“It’s demo day”… well, demo week(s) actually! A lot has changed since I last posted photos. Last week, we took care of all the permits needed and had temporary power connected. This week, we handed over the keys and the team at Ivey Builders, Inc. got to work!
We have been anxiously awaiting the demolition phase of our restoration project. This is the stage where we’ll discover all the secrets behind the walls—the good and the bad. Most homeowners hold their breath during this part of the project, because often times these “secrets” include things such as termite damage, dry rot, and other structural issues that significantly impact the budget. Considering the age of the house, the amount of time it remained unoccupied and the damage that we can already see, it is easy to assume that we will have all the issues. We know we can’t prevent hidden surprises on our 1800s home remodel, but we did try our best to prepare for them with a budget cushion. Like any project though, we know if there are surprises to our budget, more than likely we will find them during demo.
If you’ve been following along on Instagram, you saw that Josh and I (with the help of the amazing Andrew Mercer!) had already removed and stored all of the fireplace mantles, summer covers and 25 interior doors until time for refinishing and reinstallation. Taking care of a few tedious tasks ahead of time allowed the demolition crew to get straight to work this week on the heavier jobs.
So far, the demo on our 124-year-old home, carried out by a five-man crew over the course of three days has already shown enormous progress. The team has removed the picture trim, baseboards and wainscoting—a nice surprise, allowing for an easier paint stripping process. They’ve also removed plaster-and-lath walls with crow bars and sledgehammers, taken out the kitchen cabinets, and gave us two additional feet of ceiling in the future kitchen. Today, they are adding support under this house, opening up the entire kitchen area and extending the entry into the breakfast area. Fortunately, our demo hasn’t turn up anything completely catastrophic yet, but there were a couple of surprises that we’ll have to address. If you’ve driven down Thomaston Street this week, you may have noticed some extra “support” in the front yard…
Details uncovered in demo: Part 1
- A large section of the front of the house is unstable. When the demo guy removed the baseboard, the entire wall shifted down about two inches. After his heartbeat returned to a normal speed, he investigated and discovered the front wall of the house is not tied into the rest of the house by joists or boards, only by some plaster and the now removed baseboard. It will require a little more work underneath the house to ensure that it is stable.
- Old termite damage was found in the support beam of the same room as the structural damage—causing a slight dilemma with what to do with the weight of the wall in order to remove and replace this beam.
- The floor joists are not supported underneath the front of the house and need to be reinforced by pillars from below.
- I have not been a fan of the arch in the hallway since the beginning. I feel that it closes off the hallway. Unfortunately, it was confirmed it is providing structural support. We’re still discussing engineering solutions for this.
We are one step close to bringing back our home’s 19th-century splendor!