Carpenter Gothic 1865

Old Concrete is Removed

2008-09-23T07:28:00.000-07:00

The old concrete in front of the house has been removed. It was broken and water was running towards the house rotting out the wood under the house. Now that the concrete has been removed, the next step is to jack up the house and replace the seal plate to level out the front.

Wood Removal

2008-09-23T06:14:00.001-07:00

The old wood is removed on the side porch. Donald and Curtis remove the wood while debris falls. We are thinking about extending the house and eliminating the side porch. That would change the pitch of the roof and give us more square footage in the dinning room and the utility room. Therefore the old boards are not necessary.

Bad Wood Behind Old Chimney

2008-08-27T20:17:00.000-07:00

After removing the old Chimney, we discovered much wood rot. The rain had run down the back of the chimney so long that the wood rotted away behind it. There is a large hole in the attic area of the house. The birds love that! And there is a large hole in the foundation where the chimney once stood. We have many things to fix on this old house.

The Old Chimney Must Come Down

2008-08-27T19:48:00.000-07:00

The old chimney is falling apart and about to fall down. The mortar is loose or gone and the bricks are weak and broken. It is leaning and dangerous. Donald takes it down brick by brick. It rarely even needed hit with the hammer to be broke loose. Amazingly the chimney takes only about 15 minutes to come down.

Demolition is Dirty

2008-08-26T09:00:00.000-07:00

Demolition day is alot of hard work. Many walls and ceilings are coming down. Over a hundred years of dirt flies through the air. Breathing was difficult. Face masks became necessary. The guys are getting very dirty.

It takes several trips to the dump with all that mess. The guys work hard to keep the project moving. Curtis is putting a lot of muscle into the removal of the wall near the old bathroom.

I'm excited. I can't wait to see the finished project.

Interior Demolition

2008-08-26T08:43:00.000-07:00

We began the removal of the interior lath and plaster in several rooms of the house. We discovered no insulation at all. But we found old leather shoes in all the walls. I guess back in 1865 the people who built houses put leather shoes in the walls for good luck. I have saved them, but haven't decided what I will do with them.

Stripped of Stucco

2008-08-25T08:02:00.000-07:00

We managed to get all the stucco off by the 27th of June.

It took over 3 trailers full of stucco to the dump!

The house looks totally different.

Bought House

2008-08-25T07:56:00.000-07:00

In June of 2008 we purchased this home in need of complete restoration. We plan to use our spare time to work on it so we expect it to take a few years to complete.