Framing and Insulation: June 2020

Framing out the space went quickly. We were able to see where the walls would be and got to visualize more clearly how we would be able to move around and use the new space.

One of the things framing allowed us to see (aside from our future walls would go) was how uneven our old house really was. There were over 100 years of shifting and settling, just something you have with old homes!

Seeing the very quick demo of our rear chimney that also served as a support beam. We had a bit of a hole in the roof after that. Good thing we kept extra roofing shingles from when we reroofed a few years back!

The master bedroom (formerly kitchen) first getting framed out, then insulated:

The best part was being in one end of the house and seeing all the way to the other end through the new studs. It gave perspective on the side of the house that we would have otherwise never realized with closed in walls.

The beauty of demo and framing was realizing that the kitchen (which would eventually be our master bedroom) actually had a pitched roof with high ceilings. So we were able to talk with the contractor and keep our new 12ft high discovery.

Our (former) bedroom wall was torn down to make additional kitchen space. Once the separating wall was demo’ed, the structural supports were added along the ceiling, then framing and insulation was put in.

While framing went smoothly and swiftly, running the electrical was slow and steady. HVAC took almost as long!

While our stairwell didn’t receive any major structural changes, we did need to run new electrical through it for our sconces.

Demolition: May 2020

We knew it would be loud. But we didn’t know it would be loud! Ground trembling, wall shaking— type of loud.

Despite the noise, demo was truly the most exciting part of the process. In just a day, our entire space was completely transformed. Seeing the studs and lathe and layers of plaster, wallpaper and paint in a pile on the ground was enthralling. Very quickly, the sounds of demo and construction became associated with the sounds of progress.

For the most part, demo went as planned. But once those walls come down you never know what you are going to find. We ended up discovering a second chimney we should have realized was there. When the walls came down. There it was: drastically angled, falling apart, but still holding up the house.

At the end of day one, we went upstairs after demo when we knew they were done… which was when the noise stopped!

Day two they carried trash bins filled filled with the rubble up and down the stairs all day long. But they got it cleaned up!

As they tore down the third floor, we got to see glimpses of the past: Pink floral wall paper and blackened wood from a fire from long ago.

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The Calm Before the Demo: April 2020

Architectural drawings, check.
Contractor start date, check.
Mentally preparing ourselves for our third floor to be gutted and to live in a construction zone for the foreseeable future, check… I think.

We live in a three-story, three-flat home. For the past three and a half year we have lived in the middle 2nd floor unit and rented out the top and bottom units. Finally, we are ready to combine our unit and the third floor unit to make one grand space to grow into.

After our third floor tenant moved out, we had a month long window before our demolition was scheduled to start. So we took some photos and videos of the space so we can look back and remember what it used to look like.

Our dearest friend came over to photograph the third floor unit before the construction team’s arrival. The photos of her taking pictures added a bit more life to the still shots of empty rooms.