Week 2 - Fireplace demo, framing and plumbing!

Day 6 - February 13

The plumbing has all been relocated for the new bathroom, and re-done for the kitchen sink. The sump pump has been rerouted in a location that makes so much more sense than before. This way it can be insulated for sound, as it is a very active sump pump. Not a bad thing in any way, since I live on the water, but definitely an active pump. It is a sump pump, with a back-up sump pump, with a back-up battery!! The house inspector when I purchased the house was impressed when he saw it, so I figure that is a good thing!

The house is located above the 100 year flood plain, so there shouldn’t be any issues, and my backyard is quite sloped down to the water, so flooding isn’t something I am worried about.

Framing is being built for the walls. The original framing was removed to be able to put the 2" foam insulation on the walls, and I'm also happy to have fresh new framing, since the old framing had gone through a flood (not from the river water level rising, but because of a fire in the chimney that had to be put out). So, it had been cut off and had the bottom part of it replaced, which makes it difficult to insulate as there were different widths of framing at the bottom vs. the top.

Day 7 - February 14

Happy Valentine’s Day!

And the excitement continues! New framing for the ceiling has been started.

The original ceiling framing was pretty interesting, since it used to be a wrap-around porch that was at some point enclosed and included in the main house. There were areas where I’m not entirely sure how it held all the weight of the main floor. There were pieces cut out of it, and holes drilled through where I’m not sure it was safe to do so, and the floors above are slightly sloped, etc.! So, it is nice to see it is now gone and in its place a very clean, organized, and secure ceiling framework in place.

The beam is being set up to be able to remove the post in the very near future!

And of course... more damage from the mice that were my unintentional roommates! It really is impressive (but definitely not in a good way!) how much they destroyed different things, and across such a significant portion of the house.

But the most exciting change that I am waiting for… the upstairs is being prepped for the fireplace to come out! As far as we understand, the fireplace used to be on the outside wall of the original house, but when the wrap-around porch was enclosed into the house, it became a large fireplace in the middle (-ish) of the room, and takes up a whole lot of space inside the house! There is currently a weird empty space behind it that I’m sure could have been used as a mudroom type of space, but that I used for cat litter and other storage! Today, all of the plastic walls have been put up and the area blocked off so that as much dust as possible stays in the one restricted area. I am so excited to see what the room feels like without the fireplace, as it will eventually be my new kitchen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GNUzX8WJ0k

Days 8-10 - February 15-17

Even with the plastic barrier up, you can see how much larger the room is and feels. Now I can't wait to see the windows go in, especially the 4-panel patio doors! :)

I can't believe the difference in how big the room feels without this massive fireplace that really served no purpose for me since I had never turned it on. It was converted to electric at some point, but I didn't trust the electrical enough to use it. And considering how rusted it was, probably a good thing!

More work was completed in the basement, with the Acousti-Seal on walls and at the bottom edge of the foam wall.

And additional barrier before the framing goes up.

You can also see the cut-out prepared on the far side of the wall (the break in the framing) for the LVL beam to go across to be able to remove the post.

It's going to be a nice cozy bright space to enjoy!