Between 485 & 705 SQ/FT Modern House - Eastern Shore

[Brian R]

Very cool house! Interesting meshing of older construction methods with "modern" design. I have a 60's modern house (built 1960) that we're slowly revamping as well. Some of the stuff they did back then made sense. Some of it didn't. Materials for construction didn't have the longevity for some of the design aspects that were dreamed back then.

I notice you have a flat roof.... is it tar/gravel or has it been updated? Ours had a tar and gravel (2nd iteration that was installed in the early mid 80's) that we had torn off and replaced with a modern TPO setup instead. The tear off/removal costs were insane because of the cost of disposal of that tar/gravel mix.

We were going to replace the roof first since we thought it would be best to get the structure watertight from above. I'm not certain if the roof is original but I know it is not tar and gravel. We received a quote to install a new roof and it was pretty reasonable (under 10k and they were not going to remove the material which sort of looks life a very stiff foam).

However, we looked at 3rd floor ceilings and walls and did not find a drop of moisture so we were pretty certain the roof was in decent shape. Plus, I was interested in removing oil fired furnace, moving the wood burning stove and making other changes where would possibly need to add/subtract holes from roof.

And then I got involved with demo and then found rotted beams and added windows and promptly forgot entirely about that darn roof for like a full 2 years. That is until I climbed up there and found this surprise (pictures). I'm embarrassed about this (pro tip: clean your gutters).

The roof is drained using two low spots that feed a pipe that exits at the top of the roof. They are covered with a screen that is held down with bricks. Nobody (who will remain anonymous) checked the drains for 2 years. The grills were clogged with leaves but I think the glass half full story here is I now know for certain the roof does not leak since again we have found no water signs on interior.

The first two pics are from late summer when I found the worlds best birdbath. The last picture was taken during fall cleanup and you can see drain in lower left corner.

But let me say again - clean your gutters!

BTW - you definitely get it with 60's modern houses - some of it makes sense and some not so much. Onward, upward, better!

 

[Brian R]

Insulating! A big milestone, congrats.

I dunno, I might spend a lot of time on that 3rd floor deck, the woods views are lovely and depending on time of day and weather, could be nice to escape.

Yes - the woods are a nice view - thanks for watching.

Brian

 

[Brian R]

I might be the last GJ member to find your thread, but I'm impressed . Subscribed from here on.

Glad you found it and thanks for following along.

BTW - my first vehicle was a Chevy C10 which I'd love to find another but in the meantime I'm reliving my youth through your van revival - way cool!

Brian

 

[Brian R]

Sweet!

Oh, and Happy New Year to you too.

Right back at ya, Finallygotit!

BR

 

[justinmc]

But let me say again - clean your gutters!

BTW - you definitely get it with 60's modern houses - some of it makes sense and some not so much. Onward, upward, better!

Oh wow! Yeah ours has a slight slight slight pitch to it so that it drains to the edges and the gutters do all the work. We have all sorts of trees and clog the gutters with a variety of shapes and sizes throughout the year so we've made it a habit to monthly get up and blow out the gutters as needed.

Interesting that you describe the material as a "stiff foam". I wonder what it is.

Also good that you don't have any leaks!

 

[Brian R]

Insulation

We’ve got insulation. Woowoo!

On the one hand not that big of a deal (either in effort or cost) but now that we’ve got it we can start adding drywall and building out rooms. Well, that is after inspection.

Since last Fall I’ve told people there were less than 12 projects to complete and now I think I can say 6:

1. Wall installation
2. Install kitchen
3. Install bathrooms
4. Redo floors
5. Install mini-duct system for 3rd floor
6. Finish screened-in porch and rail system

There are a million small things to do but the list of large projects is shrinking.

 

[GRN96WS6]

What material is the roof? That mini lake was great! Deep enough to ski?



I live in SOMD so about 90 mins give or take bridge traffic to the shore, such a pretty place.

 

[TurtleValley]

I think this is great on your restoration project. Such a unique piece of history and looks like it is shaping up to be a great place!

 

[smschriefer]

Congrats on the insulation! You were smart to go with closed cell. If your renovation isn't water tight, it was due to lack of effort. I live on the Chesapeake Bay down in Yorktown and man, the amount of moisture is crazy. The worst part is the salt in the air, everything outside corrodes quickly. Stainless and brass fasteners are your friends.

Your place is going to be spectacular when it is complete!

 

[BeachBoy]

Well, at least the paint scheme is predetermined thanks to Mondrian.

First time I see this thread, was about to post exactly that.

This house exterior screams Mondrian.

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[Brian R]

What material is the roof? That mini lake was great! Deep enough to ski?



I live in SOMD so about 90 mins give or take bridge traffic to the shore, such a pretty place.

Not quite deep enough to ski but I used to mess around with RC boats as a kid so probably could use it for that. Really though goal is to keep that from ever happening again.

Material is unknown but I do have this from inspection report when we bought the place:

"There are low areas on the roof which are holding water. There are bubbles or blisters under the spray foam insulation roof coating."

Attached picture provides additional evidence of statement.

Speaking of skiing - two pics of my kids.

GRN - thanks for the kind words. See you on the Bay!

 

[GRN96WS6]

Not quite deep enough to ski but I used to mess around with RC boats as a kid so probably could use it for that. Really though goal is to keep that from ever happening again.

Material is unknown but I do have this from inspection report when we bought the place:

"There are low areas on the roof which are holding water. There are bubbles or blisters under the spray foam insulation roof coating."

Attached picture provides additional evidence of statement.

Speaking of skiing - two pics of my kids.

GRN - thanks for the kind words. See you on the Bay!

My grandfather (RIP) taught me how to ski on his pond up in CT fond memories... I haven't skied in about 4yrs and before that it had been about 10 or so, thee guys I was with hated that I got up so easily haha I never did learn to slalom.


Now I wake board or wake surf as some buddies have those fancy wake board boats.


Looking forward to the progress.

 

[Jim_No_Garage]

Stock that lake with trout and go fishing?

We had a leaking flat roof on house #1. That got changed into a 6/12 peaked roof pretty fast.

Keep the updates coming. I love seeing different houses from the Concrete Undergound to Sakurama's Mid Century Makeover.

Jim

 

[Brian R]

Congrats on the insulation! You were smart to go with closed cell. If your renovation isn't water tight, it was due to lack of effort. I live on the Chesapeake Bay down in Yorktown and man, the amount of moisture is crazy. The worst part is the salt in the air, everything outside corrodes quickly. Stainless and brass fasteners are your friends.

Your place is going to be spectacular when it is complete!

smschriefer, thanks for stopping by and the kind words. I think you are right about stainless and brass. When my kids and I jumped in the water we instantly noticed the salt content and were really shocked since our other cottage was only 30 miles further north and we never noticed it then.

I best keep this in mind to when I finally get to the garage since there will be bikes and cars that I'd like to keep from rusting away....

 

[Brian R]

I think this is great on your restoration project. Such a unique piece of history and looks like it is shaping up to be a great place!

TurtleValley - thanks for dropping by although I don't know how you manage with the place you are building. I would have loved to start from scratch but yeah, this unique place needed one hard headed idiot to restore it.

 

[Brian R]

Stock that lake with trout and go fishing?

We had a leaking flat roof on house #1. That got changed into a 6/12 peaked roof pretty fast.

Keep the updates coming. I love seeing different houses from the Concrete Undergound to Sakurama's Mid Century Makeover.

Jim

Jim - tempted to stock but I'm only about 80 feet from river so I guess I'll work on keeping the gutters working and fish from the dock (that needs work too).

Thanks for checking in.

 

[Brian R]

First time I see this thread, was about to post exactly that.

This house exterior screams Mondrian.

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Beachboy, maybe I switch to Mondrian for the second restoration?

 

[Brian R]

Farmland

The original property was subdivided into 5 lots of anywhere from 5-8acres in the 80’s. My neighbor told me that the original owners had been farming on this land for several generations but stopped once it was subdivided. The owner retired to a macadamia nut farm in Hawaii – nice gig I’m sure.

Anyway, I was out there last week and took a hard look around. I haven’t spent much energy or time on the property since we’ve been focused on the house. I found some abandoned farm implements. If anyone can tell me what the first item is (red cart like item with chain driven apparatus) I’d sure appreciate it.

Although none of the subdivided properties are farming there is a pretty significant farm right next to us. It’s actually a pretty deal for us since one family has owned the farm for over two hundred years (as posted on signage at end of drive) and so I think there is a decent chance it will be that way for years to come.

Our property is at the end of a dead-end road that is approximately 2 miles long. One side is tilled and the other is woodland. It’s so relaxing to pass this land to and from our property. The picture of the fox was snapped last September and the picture of the tilled field is from the middle of November

 

[HunterDan]

It’s hard to tell, but I think the cart is a manure spreader

Great looking place you got there!

 

[gte718p]

It’s hard to tell, but I think the cart is a manure spreader

Great looking place you got there!

I will second the manure spreader.

 

[383]

Just found your thread, a lot of work and amazing transformation from the beginning until now. Will be looking forward to seeing more of your progress.

If you notice, the tire cleats on the manure spreader point in the opposite direction than they do on a tractor. This gives the tires more traction when being pulled, the unloading drag chains and spreaders are powered by the wheels instead of a PTO.

 

[Toolfool]

Brian , you know GJ is going to expect you to restore that manure spreader.

 

[ConCretin]

I'm apparently a latecomer to this fantastic thread. I love how you've updated the design and used modern methods but maintained the original appearance and vibe of the house. Even better is the wonderful commentary you've provided all of us. Thanks so much. I can't wait to see how it ends.

The roof pool blew my mind. I've never seen anything quite like that. It's safe to say your roof is water tight.

 

[Brian R]

It’s hard to tell, but I think the cart is a manure spreader

Great looking place you got there!

I will second the manure spreader.

Just found your thread, a lot of work and amazing transformation from the beginning until now. Will be looking forward to seeing more of your progress.

If you notice, the tire cleats on the manure spreader point in the opposite direction than they do on a tractor. This gives the tires more traction when being pulled, the unloading drag chains and spreaders are powered by the wheels instead of a PTO.

HunterDan, gte718p & 383 - Man, I'm impressed! Pretty bad picture and buried under fallen trees and right away you guys nail it. Thanks for solving that and following along.

BR

 

[Brian R]

Brian , you know GJ is going to expect you to restore that manure spreader.

Bwawawawa. Can't stop laughing at that.

Funny thing is it's in much better shape than the house. I was going to leave at at yard art but...

After I finish the house and then build the garage......thanks for putting that idea to me, Toolfool.

Brian

 

[Brian R]

I'm apparently a latecomer to this fantastic thread. I love how you've updated the design and used modern methods but maintained the original appearance and vibe of the house. Even better is the wonderful commentary you've provided all of us. Thanks so much. I can't wait to see how it ends.

The roof pool blew my mind. I've never seen anything quite like that. It's safe to say your roof is water tight.

LLWillysfan, thanks for the kind words and appreciate that you get what we're trying to do here.

Brian

 

[BoilermakerFan]

Bwawawawa. Can't stop laughing at that.

Funny thing is it's in much better shape than the house. I was going to leave at at yard art but...

After I finish the house and then build the garage......thanks for putting that idea to me, Toolfool.

Brian

Just wear a disposable Tyvek suit and inexpensive full face grinding face guard when you power wash it. But I would clean it up if not restore too... just because it's there and tied to the history of the place. Looked there are some other pull behind implements hiding in the woods too. Heck, you might be surprised what someone would be willing to pay for those. Take pics and hit a couple of antique farm shows to see if there is any interest.

 

[smschriefer]

So you brought up the garage you have to build... Did you ever state what the garage will look like when done? I think a cool post and beam that mirrors the house design would be cool. How many trees, plants, shrubs, catch basins, etc will you have to place to make the Chesapeake Bay people happy? Of course I believe you have 5 acres, so it might not be as big of an issue since most of your land doesn't have hardscape.

 

[Brian R]

Just wear a disposable Tyvek suit and inexpensive full face grinding face guard when you power wash it. But I would clean it up if not restore too... just because it's there and tied to the history of the place. Looked there are some other pull behind implements hiding in the woods too. Heck, you might be surprised what someone would be willing to pay for those. Take pics and hit a couple of antique farm shows to see if there is any interest.

Pretty sound advice regarding cleaning it up, thanks. I think I will keep it all but your note about value got me to thinking about one of our favorite places on the Eastern Shore. Each and every Wednesday an auction is held right down the road from us. Per their website:

"Dixon’s Furniture Auction, known by many as Crumpton Auction, is a third generation auction company established in 1961 by Norman Dixon. Selling on average between 3,000 to 6,000 lots a week, that are consigned the morning of the sale, and are sold by 5pm the same day, which is unique only to our auction. We have 7 auctioneers on staff with over 210 years combined experience, selling 3 to 4 auctions simultaneously, each averaging 200 items an hour, moving at a fast pace where one never finds themselves bored waiting for the next item. We are one of the largest discovery auctions, always on the edge of whats new in the auction and antique world. You literally never know what you may find."

It's a pretty wild auction and everything under the sun is eventually sold down there. The method to me is different than anything else I’ve seen. All the items are laid out in rows and you are allowed to select a pile of stuff you want from each lot. So you might pick out a bicycle, a fishing rod and couch from a lot. Only thing is if someone wants only the fishing rod they can pull that out and the auctioneer will sell that off separately. Then they start offering off parts of the lot and if the part doesn’t sell they add more items to that lot until there is more interest and/or bidding.

One of the craziest things I witnessed there was someone dragged an old carpet out of a 200 year old house. Looking at the rug you thought maybe it was worth less than 100 bucks. But there were 2 people there that were experts in these items and you need two to get crazy prices (I remember one was a curator from the Winterthur museum – Dupont property). Anyway, the carpet went for like $20,000 and we were all just stunned. The funny part was that I think every single carpet from the surrounding 25 miles was offered at auction over the next 12 months ‘cause everyone thought they had the next big thing. Alas, no other American carpet masterpieces were discovered.

I’ve purchased a tandem bicycle, a great kids desk, fishing gear and a fair amount of tools. In addition, when we moved to TX from PA I showed up at 3:30 AM on Wed to get a prime spot and sold $2,000 worth of stuff we didn’t want to move.

My neighbor goes every week and claims your education is not complete until you’ve gone to Crumpton’s Auction.

Here are some random photos from the internet.

 

[12husky]

We love Crumpton!


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[BoilermakerFan]

Oh man, that sounds awesome. I think my cousin and I need to plan a trip down there when I go visit him in Central NJ.

 

[Brian R]

We love Crumpton!


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Oh man, that sounds awesome. I think my cousin and I need to plan a trip down there when I go visit him in Central NJ.

Husky or BoilermakerFan - all right! Let me know if and when you are out this way.

Brian

 

[Brian R]

So you brought up the garage you have to build... Did you ever state what the garage will look like when done? I think a cool post and beam that mirrors the house design would be cool. How many trees, plants, shrubs, catch basins, etc will you have to place to make the Chesapeake Bay people happy? Of course I believe you have 5 acres, so it might not be as big of an issue since most of your land doesn't have hardscape.

Steve - sorry for how long it took to respond but here you go.


Garage Style & Location

I’ve been working on renovating the house and so have put much thought into the garage. I think I’ve narrowed the location though. If you look at the copy of the property I’ve attempted to mark where structures might go.

I’d like to place a carport just in front of the house (Marked as 1. on property layout).

I will probably place a garage at either position 2. or 3.

If it is placed in position 2. it will probably be built in some modern type style to match the house since it would only be across the gravel driveway.

If it is placed in position 3. I might build something that could be modern to look similar to house or I could go with something different and make it look older. Maybe a barn type looking structure that could be a holdover from when the property was a farm.

As you can see from the attached the property has an odd shape. When I was there a few weeks ago I finally found the property pins. I snapped a picture of one of the stakes and you can see our house in the background.

I also snapped a picture of the stake with our neighbor’s house in the background. I spent a lovely afternoon with them on their boat last summer and asked them how they ended up with this property. They said they had been boating in this area for several years and they heard that the owner of the original farm was subdividing the 35 acres into five 5-7 acre lots and so bought one. The lot they bought had a tiny hunting cabin on it and they lived in it for several summers. The wife said it was built off the ground somewhat and snakes would often crawl under it to get out of the sun and occasionally find their way into the house. She could live with that until one day when she went to take a shower. The shower was actually a tub with one of those old-fashioned rings that held a shower curtain. She reached up to close the curtain and accidently grabbed hold of a snake that had rested there. That was the absolute last straw and she screamed, “Build me a house!” She ended up with a nice one.

 

[BoilermakerFan]

Husky or BoilermakerFan - all right! Let me know if and when you are out this way.

Brian

Will do! I haven't started planning the summer trip with my cousin yet, but we definitely agreed that we need to get together again this summer.

 

[Brian R]

Inspection Update
I needed to see if we had passed our rough-in inspection and so called over to inspector. He picked up the phone himself and I asked if we passed. He asked for our address and I said, so and so main street outside of Chestertown. He didn’t remember the house and was in the process of looking it up on his computer when I started to describe the house, “...3 Stories with lots of windows...” He cuts me off.

“That’s the Glass House. That house is legendary around here. Next time you call just say Glass House and yeah you passed.”

So we got the go ahead to start closing in walls and I’ll be posting some drywall pictures in a little bit.

It’s hard renovating a house from across the country but I wanted a project and got that in spades. It’s frustrating and time consuming and vexing that I can’t spend more time there. However, on last minute notice I had to fly to Wilmington to meet a client so I was able to buzz down there and spend a few hours there. Mostly taking measurements and checking on a few things but I was also able to build a fire for the first time. I was happy to warm the place up and burn some of the firewood that we made doing vista cuts earlier.

 

[BoilermakerFan]

Inspection Update
I needed to see if we had passed our rough-in inspection and so called over to inspector. He picked up the phone himself and I asked if we passed. He asked for our address and I said, so and so main street outside of Chestertown. He didn’t remember the house and was in the process of looking it up on his computer when I started to describe the house, “...3 Stories with lots of windows...” He cuts me off.

“That’s the Glass House. That house is legendary around here. Next time you call just say Glass House and yeah you passed.”

So we got the go ahead to start closing in walls and I’ll be posting some drywall pictures in a little bit.

It’s hard renovating a house from across the country but I wanted a project and got that in spades. It’s frustrating and time consuming and vexing that I can’t spend more time there. However, on last minute notice I had to fly to Wilmington to meet a client so I was able to buzz down there and spend a few hours there. Mostly taking measurements and checking on a few things but I was also able to build a fire for the first time. I was happy to warm the place up and burn some of the firewood that we made doing vista cuts earlier.

Very cool! I like that wood burning stove. And I love how the locals all know the house as the Glass House. Sounds like the locals will be happy you are restoring/renovating it. But now you'll have to be especially careful with the garage plan to keep it in line with the house. Shouldn't be too hard if you give the street facing side a facade that matches the house, even if the extra windows are covered with privacy film or it's divided from the main garage as a small office/ storage area.

 

[Finallygotit]

That wood burning stove looks inviting with what's going on out of those windows.

 

[Brian R]

Drywall

The difference is literally night and day. Going from exposed walls to installed drywall reflects the light back into the room. We’ve also taped and mudded but I don’t have those pictures yet.

Next steps:

Install interior doors

Install baseboards, door and window trim

Fix floor in bathroom. This is turning into a big challenge since PO cut a 3x4 foot hole in 2nd and 3rd floors in order to run electric, duct work and chimney for oil fired furnace. The floor was also chopped up for what looks like 2 sets of placements for tub/shower. Floor literally sags and bounces so I’m trying to figure out how to install support from below without wrecking look of exposed ceiling in kitchen right below.

 

[BoilermakerFan]

Fix floor in bathroom. This is turning into a big challenge since PO cut a 3x4 foot hole in 2nd and 3rd floors in order to run electric, duct work and chimney for oil fired furnace. The floor was also chopped up for what looks like 2 sets of placements for tub/shower. Floor literally sags and bounces so I’m trying to figure out how to install support from below without wrecking look of exposed ceiling in kitchen right below.

Holy ****! Is the ceiling in the kitchen like the pics with the big beams?

I wonder if you can tie the beam, then completely cut out the damaged length, use keyed joints to tie in a new beam section, and then reinforce it with U-plates? That way it won't look so out of place, especially after staining it to match as close as you can, but then you could get 90% or more of the strength back.

You could also scab additional support beams in and cut the ends in a decorative fashion to add detail to the kitchen ceiling so it looks more intentional. You would just have to add the same details to every exposed beam in the kitchen. On the non-structural scabs you could router channels in the back sides to run wire for lighting too...

 

[RickP]

Congrats on passing inspection, and the drywall is looking good. That's a real sign of progress!

Good luck dealing with the structural issues -- those are always a challenge.