes it. I moved the pieces around to slow down the erosion.  Where you see the particle board along the two back sides is where all of the cinder block came out.

On the right side of the addition will be the Entrance Hall, with a large closet for coats.  The far end of the Entrance Hall will open into the side of the kitchen.  On the left side of the addition, from front to back, will be a walk-in closet for the master bedroom, a small half-bath, and a hallway between the kitchen and bedrooms.

This is the view looking out toward the street.

You can see the third dumpster along the street.  When they tried to haul out the second one, it had sunk down into the sandy soil, so there are now two inch boards under the rollers of this one.

This will be the view from the window to the South.  The Parrotia persica, or Persian Ironwood tree, is just beginning its show of fall color.  It was good we put up all the orange barrier fencing to protect it, though I have to say they have been very careful about what has been in the construction zone.

And the Walls Came Tumbling Down

On Monday our contractor sent this picture of the original concrete block wall being torn down in preparation for the addition next to it.  You can see the vertical wood studs of the temporary wall supporting the edge of the roof behind the blocks. 

All of that wall and the one around the corner were removed on Tuesday, but because of the rain storm that blew in this morning, they have covered the opening to keep the rain out. 

Here is the pile of blocks they have saved for me to throw down into the ravine to slow down the erosion.  I just have to figure out where to drop them down through all of the trees and bushes I have growing on the side.

I know it doesn't look like much, but at the back of this picture is the temporary wall that has replaced the concrete block on the side of the kitchen. They need to put a new beam across there to carry the weight of that edge, while also adding the dormer which will cover the new addition.  Complicated. 

Foundation set for New Addition

Our contractor sent a couple of photos showing the progress made today on the foundation of the new addition.  This makes it very concrete (pun intended!) how big the new addition will be.  The box up in the front, towards the camera, outlines the new porch.

On Tuesday, when we saw the stakes for the footings, the contractor realized that new outside wall will be coming into the wall in the middle of the existing existing window.  That was not what we expected.  A call to the architect confirmed that the window will need to be moved closer to the corner.

Off with the Old Porch

The old concrete porch has been removed.  Curiously there were small front steps which they have left in place directly in front of the door.  I was not there, so they dumped the debris into the dumpster, so it will not get tipped down into the ravine.  I am not going to climb in and throw it out.

I just got a text from the contractor that the footings have been poured for the addition!  They hope to starting building the block on top of it this week.

Continuing Demolition

The most dramatic change in the last week is the removal of the sheet rock on the ceiling. There was only about an inch of insulation, which is why the house was so hard to keep warm in the winter and got so hot in the summer. 

This first picture is a view toward the kitchen.  All that remains is the sink on the left side of the picture.  Of course, the toilet was not in the kitchen! Since it is only a few years old, and works perfectly fine, it is being reused.  The long black tube on the right is a duct for the air conditioning. The rectangular, silver object up above the ceiling is the air handler for the air conditioning.

This is the current view from the second bedroom, through the former bathroom, and into the Master Bedroom.  You can see the last of the floor tile on the floor, and the tub on the right.  While we were there, there was an exiting few minutes when a capped off water pipe broke, and water started gushing out onto the floor.  I heard Christopher yell, "S**t, turn off the water," and ran down the basement stairs to the main water shut off where it comes into the house.  As our contractor said later, whenever you have pipes as old as ours, they can easily snap off.

I took on the job of demolishing the massive brick fireplace.  It involved breaking off individual bricks, then carrying them out and throwing them down into the ravine.  I have previously used bricks from a neighbor's renovation to stabilize the bottom of the ravine and reduce the erosion. They work very well.

This is the "before" picture.  One of the crew had already done some demolition, and had stacked up the bricks on the floor.  You can see the chimney behind the fireplace, which runs up through the roof, and some top bricks removed. 

That fireplace is solid bricks, no open air space.  I spent about three hours using a sledge hammer and a crowbar, carefully taking off a few bricks at a time, so it wouldn't fall over and damage the oak floor.  Then I carried 4-6 bricks outside in a bucket with chunks of mortar. Bricks are very heavy!

Three hours or so later, this is what was left.  I still have the raised hearth to demolish, which promises to take as much time since it is solid masonry.  I don't look forward to it, but it will save us some money. 

We are still considering what to put up instead, but know we want something much smaller. The previous fireplace was 6 feet tall and 6 feet wide, much too massive for room.  David likes the idea of some kind of limestone, but hasn't found anything he likes yet.