INTERIORITY COMPLEX

OUR SCHEDULE

As you can see on the video we just posted we are wrapping up what we are calling Phase 1...very Alias sounding, we know.  Since we chose to bite the bullet and renovate all the interior systems of the house in one shot we are going to have to do the finish work slowly...so our bank account can catch up really.

The original plan was to first open all the walls (pre-Phase 1, if you will) which we did ourselves -- and saved a ton of money along the way.  After that we really stepped away and our amazing contractor started.  His scope was to include new electrical wiring, new plumbing throughout, new heating, central air conditioning, insulation, and finally -- drywall.  What we hadn't anticipated was all the carpentry work that would be needed.  The fact the foundation sill along the back of our house was rotted and had to be re-built was what could be called a "big extra."  That, plus all the leveling of drywall nailers (the studs and beams that the new drywall would be fastened to) led to a pretty hefty amount of carpentry work.  And a hefty price tag attached to it.

This is why we are pausing on the professional work at this point.  However, we will finish the floors throughout and install a new bathroom ourselves in the upcoming weeks.  Stay tuned for the progress!

We hope to be living partially in the house March 1.

A SIGN NO ONE SHOULD EVER SEE ON THEIR KITCHEN DOOR

WHERE THE @#$%^&* IS THE KITCHEN FLOOR?!?

Self explanatory...

BEAUTY IN THE RUBBLE

Framed beautifully with the view from our property.

TOP FIVE...Things to Know About Doing Demolition Work

1. Wear safety glasses or goggles and a filtration mask -- plaster dust is bad enough, but fiberglass insulation (combined with lead paint and asbestos) can make your lungs bleed. 

2. Use a 2 x 4 or scrap board as leverage when removing large areas of plaster in ceilings or walls.  Make a hole large enough for the 2 x 4 to fit in, then slide it in at an angle as far as it will go and pull down.  You will be able to take out large sections of lathe and plaster this way.

3. Before you start -- if you haven't had one -- get a tetanus shot.  We learned this the hard way.  You WILL step on nails.

4. If your job is big enough for a dumpster and you will be removing debris from the second floor, have them place the dumpster as close to the house as possible.  This will allow you to drop debris directly from a second floor window.  It's also easy to make a slide out of 2 x 4's and plywood to guide the debris into the dumpster.  We can't tell you how much hauling time this will save.

5. When removing lather and plaster, separate them into different piles.  This makes it easier in case you run out of room in your dumpster -- dump only the plaster and burn the lathe.  (Sorry, Al Gore, but we're running out of money.)

DEMO IN ACTION, Part II

Video of Week 3 after further demolition.  At this point the major job is done -- all that's left is finishing and clean-up work...which we found to be as time consuming as tearing down plaster.

DEMO IN ACTION, Part I

This is a quick (we promise) video showing the first phase of our interior demolition. At this point we made several interesting discoveries:

• Many of the beams and joists were made from massive trees and still have the bark in tact on them.
• Most of these beams were held together with Mortise and Tenon joint construction, rather than nails.
• The children in one of the past families that lived in the house (in the early 20's) had left their names inside one of the bedroom closets.
• We have found many dated postcards from the early 1900's within the walls.  All were written to neighbors in nearby towns.
• The date of the house construction, 1827, is hand-carved into one of the foundation walls in the basement.

THE DUMPSTER

We had to bite the bullet and spend the $700 per month it takes to get your very own dumpster.  Yes -- this project is just that big.  The homemade slide will make it easier to dispose of waste materials directly from the second floor of the house.

We will be demolishing every interior wall and ceiling to make way for new insulation, heating system, air conditioning, plumbing, and a complete re-wiring of the house.  This demolition will take about a month...stay tuned.