Dead cat farm
- Thread starter jb3
- Start date
here are the crude preliminary drawings I submitted to the architect .
This is non measured really, so rooms are slightly different sizes, but its close, and shows the colonial design issue we have been dealing with on the second floor. Basically, how every room opens on to every other room in a half circle around the spiral stairs/chimney structure. Makes great sense when the design plan calls for a fireplace in every room as the only source of heat, but its been an interesting debate trying to figure out how we make 3 bedrooms that all have their own access from public spaces out of this old design formula.
Also I didnt sketch it in, but the 6 fireplaces all have mantles and a big hearthstone that comes out a few feet, so we have to allow room to get around the fireplaces unless we want to cover them up, which would destroy some of the charm (and fix the floor with wood we will never find)
here is our staircase plan, modifications in green. With both baths moved, we can fit a semi complex, but good sized multi access staircase in the same space. Bonus is we leave the original back staircase in place, and install a floor, making it a first and second story closet. Advantage to that is we dont have to redo the attic stairs or basement stair locations that are above and below. To do this we sacrifice one of the rooms on the second story and make it a wide hall to compensate for the fireplace currently in there.
The one downside of the below design is no master bath, and the necessity to go up and down half the stair case to get to a new bathroom in the garage structure. We intend to compensate for this by making the staircase landing as high as possible. If the second flight is two or three steps down and a few back up, it wont be a huge problem
This is non measured really, so rooms are slightly different sizes, but its close, and shows the colonial design issue we have been dealing with on the second floor. Basically, how every room opens on to every other room in a half circle around the spiral stairs/chimney structure. Makes great sense when the design plan calls for a fireplace in every room as the only source of heat, but its been an interesting debate trying to figure out how we make 3 bedrooms that all have their own access from public spaces out of this old design formula.
Also I didnt sketch it in, but the 6 fireplaces all have mantles and a big hearthstone that comes out a few feet, so we have to allow room to get around the fireplaces unless we want to cover them up, which would destroy some of the charm (and fix the floor with wood we will never find)
here is our staircase plan, modifications in green. With both baths moved, we can fit a semi complex, but good sized multi access staircase in the same space. Bonus is we leave the original back staircase in place, and install a floor, making it a first and second story closet. Advantage to that is we dont have to redo the attic stairs or basement stair locations that are above and below. To do this we sacrifice one of the rooms on the second story and make it a wide hall to compensate for the fireplace currently in there.
The one downside of the below design is no master bath, and the necessity to go up and down half the stair case to get to a new bathroom in the garage structure. We intend to compensate for this by making the staircase landing as high as possible. If the second flight is two or three steps down and a few back up, it wont be a huge problem
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I'm not a fan of the giant staircase, it takes up a lot of space. Same with the bathroom placement on the second floor, makes for a really long walk to get to the bathroom from the rooms.
I was just messing around with a few ideas in my head and came up with this (without fully understanding your floor plan so it might not be possible):
If you just keep the spiral staircase to get to the second floor you would free up a ton of space. Access to the loft above the garage would be by a staircase in the new mudroom. This would also provide some separation between the "living" area and the "working" area of the house.
I was just messing around with a few ideas in my head and came up with this (without fully understanding your floor plan so it might not be possible):
If you just keep the spiral staircase to get to the second floor you would free up a ton of space. Access to the loft above the garage would be by a staircase in the new mudroom. This would also provide some separation between the "living" area and the "working" area of the house.
I'm not a fan of the giant staircase, it takes up a lot of space. Same with the bathroom placement on the second floor, makes for a really long walk to get to the bathroom from the rooms.
I was just messing around with a few ideas in my head and came up with this (without fully understanding your floor plan so it might not be possible):
If you just keep the spiral staircase to get to the second floor you would free up a ton of space. Access to the loft above the garage would be by a staircase in the new mudroom. This would also provide some separation between the "living" area and the "working" area of the house.
this is an interesting idea!
The house is balloon framed so every single internal wall can be removed essentially, none are load bearing. Gives us a lot of options on design.
finally some vehicular use of the garage I had concreted. Ive had two dead vehicles sitting in front of the house garage for longer than reasonable. This pic shows two non running vehicles sandwiching the wife's explorer. Since this is the primary entrance, time to move them.
This started a sort of hair raising pull/push of the green van down to the lower garage. Ive learned a great deal about how I need to set up a pavement area down there, especially if I intend to tow something dead down to the garage in the future. Right now its more difficult to do than can be believed. We had a close call where the green van nearly rode up on the wall of the building, but it all worked out.
Once this van was in there, I do have decent space around it to work-
and I was finally able to perform an actual vehicular repair down there! New hubs for the wife! There is decent room with a car pushed forward to within 2 feet of the wall to work behind it
This started a sort of hair raising pull/push of the green van down to the lower garage. Ive learned a great deal about how I need to set up a pavement area down there, especially if I intend to tow something dead down to the garage in the future. Right now its more difficult to do than can be believed. We had a close call where the green van nearly rode up on the wall of the building, but it all worked out.
Once this van was in there, I do have decent space around it to work-
and I was finally able to perform an actual vehicular repair down there! New hubs for the wife! There is decent room with a car pushed forward to within 2 feet of the wall to work behind it
jbmatth
Well-known member
I like your take on working and repair of the structures. Just tackle one little job at a time, finish it then move on. It takes lots of time but spreads the money out over a longer time frame as well. In 5-10 years you will have things set up how you want them and won't owe anyone anything money wise. Keep it up and you will be pleased with the results in the end.
JB
JB
ok some updates, some garage, some not garage. Once again inspiration on the garage gallery is very useful to actually moving forward with getting things done.
Perusing some of the setups on here I started to be overcome with a sense of shame that I have this absurdly huge attached garage, effectively a 4 car garage, and all ive done is fill is with ****. Compared to what people have done with singles on here, I have to get it cleared out.
this was how it was-
I put a bunch of stuff in the loft worth keeping, then worked on getting rid of broken or bad stuff. That little blond woman on HGTV caused a lot of this clutter, as mrs JB3 started collecting broken furniture to repair last year after watching her. Ultimately we had about 25 broken pieces of furniture crammed in there that we are NEVER going to repair.
all this got removed-
and now the garage looks like this. still bad, but I can at least see the car now. Most of this now is automotive that I have to go through, but it all still has to be moved to the outbuilding
Perusing some of the setups on here I started to be overcome with a sense of shame that I have this absurdly huge attached garage, effectively a 4 car garage, and all ive done is fill is with ****. Compared to what people have done with singles on here, I have to get it cleared out.
this was how it was-
I put a bunch of stuff in the loft worth keeping, then worked on getting rid of broken or bad stuff. That little blond woman on HGTV caused a lot of this clutter, as mrs JB3 started collecting broken furniture to repair last year after watching her. Ultimately we had about 25 broken pieces of furniture crammed in there that we are NEVER going to repair.
all this got removed-
and now the garage looks like this. still bad, but I can at least see the car now. Most of this now is automotive that I have to go through, but it all still has to be moved to the outbuilding
I did some house stuff, most of the roof on the main house is in good shape, with the notable exception of the roof over the kitchen
this was how it looked-
incredibly, even with feet of snow on it, it did not leak last year. I called in a roofing company as I was sure this was a major job and the spine of the roof was broken resulting in the bow.
Luckily it turned out that the roof was incredibly strong, and had already been reinforced once. I just have to get used to the lack of straight angles on a 200 year old building.
some pics of the repair, they managed to shim it and make it slightly more even, but its in good shape now
this was how it looked-
incredibly, even with feet of snow on it, it did not leak last year. I called in a roofing company as I was sure this was a major job and the spine of the roof was broken resulting in the bow.
Luckily it turned out that the roof was incredibly strong, and had already been reinforced once. I just have to get used to the lack of straight angles on a 200 year old building.
some pics of the repair, they managed to shim it and make it slightly more even, but its in good shape now
One last small update slightly garage related
I have been plagued by dead and dying trees on this property since we bought it.
biggest concern in particular was an entire grove or rotting infested 80 foot trees right next to the house.
earlier this year I had them all taken down which created a nice big side yard
before-
after-
It turns out that this was luckily done when it was, as last week we had an intense 30 min rain storm, and that knocked down a further 8 trees.
I looked out and saw this-
I was thinking for sure the garage is heavily damaged
However, amazingly, 3 trees fell around the garage, and one came within 2 inches of hitting it, but it was undamaged!
These were all trees I was planning to drop anyway, so it was kind of a nice bonus. I have a neighbor who heats his house with firewood, so he removed about 12 pickup loads of lumber grinning like an urchin
cleanup is still not done, but im about 3 days in and close
I have been plagued by dead and dying trees on this property since we bought it.
biggest concern in particular was an entire grove or rotting infested 80 foot trees right next to the house.
earlier this year I had them all taken down which created a nice big side yard
before-
after-
It turns out that this was luckily done when it was, as last week we had an intense 30 min rain storm, and that knocked down a further 8 trees.
I looked out and saw this-
I was thinking for sure the garage is heavily damaged
However, amazingly, 3 trees fell around the garage, and one came within 2 inches of hitting it, but it was undamaged!
These were all trees I was planning to drop anyway, so it was kind of a nice bonus. I have a neighbor who heats his house with firewood, so he removed about 12 pickup loads of lumber grinning like an urchin
cleanup is still not done, but im about 3 days in and close
theoldwizard1
Well-known member
Mike.ASC
Well-known member
Great progress your making. I like the Kubota also , I would like to find one for myself.
madoc1
Well-known member
your garage is going to be sweet once you get it organized. and your luck held out with nature's tree trimming! it is going to be a lot easier for the wife to mow now.
jim
jim
xtremek
Well-known member
I bet you don't shave that close!
I am very pleased with it. Its a beat to hell G4200 2cyl diesel with huge hours on it. I paid too much for it, and bought it off a guy who either hid an issue, or was taken himself by a shop (more likely). It came with a home made plow and a rusty mower deck though to offset that
worked once, then the driveshaft stripped out. splines on it were completely worn away except for a 8th of an inch, so someone spaced the driveshaft in slightly with a set of washers. Worked long enough to sell to a sucker like myself, then fully stripped.
I put in a new driveshaft and all is well, now its a little workhorse. I was taxing my belt driven riding mower behind it way too much with all my dump trailer activity.
The storm seemed to be a series of miracles. So many people have massive damage and I had more trees than most come down, but miss everything. I have to post another picture, in the front of my house a 20inch diameter silver maple came down, drove 2 feet into the yard, and the widest part of the log came to gently rest on my front picket fence without so much as cracking a board.
Meanwhile in order to remove it I had to dig down with a shovel a ways on the other end to move the log
Thanks! My plan is working perfectly, I maintain the equipment and she uses it. I have now expertly maneuvered her into using the riding mower and gas trimmer exclusively now. I mow maybe 20% of the lawn. I have to work harder to get out of that 20%
Thanks!
The architect has gotten us some great design ideas and we will be able to create a far more functional house than I originally expected! When he gets a final drawing to me ill post it. He sent us 3 variants and we want some of all 3 design ideas
slight progress in cleaning and organization. I admire those of you on here that simply stay dedicated to the task and complete it. Usually I need some outside force to help, especially over the summer.
This weeks outside force was the attempt to have a new windshield installed in my work van. They found a little rust that I needed to resolve first along the seating area, so suddenly I have to find a place to cram this 19 foot long white cube since the new appointment was a day away and I wasnt leaving an unlocked tool filled work van outside to be rained on!
The only place to put the van was this hellish mess-
I got most of it cleared back to my early organization attempts, and discovered that this too had to be moved. The desk has 18 feet in front of it. I needed one more foot of depth
Two of these low hanging things from the PO also had to be ripped out as the van wouldn't clear them
finally enough space for an express 3500, if only just
basically whats clear is that nothing can be on the back wall apart from some shallow shelves long term.
I did find some interesting artifacts tucked here and there. I found this neat steel case which had watch and shift schedules with a ton of key hooks I intend to repurpose for my business.
looks like J. Sabatoni really needed to stop losing keys in 1982.
This weeks outside force was the attempt to have a new windshield installed in my work van. They found a little rust that I needed to resolve first along the seating area, so suddenly I have to find a place to cram this 19 foot long white cube since the new appointment was a day away and I wasnt leaving an unlocked tool filled work van outside to be rained on!
The only place to put the van was this hellish mess-
I got most of it cleared back to my early organization attempts, and discovered that this too had to be moved. The desk has 18 feet in front of it. I needed one more foot of depth
Two of these low hanging things from the PO also had to be ripped out as the van wouldn't clear them
finally enough space for an express 3500, if only just
basically whats clear is that nothing can be on the back wall apart from some shallow shelves long term.
I did find some interesting artifacts tucked here and there. I found this neat steel case which had watch and shift schedules with a ton of key hooks I intend to repurpose for my business.
looks like J. Sabatoni really needed to stop losing keys in 1982.
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xtremek
Well-known member
Talk about a tight squeeze. But it fits and that's all that counts....for now.
more glacial updates! Major problem with the house is a complete lack of efficiency. House has an oil furnace and baseboard heat. The heat is fairly effective and the furnace is reasonably efficient, the problem is it might as well be in an open shed for heat retention.
Last winter we blew through oil at such a fast rate that I spent a lot of time checking everything for leaks. When it gets down to approx 10F or below, this house will burn in excess of 10 gallons a day fuel oil to keep it within shouting distance of 60F internally. Colder than 0F that could double.
we were filling up a 250 gallon fuel tank twice a month for several months, up to the point where the house would run out of fuel in the middle of the night and Id scramble to put 5 gallon jugs of diesel in to keep it running. Long story short is im still paying for last years oil heading into this winter and insulating is a priority.
Starting in the Attic, ill be working my way down floor by floor resolving insulation problem.
This is the current attic floor plan. Large open space with two small creepy rooms at either end that were full of dead bugs and the occasional artifact. Total is approx 750 sqft
Some base pics of the layout-
this picture really demonstrates lack of flat. The central chimney structure and external foundation have moved over the centuries in a tent like way. All boards head uphill towards the chimney-
one of the creepy rooms. cleaned up will be a nice attic storage room-
When cleaning I found some 1954 newspaper for garage content-
mercury ad, the new V8!
softer side of sears-
new attic floor plan. I will separate the attic into two zones, insulated small storage right off staircase, and main area will be an elevated cold storage platform. (L shaped space in pic) New wall will be right next to existing staircase. The main area will then get R49 insulation blown right out onto the floor, even in the other small room. To prepare for this I would build a raised platform for the insulation to be blown under and around to keep some of the storage space.
divider wall going up-
Platform heading up to wall. After insulation I will double the 2x4s in the gaps. Second problem is access is so narrow that a sheet of plywood cannot be brought up here. 8 foot 2x4s are pushing it making a corner. Everything will need to be built of board no wider than a foot, and no longer than 8 feet. Original plan was to install the 2x4s on their edges for strength and a plywood topper, but after rebuilding it a few times I had to compromise due to the compound bend of the floor going on. laid on the flat side the 2x4s are weaker, but they can be nailed down vs having to all be custom notched. Doubled on the flat they should be strong enough to not break and also make a floor for storage.
Once this is finished and insulation is blown in, I will move to the second floor to complete my ceiling plan. I ripped out several ceilings and discovered that I loved the hand hewn structural beams and want to keep them exposed. My plan here is to box out between the beams, insulate, and drywall leaving approx 2/3rds or 1/2 of the beams exposed. This will allow me to hide existing electrical, and add another layer of insulation to the ceiling getting me closer to the goal of R60 for the attic
Last winter we blew through oil at such a fast rate that I spent a lot of time checking everything for leaks. When it gets down to approx 10F or below, this house will burn in excess of 10 gallons a day fuel oil to keep it within shouting distance of 60F internally. Colder than 0F that could double.
we were filling up a 250 gallon fuel tank twice a month for several months, up to the point where the house would run out of fuel in the middle of the night and Id scramble to put 5 gallon jugs of diesel in to keep it running. Long story short is im still paying for last years oil heading into this winter and insulating is a priority.
Starting in the Attic, ill be working my way down floor by floor resolving insulation problem.
This is the current attic floor plan. Large open space with two small creepy rooms at either end that were full of dead bugs and the occasional artifact. Total is approx 750 sqft
Some base pics of the layout-
this picture really demonstrates lack of flat. The central chimney structure and external foundation have moved over the centuries in a tent like way. All boards head uphill towards the chimney-
one of the creepy rooms. cleaned up will be a nice attic storage room-
When cleaning I found some 1954 newspaper for garage content-
mercury ad, the new V8!
softer side of sears-
new attic floor plan. I will separate the attic into two zones, insulated small storage right off staircase, and main area will be an elevated cold storage platform. (L shaped space in pic) New wall will be right next to existing staircase. The main area will then get R49 insulation blown right out onto the floor, even in the other small room. To prepare for this I would build a raised platform for the insulation to be blown under and around to keep some of the storage space.
divider wall going up-
Platform heading up to wall. After insulation I will double the 2x4s in the gaps. Second problem is access is so narrow that a sheet of plywood cannot be brought up here. 8 foot 2x4s are pushing it making a corner. Everything will need to be built of board no wider than a foot, and no longer than 8 feet. Original plan was to install the 2x4s on their edges for strength and a plywood topper, but after rebuilding it a few times I had to compromise due to the compound bend of the floor going on. laid on the flat side the 2x4s are weaker, but they can be nailed down vs having to all be custom notched. Doubled on the flat they should be strong enough to not break and also make a floor for storage.
Once this is finished and insulation is blown in, I will move to the second floor to complete my ceiling plan. I ripped out several ceilings and discovered that I loved the hand hewn structural beams and want to keep them exposed. My plan here is to box out between the beams, insulate, and drywall leaving approx 2/3rds or 1/2 of the beams exposed. This will allow me to hide existing electrical, and add another layer of insulation to the ceiling getting me closer to the goal of R60 for the attic
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xtremek
Well-known member
Glad you were able to take a breath and give us an update. Insulation is KING! My bartn didn't have any and my torpedo struggled to get it near warm. The walls are now 95% done, and the ceiling is now about 30%. Now the torpedo gets it to the point you're warm in a t-shirt. Keep plugging away and update when you can.
jbmatth
Well-known member
R60! That will help out a ton in there. I agree with you on loving old homes, but it is really tough to get good insulation in them without doing a lot of damage. Keep it up, you'll be glad you did for years to come.
JB
JB
In pursuit of beetle damage ive had to knock down crack free original ash plaster walls over split board lathe, which is a shame. I like the sensation of being the first one to see in that wall for nearly 200 years though.
here is an example of the beetle damage I am chasing. Each wall interior gets repairs as needed, then dusted with boric acid for future beetle concerns, then insulated, then ill do drywall. The drywall is about 1/4 the weight of the current exterior walls, so thats also a benefit
some more attic pics. Ive been having a discussion/disagreement with the mrs which ive lost about that second attic room which will now be filled with blown in insulation, seen here past the platform-
My plan was to knock that far room down which would serve no purpose, and use the material to close in the staircase new wall and roof area with same age, same board as the current room we are retaining. This way everything matches nicely. She will have none of it and does not want me to touch either room original structure. ive conceded defeat for the moment, but will bring it up again later probably.
because I promised not to touch original structure, I built a studwall around the exterior of the insulated attic room instead, and filled in where it wasnt insulated. I still have the roof of the room to resolve
moving below to the 2nd floor, im doing room by room from start to finish so that life is not to disrupted living in the house
pics of one of the rooms stripped out, again, not a straight stud anywhere, though the baloon structure is dead level-
you can see here some more beetle damage between the diagonal boards
large mouse nest in the wall above the X bracing
My plan was to knock that far room down which would serve no purpose, and use the material to close in the staircase new wall and roof area with same age, same board as the current room we are retaining. This way everything matches nicely. She will have none of it and does not want me to touch either room original structure. ive conceded defeat for the moment, but will bring it up again later probably.
because I promised not to touch original structure, I built a studwall around the exterior of the insulated attic room instead, and filled in where it wasnt insulated. I still have the roof of the room to resolve
moving below to the 2nd floor, im doing room by room from start to finish so that life is not to disrupted living in the house
pics of one of the rooms stripped out, again, not a straight stud anywhere, though the baloon structure is dead level-
you can see here some more beetle damage between the diagonal boards
large mouse nest in the wall above the X bracing
I promised plans when the architect was finished and here they are!
This is the original floor plan 1st and 2nd
this is the new floor plan, including foundation plans for my reduction of the garage space.
this pic shows how I will move the garage door from one side to the far end of the garage structure, making a 2.3 car garage and freeing up a ton of space for the mud room
foundation plan-
first floor plan, new staircase and moving bath plus large L shaped mud/storage room with access to garage back door. We have a big enough yard that we wanted easy access to the bathroom from either side of the house, without walking through the whole place if we are in the yard dirty
2nd floor new plan which turns it into a 3 bedroom house on the main floor, the staircase will extend over the mudroom to access the loft, and ultimately we will turn that into a master suite long term. this combines both staircases in a way we like better, and makes each bedroom a non pass through. It also adds some needed storage space to the smallest bedroom
in the above pic, you may notice another staircase heading up to the attic. This we will not be doing, it was part of the pie in the sky planning. this was the architects concept creating another suite in the attic-
That would turn this into a massive home though, we don't need a 5 bed 4 bath house. 3 bed 2 bath is perfect, and long term we might consider 4 bed 3 bath.
Omitting this staircase means we leave the original attic staircase which will extend off what will become the master bedroom closet. the wife wants to turn the little attic room into a 3rd story secret dressing room.
my plan of attack is-
-gut the 2nd floor bath/kitchenette
-build new 2nd floor bath and make it functional
-gut 1st floor bath
-complete staircase
-finish mudroom and 2nd bath
This is the original floor plan 1st and 2nd
this is the new floor plan, including foundation plans for my reduction of the garage space.
this pic shows how I will move the garage door from one side to the far end of the garage structure, making a 2.3 car garage and freeing up a ton of space for the mud room
foundation plan-
first floor plan, new staircase and moving bath plus large L shaped mud/storage room with access to garage back door. We have a big enough yard that we wanted easy access to the bathroom from either side of the house, without walking through the whole place if we are in the yard dirty
2nd floor new plan which turns it into a 3 bedroom house on the main floor, the staircase will extend over the mudroom to access the loft, and ultimately we will turn that into a master suite long term. this combines both staircases in a way we like better, and makes each bedroom a non pass through. It also adds some needed storage space to the smallest bedroom
in the above pic, you may notice another staircase heading up to the attic. This we will not be doing, it was part of the pie in the sky planning. this was the architects concept creating another suite in the attic-
That would turn this into a massive home though, we don't need a 5 bed 4 bath house. 3 bed 2 bath is perfect, and long term we might consider 4 bed 3 bath.
Omitting this staircase means we leave the original attic staircase which will extend off what will become the master bedroom closet. the wife wants to turn the little attic room into a 3rd story secret dressing room.
my plan of attack is-
-gut the 2nd floor bath/kitchenette
-build new 2nd floor bath and make it functional
-gut 1st floor bath
-complete staircase
-finish mudroom and 2nd bath
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jbmatth
Well-known member
To say you have your work cut out for you would be an understatement. Sounds like it would be a lot of fun in reality though and as soon as you get this done you'll be able to start attacking the garages no doubt. As for the lathe and plaster, I'd keep any of the wood you happen to take out, I have a ton of lathe from when our house was renovated and it can make some nice furniture if you want to spend the time on it.
JB
JB
theoldwizard1
Well-known member
A bit late ...
Looking at the attic floor, have you checked lower floor and foundation to determine if they are structurally sound and/or need jacking/more support ?
Looking at the attic floor, have you checked lower floor and foundation to determine if they are structurally sound and/or need jacking/more support ?
Subscribing. You are doing some awesome work with these old buildings! my MIL has a 200+ year old farm house and they present their own little quirks when renovating. I remember helping her hang a picture; set it up, got it plumb and level and stepped back. thing looked completely out of whack because the walls and doorways weren't straight. had to go back and set it to the room instead.
had to go back and set it to the room instead.I might be able to make something out of it if I make sure to keep it in order, makes for a neat pattern. I was thinking of using it to make some kind of patterned coffee table
They split each board along the grain to make the lathe as they put it up. Imagine the work involved to do this properly. I am only planning to remove what I absolutely have to to insulate the outside and fix beetle problems. It would be a shame for me to needlessly destroy this old lathe in the whole house-
beetles have digested a number of first floor joists, about 8 of them are ruined. There is a heavy timber basement structure thats been built to hold up one side of the house. On my list is fixing this, but the floor is warped in places over time and I can't really get these boards to lay flat anymore. The sill seems ok.
The problem with me jacking the house is the PO went to the trouble to reside 3/4s of the whole house really nicely as it sits now. It would be pandoras box to jack it and crack everything thats been done. Instead I will fix the eaten joists at the current height, and do built ins to cover the worst areas of floor warpage. Second floor is nice and flat, but first is a bit wavy
example of first floor warpage-
joists and timber structure. you can see here that some of the joists weren't sistered or removed, but shored up with this frame. I don't like this because the damaged joist can still crush over time. Ive actually already hired an old house specialist to come in and help me with these joists, but his schedule is pushed out to january. Will be nice fixed
here you can see the eaten joist slipped off the foundation wall resulting in the floor dip, and the structure underneath holding it up
overall basement
this side is in much better shape apart from the staircase. basically we don't go in the room above the eaten joists until its fixed-
Subscribing. You are doing some awesome work with these old buildings! my MIL has a 200+ year old farm house and they present their own little quirks when renovating. I remember helping her hang a picture; set it up, got it plumb and level and stepped back. thing looked completely out of whack because the walls and doorways weren't straight.
hah!
thats the only thing I can do, get things close to the rest of the house. Stuff is so old that its not changing back easily, and it can't be replaced.
For instance on my warped floors shown above I could fix the joists, level it out and build a new floor that was actually flat, but it will never be the same as the wide plank hardwood thats in there which it will be tough to find replacements for, so I am going to compensate for it and work with the current situation.
there is one room in the house that the original floor has been destroyed by glue and bad sanding, and that might provide spare material for later if I flip it. I think I will redo that floor specifically eventually
jbmatth
Well-known member
Oh wow, that is different than what I was expecting for the lathe, that is really neat. The stuff I have is all 1.25" x .25" or thereabouts.
JB
JB
bulletpruf
Well-known member
Love the property and what you've done with it. Keep it up!
Scott
Scott
Attic progress in continuing my non garage related updates.
what the hell, I enjoy reading other peoples full renovations so ill keep adding this stuff until I get to the garage.
After playing telephone tag for a while the insulation guys showed up and filled in the main space. I have never done this before and I cant really believe how fast he was done, maybe 20 minutes, after a good 10 minutes complaining about the framework in his way. For the speed it was worth outsourcing.
He was very generous, and he blew in close to R-60 in many places
after insulation in the filled room-
main space-
After I smoothed it out a little and put in the extra 2x4s to make a usable floor-
finished off the small room around the staircase. I went with pine tongue and groove. this was more work than I anticipated as no angle was the same as any other angle, and every board had to be shimmed since the rafters are all different sizes. Looks nice done though, with some stain or paint the wifes choice the old and new room will match fairly well
With the insulation done I still have a 8 inch air gap between the second floor ceilings and the 18 inches of fiberglass.
I have to eliminate that to really get full use of this, but anything helps. As the insulation guy stated, ive "put a fur hat on a naked man". Time to clothe him
what the hell, I enjoy reading other peoples full renovations so ill keep adding this stuff until I get to the garage.
After playing telephone tag for a while the insulation guys showed up and filled in the main space. I have never done this before and I cant really believe how fast he was done, maybe 20 minutes, after a good 10 minutes complaining about the framework in his way. For the speed it was worth outsourcing.
He was very generous, and he blew in close to R-60 in many places
after insulation in the filled room-
main space-
After I smoothed it out a little and put in the extra 2x4s to make a usable floor-
finished off the small room around the staircase. I went with pine tongue and groove. this was more work than I anticipated as no angle was the same as any other angle, and every board had to be shimmed since the rafters are all different sizes. Looks nice done though, with some stain or paint the wifes choice the old and new room will match fairly well
With the insulation done I still have a 8 inch air gap between the second floor ceilings and the 18 inches of fiberglass.
I have to eliminate that to really get full use of this, but anything helps. As the insulation guy stated, ive "put a fur hat on a naked man". Time to clothe him
Last edited:
xtremek
Well-known member
I can only speak for myself, but I like the "entire estate" thread. Keep the updates coming.
progress!
time to make my mudroom/bathroom combo out of the end of the garage. cleared out and exposed the dirt floor, and plan is to pour an L shaped pad around the bulkhead entrance. Level of pad will be same level as concrete step with door mat on it in this pic
cleaned and compressed mountain of **** in garage into the very last section. pad will extend about 3/4s into exsiting garage door (which will be removed), black line shows approximate endpoint. this will leave a 2.5 car garage attached eventually
prepared for pad by ripping out sill and cutting bottom edge of the door off, and also trimming about 10 inches off garage door track on one side. This will allow the concrete guy to roll the door up and build his forms. both doors are gone long term
hes going to have to bust out this lip to get a good square pour that matches the existing foundation on the front
I also had to remove this piece of lumber that was embedded in masonry along the edge of the bulkhead so he could pour a clean edge.
you can see here the original flagstone floor, which was then skimcoated, and where the timber was. I also cut 3 legs off the staircase so the pad could go right under it
he will build forms along the edges of the bulkhead here
time to make my mudroom/bathroom combo out of the end of the garage. cleared out and exposed the dirt floor, and plan is to pour an L shaped pad around the bulkhead entrance. Level of pad will be same level as concrete step with door mat on it in this pic
cleaned and compressed mountain of **** in garage into the very last section. pad will extend about 3/4s into exsiting garage door (which will be removed), black line shows approximate endpoint. this will leave a 2.5 car garage attached eventually
prepared for pad by ripping out sill and cutting bottom edge of the door off, and also trimming about 10 inches off garage door track on one side. This will allow the concrete guy to roll the door up and build his forms. both doors are gone long term
hes going to have to bust out this lip to get a good square pour that matches the existing foundation on the front
I also had to remove this piece of lumber that was embedded in masonry along the edge of the bulkhead so he could pour a clean edge.
you can see here the original flagstone floor, which was then skimcoated, and where the timber was. I also cut 3 legs off the staircase so the pad could go right under it
he will build forms along the edges of the bulkhead here
theoldwizard1
Well-known member
Looking good ! Keep up the picture documentation.
madoc1
Well-known member
that's a lot of work, but coming along nicely. I can see where the architech's drawings really helped. at least me.
jim
jim