Thinking Out Loud

Sometimes the work seems to jump all over the place, but there is a reason for it. Read the rest of this entry »

Since we already had a couple of layers of basement wall, we decided to frame in the foundation with 2X8′s and plywood.  You can see through the windows we have three basement walls now – a wooden exterior, a cinder-crete wall, and then a 2X4 wall. Read the rest of this entry »

After the chimney had disappeared, we needed to get rid of the old cast iron pipes for the sewer stack, etc.  Here’s what we ended up with… Read the rest of this entry »

Since we planned on having a hi-efficiency furnace and hot water heater installed, a chimney is no longer a necessity.  It also expanded the possibilities for the makeover. Read the rest of this entry »

Naturally, the main floor needed to be renovated.

Not as extensive as the 2nd story, but you have to start somewhere… Read the rest of this entry »

Bandit was a little concerned that there was no longer a bathroom floor.  However, it did make it easier to check on the status of his food dish, because you could see into the kitchen without too much effort.

The joists for the bathroom floor had been either removed or damaged by whoever had renovated before us.  It’s surprising that the whole thing didn’t end up in the kitchen since there was actually very little holding it up.

This was just the first of many surprises.  Obviously, there was a lot of work done (before I owned the house) that was a little bit on the “what the #@%* were the thinking?” side.

No matter – we can fix it all with nothing but time and money, right? Read the rest of this entry »

Read the rest of this entry »

We removed a lot of material from the foundation, and never found the energy to clean it up. Read the rest of this entry »

Yeah – it’s just cement. Read the rest of this entry »

Still working on the foundation along the south wall, we decided we needed to repair all of the concrete above the second basement.  That concrete seemed in good condition. Read the rest of this entry »