2nd Floor

Finally got to start putting in new floor joists above the bedroom. I cut out the old ceiling joists and the rest of the poplar T & G. I had to stick the ends of the new joists out of the existing roof line and ended up in a rain storm trying to patch the holes. I have to level the top plate in the center of the house somehow but the exterior wall plate was pretty level. I will end up using the high spot in this room as a reference for the rest of the house.

More Demo

We have spent the last two weeks tearing out the ceiling in the bedroom and part of the kitchen so I can get the upstairs floor started. I thought the house was cold before but once again the only barrier we had left to the wind was s shotty roof and a ceiling...we are down to the shotty roof now. Dad came by and helped tear out part of the kitchen. I had to be able to access the tops of the bearing walls to receive the floor joists and be able to fasten them securely. My goal is to be able to build the new floor overhead without tearing the roof off...that way we will have a platform when it is time to remove the roof...I am expecting backfire. The ends of the joists will be protruding out of the existing roof line but I will just cover them with a blue tarp...and as you may know blue tarp is an accepted roofing material in watauga county.

Nail It

Finally go the hardwoods started back in the bedroom. I had the electrician stop by to give me some guidance on updating my service to 200 amp. It is nice to have some positive movement forward for a change. It has taken me about 3 days to get the bedroom finished and the kitchen almost done. I finally pulled my building permit and got legal. I got a nice new spot for a wood stove in the kitchen area...can't wait for that next year. I was able to get all the old hardwoods out of the shop so I will be able to use it again. Our life has gotten a little more organized but now we have to gear up for the new roof.

Get in Gear

Aren't you glad this is not what you see looking into your kitchen. Maranda and I spent Friday evening cleaning out the last bit of kitchen floor, concrete forms, and a trip to Lowe's for some lumber. This is the first trip to buy building material since beginning the interior. Framing the Kitchen is business as usual...three floors to match up, three different heights, and I am out of PBR. LEVEL is not an option so I am attempting FLAT. It is a dream come true to get the last bit of rot out of the house, plastic down, and insulation in the floor. I will have some fun transitioning between floors but a small task considering what we just accomplished. Pete stopped by to evaluate progress.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

We came back up the mountain from Christmas early to take Charley to the Vet. We ended up tearing out the rest of the floor so we could maximize the use of our help. Mom, Wade and I dug out the kitchen floor down to an acceptable depth. LAST FOUNDATION DIG!!! Dad and Maranda de-nailed the rest of the hardwood flooring. I discovered some pretty bad plumbing leaks from a conglomeration of terrible patch jobs spanning back 40 years maybe. I finally discovered where the puddles under the house originated. We got all the rotted floor and trash hauled to various dump and burn piles. I got the footer formed and poured on Monday. 14 bags of quickcrete. We have a snow storm on the way...Charley is 17 pounds. Pretty productive year for us.

Kitchen Destruction

Got all the stove moved into the bedroom, the fridge slid out of the way, and a utility sink plumbed in so I could begin the demo. I had to start with the kitchen sink and cabinets because they were built in place. The hardwoods came up next followed by yes another section of rotted floor.

Finally a Surface and a Smile

I got my bedroom girder bolted together and Brian stopped by to help me move some wires that were in bad shape. I don't do wiring. We picked up our latest addition Charley from Jarvis burg on the 9th. The temp was a record high of 64 degrees. ASU plays for the National Championship on Friday. I finished the rough in plumbing that passes under the bedroom to the future bathroom, insulated the floor, and was finally able to sheet the sub floor. It is so nice to have a room back.