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.