Thankful for Big Changes

The week of Thanksgiving brought great weather and turned out to be very productive at the house. The roof crew asked if they could work on Thanksgiving.  I said "Ummm, sure! If you really want to."  It turns out they really did!  Now we only have half a roof! (On purpose, don't worry)

The North gable is torn off and the roof of the West gable has been removed in order to facilitate attaching the new construction to the old house. 

We've decided on the less expensive tarps versus actual shingles for the roof covering. Plus they really have the aesthetic we're looking for. You know,  busted-up but beautiful. 

Things look a little different inside with the roof off. 

This room was unfinished attic space. It will be a bedroom. 

The juniper bushes had to come out so we could access the foundation for repair. And they were ugly. 

Already better without the bushes. 

The porch has nice details which we'll preserve but the last time it was a nice (and safe) place to sit was about four decades ago. 

As you guessed, it has to come off. . .

It's nice to have family with some very handy skills and heavy equipment!

It came off well, and we only broke one window. 

This rock pile was one of the porch supports. Hmmm. . .

The old gal is on her way back to the way she was meant to be.

Lots of Projects

There are lots of items that need to be done pretty much simultaneously to get the job done. 

We have some young men from the neighborhood helping remove the dreaded lath and plaster. They're doing a good job so far. 

The outside walls needed to be braced before the roof sections are removed tomorrow. That's going to be a big change! (Notice how I still haven't taken down the curtains. They add a nice touch to the bare walls and piles of debris, don't you think? I'm pretty sure I may try to leave them up until they absolutely have to come down.) 

I decided that I would install the temporary power pole. How hard could it be, right?!? 

I wish I had a picture of when I was on the front of the loader at the top of the pole. 

 

For just figuring it out as we go, it seems to have turned out well. Now if we actually have power and no one gets electrocuted we'll count it as a success.

 

I had my great workers assisting again.  They are always eager and helpful! Couldn't have gotten it done without them. 

Old Molding

Part of the process is removing the old molding so it can be refinished. Additionally we don't want it to get damaged when we remove the lath and plaster. These boards are as old as the house; so inevitably some of them break, but many of them survive removal just fine. 

Love that pink!

When it's dark and dusty my phone takes lousy pictures. 

The manufacturing company logo is still nice and bright on the back of one of the pieces. 

In the next photo you can see (look close) that some of the boards are written on. The name is to who it was to be delivered and to what location. Neat!

This is the light in the room. The long cord is interesting. Did they pull it around the room to use light where it was needed?

There are still a few things in the closet. . .

Lath and Plaster

I have a feeling that those two words will be like the worst kind of curse words by the time we finish with the house. I may just start using 'lath and plaster' as my go-to phrase when I'm upset at the kids. "You little lath and plaster; get back here and clean up this mess!" 

It's good to have a wife who is a hard worker AND nice to look at. The mask may or may not be the most flattering accessory. Just kidding, she's cute in anything. 

The old hex tiles pulled right up with the carpet backing. Unfortunately I discovered that the tile and bathtub are installed on top of 6 inches of suspended concrete. That's going to be a bear to remove. 

Can you imagine the kind of work it was to put all that lath and plaster up?!