Demo - we don't know when to say when

Feb, 2014

So I should probably start off by apologizing for taking such a long break. There has been quite a bit going on and that's kind of caused this little diary to take a back burner to everything. So I'm going to pretend that I haven't stopped writing for 6 months and continue on. It's just easier that way. Just for my own sense of when things actually occurred, I might put a little time stamp somewhere, if that's ok! 



I have a thing about plaster. I really really love it, and embrace the cracks as character. I understand the craftsmanship that went into it. I understand the benefits of soundproofing and the acoustical qualities. But, I have a big issue when it comes to plaster ceilings. I just don't like all of that weight above my head. I worry about the potential for it to fall on my head as I lay sleeping in the middle of the night.

Because we needed to update the electrical, and because the ceilings were in such bad shape, after testing for asbestos, we went into demo mode once again.

First we needed to demo some plaster too far gone in the basement stair area, to allow for plumbing and electrical chases.

Why I thought wearing my favorite scarf and coat is beyond me, but luckily everything comes out in the wash!

Then we headed upstairs to tackle the ceilings. Most of the walls will be left intact and patched and repaired. I have to say that tearing out plaster is a seriously intense, backbreaking job. Wow!

We worked well into the night, comforted that our children were safely at a friend's house, and stopped only to admire the gorgeous sunset over the valley.

Demo part 2

At about the same time we opened up the living room entry, we felt like it would only be proper that the opening to the kitchen and dining room match.

To get into the kitchen was a little bit of a shimmy through multiple doors. The doors were narrow and the traffic flow poor. Once again, these entry ways were added later since the house was built.

We also decided to open up the space between the kitchen and dining room because the kitchen was tiny, the dinette well used and the dining room rarely used. We wanted to make that space a part of the kitchen and use every bit of the main spaces on a daily basis.

The arch is a later addition, as were the built in pantries.

After: this is where the music kind of screeches to a halt. The before pictures DO look nice, but it was very dated, and we were faced with many holes from the duct removal. It's always darkest before the dawn, right? Here we go:

Taking out the pantries revealed the "servants" stairs. We'd like to preserve that bit of history, but the jury is still out on how that will happen.

The blurry Iphone picture makes me the happiest!

One could argue that taking out some of these doors and pantries takes away from the coziness of the rooms in the farmhouse. And sometimes I walk through the house and wonder if this was the right call. But ultimately, gaining the dining space and widening the kitchen for times when we want to gather with friends and NOT be cramped and away from the fun solidifies that decision. As for the wide openings between the eating and living spaces, there is the main entrance separating the two areas. Should the large openings begin to cause a problem, we'll look into large sliding doors or heavy drapery as a solution. Either would be typical for that era.

Bathroom Inspiration

I happened down Division Street in Portland recently, and wandered into Roman Candle - yet another Stumptown guy creation. I've driven by it in the past, but didn't think much about going in at the time, because I thought it was just a bakery. I'm trying to avoid baked goods, so it's usually a no-go.

Boy was I wrong! Not only do they have insanely good salads, and other choices outside of baked goods, like pizza that you cut with super cool old fashioned scissors, the restaurant is absolutely stunning!

http://romancandlebaking.com/

The bathroom:

WHERE do I get a soap dispenser like this?

talk about insane craftsmanship!

It Could Be Worse

There is a house on the other side of the property. It is totally precious on the outside. It's two stories, and was built sometime in the 1800's. I believe it to be the oldest structure on the property.

A man lived here for almost 30 years and paid something like $100/month, sometimes, for rent. He also occupied the "recording studio" (which is pretty awesome) across the road.

Ready for the tour?

Kitchen/Bathroom:

Living Room (totally digging the concrete blocks):

  
Shower:

HVAC:

Upstairs Loft (check out the hardwods):

Well insulated:

Pet Accommodations:

One project begets another project

So probably a normal person, after finding a house full of dust would probably just clean it, right?

We decided it was a prime time to get it even filthier, by opening up some walls we thought might be holding in some light.

We also felt like the traffic flow was a little jammed, getting in and out through multiple doorways between the kitchen and other rooms.

Halfway through the demo, the former homeowner came by for her mail. Interestingly enough, she mentioned that she had seen in some very old pictures that the room openings had actually been larger in the past. Halfway through demo, we realized that. Wow, it really must have been a long time ago, because the moldings and doors are in amazing original shape! I hope we don't find out the hard way why they had to close off those rooms! 

Just in case, we didn't open it up all the way. There is still a partial wall on each side of the main entrance. An entrance that is rarely used.

I think after this, we will have 5-7 old doors that will need to find a home elsewhere in the house. There are some pretty damaged doors in the attic that could be replaced, and the rest...future project?

Front hallway: dark, with two closets that were used only for storage. Nobody enters through this grand entrance, sadly, and the closets crowd the space and ends up as a pass-through room. The floor is damaged right by the front door, and had been covered up by asbestos tile.

Inspiration: "Interior Portraits" by Victoria Hagan. I purchased this book last year and didn't feel very inspired when I first read through it. I was encouraged to give it another try, and WOW, I was so wrong. This book is genius, but if you're looking for something flashy, you will miss it. It's all about the details...

In progress:

I'm pretty happy with the way this is turning out. There is an incredible amount of light coming into the house now!

                                *****

Living room: The living room had an odd shaped entry. It had at one time had a larger opening, but it was closer to the front door than the staircase. With the asbestos covered ducting removed, it seemed an appropriate time to open it up.

Inspiration: "Remodelista" by Julie Carlson. Currently, my bible for remodeling this house. Her credo: keep it simple. The remodelista website is my go to for fixtures and recommendations for everything from light fixtures to flooring. I am absolutely, completely, in love with this living room, and it was this picture that told me, "it's ok to take that wall down, Leah" (pp. 80-81, Living in Black and White). After finding this picture, I googled Architectural designer Elizabeth Roberts for more of her work (this is her townhouse in Brooklyn, NY).

http://www.remodelista.com/posts/house-call-elizabeth-roberts-in-brooklyn

Before:

In progress:

Even though I'm happy with the expansiveness of the new space, I can't help but be a little sad about before and during. Before was looking pretty darn good! And now with the ceiling out as well - eeesh. 

Attic Gut

The attic is officially gutted. Which is a little sad. The plaster wasn't able to be saved, it was too far gone. Also, the attic is responsible for a large percentage of the heat loss of a house. So proper insulation can really up the efficiency of the entire house.

I asked the general to save the lath. Saw a great house project involving reused lath. It looks labor intensive, but if nothing else, it will eventually make great firewood.

The coolest thing, would be to leave the ceilings as is in the attic bedrooms, and just plaster or beadboard the walls. In this climate, though, that's not going to work.

My second thought was to beadboard over the rafters right up to the roofline. It's labor intensive, but form over function, right? Leaving some airspace over the horizontal boards would help prevent mold by preserving airflow above the insulation.

After reading a book on feng shui, I decided to beadboard over the horizontal boards. Rafters cutting across the bodies of sleeping children doesn't seem like a recipe for a restful sleep, and everyone wins. We also get a cozy little sleeping space. Sometimes those sexy pinterest photos just don't equal practical.

That stain is bat poo. Or bat guano, as my contractor likes to call it. Bats in the rafters, and oh so glad I wasn't here for that.

He also found much more abandoned bee hive. Stretched across the entire wall and all over the chimney. Wish I could have seen that in person before he removed it.

In Search of Heat

The road to a new wood stove was an unnecessarily long one. The first go round, I was told I would have to remove the entire mantel, because of clearances. I researched about a dozen models offered by one local company before I went on my own internet search.

Then I contacted another company that mentioned that fireplace companies are only associated with certain products, and I wouldn't get the whole gamut from one company.

I eventually ended up going with the second company, because not only would I not have to rip out my mantel with the brand they offered, but the heat output was the highest of any fireplace I had seen. In addition, it came with an additional feature called the GreenStart, a button you push to light the fire with a spark and hot air.

I decided not to be present because I had just spent the day at the house, freezing, while asbestos was removed from the basement. Just in case, I removed almost all the furniture from the room, left a key, and headed back to Portland.

When I got back to the house that weekend, there was a thick layer of dust covering the entire room, and soot hand and foot marks throughout the first floor. When I asked the installer about that, he said, 'yeah, that old thing was dirty. When we took out some brick it was just a big dust storm in here.' Great. And so this was your first time installing? Couldn't anticipate that one? I don't know.... a dust barrier wasn't a thought?

In addition, there was a big black cord coming out of the front of the fireplace. A fireplace that I had specifically had an electrician come and hardware for the blower. When I pushed the button for the Green Start, a very loud sound came out of this big, obtrusive box.

Lesson learned - always be there for an installation!!

So I came back yesterday, and the guy said, "well I've never installed one of these before."
So I said, "drill a hole through the bottom of the firebox and put that loud thing in the basement."
"Well, I will need another guy for this. I'll have to come back."

Arrrrgh!

So he came back, and, long story short, they were bent over backwards to make it right. They offered to clean up the dust, but we decided it would be an ideal time to rip open some walls.

I ended up purchasing a Lopi Large Flush Hybrid wood insert, because of the large viewing area and heating capacity. The website shows an arched door, but a rectacular door is also available (my choice).

www.lopistoves.com

The jury is still out on how well it will heat the house. We've fired it up twice, and only just figured out the blower. I'm hoping that when we start closing the house back up, it will heat a little better than it is now.

In the search for the perfect fireplace insert, I came up with some pretty nice ones. Maybe for another project or the little red shack sometime in the future. 

Aduro stoves are pretty slick, as are the Asgard.

http://www.adurofire.com/asgaard-stoves/stove/

Wittus stoves are equally as sleek and pleasing. My favorite is the Shaker stove.

www.wittus.com


Last but not least, the Morso has a really pleasing line of wood stoves. The 5660 standard is a real standout, but some of the free standing stoves made it a tough decision.

http://www.morsona.com/5660-Standard-547.aspx

Progress

Our temporary cellar door cover...

Gravelmania, an inexpensive landscape option, and the luxury of helping remove dirt from shoes before entering house. Also helps to prevent runoff. Bonus: dry basement!

The rest of the asphalt will go, because we'll be burying the power line, and planting a hedge between the house and road for more privacy.

french drain rerouting water from basement to orchard.

snapshot of the house, shingles repaired and laying in wait for some springtime beautification.

all the concrete had to go somewhere. there were some stones lining the ditch. we added to it a bit.