Impromptu Demolition ...er... "Exploring"

Hello there!


I've got good news and not so good news, but it is all relative so I'm just going to start rambling on... probably get on a soap box now and again.

First an update on the foundation progress:


As you may know, I forecast that the foundation would be mostly "finished" by now. Well... I'm behind schedule. I found a little rot, as you can see below and had to rip out and replace a lot of that. After clearing out all the crap insulation (chipmunk winter retreat bedding) between the floor joists, I was able to see the extent of the damage. Instead of throwing out all kinds of insults to whomever tried to "fix" the problem.. I will instead try and offer a few smart ass tips directed towards them.


Smart Ass Tip #1: Don't attach a new replacement joist to a rotten joist... you won't get the support you need. Also, it is just a dumb idea and a sign of lack of knowledge in correct framing practices. In addition, think about the word replacement for a while and learn what it actually means.


Smart Ass Tip #2: Don't put untreated wood next to a slab, and expect it to last. It will rot. Also, not  a good idea to pour a slab porch and basically let the slab hang in the air supported by the aforementioned untreated wood.


Smart Ass Tip #3: Do things correctly the first time, please. If you don't know how or don't know where to start then seek the advice of someone who has experience in the matter. At least use your head and a little common sense.

This picture should include the baseplate of an exterior and interior load walls along with the subfloor and support joists. Oh yeah, and there is the corner of the porch slab. Original porch was wood, but for some reason they seemed to opt for a cement replacement.

Floor joist under load bearing wall.. I made those holes in it with my fingers. 

Some of the replacement work.. It is very hard to work from the bottom. I got the support beam in and replaced the joists and some of the wall baseplate. I will not be able to get to the rest of it until I go into the walls upstairs. 

Even had to knock out the corner of the house to get to some of the rotten wood.

Enough about the foundation already! Feeling a little burnt out so... I went exploring! Since the foundation is nearing its end, and the next project on the list is the master suite.. We will need to live on the first floor for a while. I decided to get the downstairs closet ready to support our influx of clothing from the jungle "closet" room. The A/C return and chimney are enclosed in the downstair closet.. so I took the opportunity to do a little poking around. The closet, like everything else in the house, was quickly cobbled together with little regard for aesthetics or practical function. I just started cutting little peep holes in all the hollow walls just to see what was going on.

The chimney is left and another peep hole is up top. 

The old bead boards made up the original ceiling! Cool! We plan on replicating that look (sans dark stain) in a few places in the house.

I just wanted to check out the state of the chimney so.. I started hacking away!

More old old wallpaper

I swear I could build another house with all the extra shit that is nailed in every corner of this house. Honestly, this is all random wood, nonstructural, from out of that closet. I am seriously at a loss of words on how someone puts things like this together in their mind. 

Sadly, I am certain that most of original plaster in this house is not in any condition to be repaired. All the keys are gone and it is badly damaged from the drywall being installed over it. I would save the old pig and horse hair plaster if I could. I've got some time off from work so hopefully I'll make some more progress on the foundation and move upstairs before long. New forecast... upstairs demo in August. Slow and steady!


Sneak Peek!


Annie has a cool side project in the works.. stay tuned!

The Suspense!!