Day 5: One Week Down, Four to Go

We are accumulating a dumpster full of tear out material. The best use of this faucet is scrap, that's for sure. Form and function were definitely not on the same page, so it is good to see it go.

The biggest challenge today was taking the sagging header between the kitchen and lake room out and putting in the new and improved one. The sag, my have sagged more once the old header was out, even though the support walls were in. Even if it didn't, the one end went in, but there was close to a 2" sag that prevented the other end from going in. The biggest concern was the tiled bathroom. The wall side of the tub is over the header. This was one room we were not planning on gutting and doing over. Truly, though, Brady 3 would have taken care of any problems created by it, so let 'er rip. 

Phone calls were made, I ran out on errands, when I got back the header was in and this little jack was doing it's job.

The wall the laundry chute is in, was a wild card in the kitchen design. There was a good chance major mechanicals like plumbing and HVAC runs were in it because of the size and depth. And as it turned out, they are, but not so much that would prevent it from being cut down. Yippee! Cutting it back a foot allows for the refrigerator door to swing freely, which is not what happened in the old kitchen. Seems odd calling it an 'old' kitchen, when it was updated just before we bought the house. This will be a much better layout and with more functional space.

I am always fascinated by what's behind the walls and the history it represents. I have been told that the old knob and tube wiring is actually safer than the romex used these days. Why? The + and - wires are not sheathed in the same casing and so can't cause sparking which could lead to a fire. Makes sense, but is it really true??? Will ask the electrician on Wednesday.

Moving from a very small kitchen and storage space in McLean, VA, we thought the walk-in pantry was fabulous. So much was crammed in there that it made it difficult to find many things. So out it goes and one with pull out drawers, tray dividers and more will be put in, just not right here. This space will become a desk area with filing cabinet drawers to do the biz of running a household.

It is apparent from the staining on the subfloor above that there have been plumbing problems in the past. Fortunately, it has been in the 'beyond our stay' past. The question is, to update any of it before closing it all back up. It has the original trap and iron piping. Something to ask the plumber when he gets here on Thursday.

Learned a little more about Radon today. It is a by product of Uranium, is on the periodic table and is the second leading cause of lung cancer behind smoking, number one in non-smokers. Why did I learn that? Because the radon gizmo attached to the wall our bedroom is on makes a terrible racket, coming on and off all night.

If it worked properly, the blue U in the picture would be at two different levels, indicating it was drawing pressure (? think that is what he said), not sitting even like it is here.

Turns out the fan has burned out and it was turning on, overheating and shutting off about every hour or so. The guy from SWAT Environmental, Tony Mowrer, seemed knowledgeable and thorough, tearing apart the outside switch to see if it was just that or the actual fan. As would have it, we need a new fan. Good to know it is fixable and the part available, just in Massachusetts.


Ended the day again, with another floor washing. There won't be so much tracked upstairs, (yeah, right!) I wouldn't eat off of it, but to have the dust cut down, makes at least a better mental picture. These guys are great!

Hmmm, what to have for dinner in our little studio-ette??? I am hungry!

Day 4: Making Tracks

The fireplace hearth is days deep in antique dust, as is much of the down stairs, covered and uncovered. The french doors are gone and what to do next to minimize the supports between the two openings is under consideration. This wall was originally the back of the house before the Lake room was added on by a previous owner.

To replace the header a support wall has to be built on both sides to hold up the ceiling joists that meet on top of it. The new header and wood arrived and was nearly finished by the end of the day.

Very impressive, to be sure, but the best was when the layer of dust was wiped up before they headed out at the end of the day! I love these guys! There was a lot left, but the cleaner entryway and steps were a great help in keeping us from tracking it all upstairs, that is except the dawg, who walked across the dining room and then up the steps, down the hall, around our bedroom, in the front bedroom and back to her bed outside our bedroom. So much for thinking we had taught her to stay out of our bedroom, sneaky pup!

Day 3: Kitchen Details

Yes, it is getting dustier. Life in the studio-ette is considerably less since we are able to keep the doors closed, thankfully... but it's still dusty.

The old kitchen had many challenges to it, even though it looked great with the dark granite counters. The refrigerator was pushed  right up against a deeper wall, where a previous owner had put in a laundry chute. (That little convenience emptied into the old coal bin in the basement, that was kept behind a closed door. Dark and gloomy laundry.) Consequently, opening the frig door wide enough to get larger platters in or clean the bottom drawers by pulling them out was not easily accomplished. So, heck, it wasn't, till now! Weird things under there.

Refrigerator gone!

Soon to go, laundry chute and more space for the next frig.

No, the bow across this opening is not an optical illusion. The header, which was originally the back of the house in 1926 when it was built, will be replaced with the correct size to accommodate the weight of the second floor, 1970 something addition and old roof line. 

Already the amount of light coming into the kitchen has dramatically increased, or at least it will look like it when the drywall goes back up. It is quite a dingy looking dining room at the moment. Beautiful light, though!

Day 2: The Walls Come Down

Well, we made through the initial chaos of the first day and night out of sync. Turns out, pulling back the plastic and lounging in front of the TV is still doable. Though, after today, I think there will be considerably more dust. The doorways between the kitchen/dining room and the rest of the house were taped off. The plaster & lathe with 1/2 drywall over it on the walls and ceilings started to come down first thing this morning.

It has been a noisy day; pounding, thudding, crackling, jet vac-ing, sweeping, and "Holy smokes, did you see that?!?!" The kitchen dimmer switch arced and blew sparks. Once the wall was dismantled, a previous owner had done some not so safe electrical wiring with tape, not nuts. Did I mention snoring? Chessie has managed to sleep through a good part of it, close by my side.

Setting up life in a different part of the house is a lot like camping in the comfort of your own home. We have a warm, comfortable bed, but the rest is... challenging. My studio has become a studio-ette.

The dawg is still wondering where she is supposed to eat, drink and go out from.

Dust and dirt everywhere.

The sounds of the outdoors so close- as doors are left open to take debris in and out of. Thankfully the weather is still nice, no animals looking for a warm home yet... I hope! Cool enough that the bugs aren't a plenty, except spiders and they find their way in no matter what.

And the cutest little dumpster arrived today! Tarik, the lead demo guy, had plywood ready to protect the driveway. He and the driver were a great team lowering into place. After going through so much 'stuff' getting ready for this leg of the house transformation, I am tempted to fill it with non-construction cast-offs!

Yes, back
splashes are needed!

You never know what you are going to find when you dig into a 90 year old house, but here are some of the surprises, besides the electrical fireworks:

Behind the fireplace something or other.

Weird holes.

A hidden history of house aesthetics and function.

Knob and tube wiring

It has been a good day of progress, and not any alarming surprises, which is always a good thing. And best of all...

the chandelier is gone!

Day 1: The Chaos Begins

The last renovation/addition project finished long after I had the time to continue blogging. Life got full, and well, it went on. But the next phase, and hopefully the last has started, the kitchen. We are removing the wall between the kitchen and dining room and reconfiguring the workflow. It has been months of machinating, calculating and research to get to this point and I am so ready to hand the ball over to our contractor, Trevor Miller at Brady 3. Here goes:

Day 1: Tearing out the Kitchen

First went the upper cabinets, of which there were very few, as a matter of fact, very few cabinets all together, not good. Then the granite. The piece that spans just 4 cabinets weighs about 300 lbs and took mucho effort to get into the garage, where everything else is going until it reaches it's next purpose. The goal is to keep as much out of the land fill as possible.

Kitchen cabinets are probably the single most expensive part of a kitchen, outside of the labor to put it all together. It took soooooooo long to get to the point of finally moving forward. Not to mention the disruption to how we move through each day, the noise, the mess, the surprises a 90 year old house hides and of course the cha-ching.

That all being said, Trevor's team of guys at Brady 3 are conscientious, organized, reliable and clean up after themselves. Hmmm... I wonder... at home... hmmm???

Then went the granite which will be re-fabricated for other ideas, like a new powder room look, antique table top and just possibly the new studio bathroom counters.

 As much planning as has gone into this day getting here, there have still been some interesting challenges, like where did that answering machine and phone go? Having everything to eat at home, darn, forgot to grab forks, no TV???? Things you walk by everyday and forget are there, like artwork on walls, cork board full of keys. It's all good though and exciting.

A bar gone era!