Day 5 - March 27, 2009 - End of Week 1

While yesterday was full of unwelcome discoveries (termite damage galore) today was full of pleasant surprises. We spent most of today pulling down the ceilings in the Library and the Living Room. This was quite a bit more difficult than taking the lathe off of the walls. What we found made the hard work worthwhile. Once the plaster and lathe was uncovered we found that the floor joists for the second floor rooms are in great shape.

Our other task for the day was to take up the floor of the Library. We discovered the other day that most of the joists under the floor, along with many of the floor boards were rotted or destroyed by termites. So our last project for the day was to pull up the floor to prepare for Monday when we will put in a new floor system. Unfortunately we were not able to save much of what we pulled up because it was so damaged.

Before we pulled up the floor, we added a few braces to help support the second floor. If you look at the photo carefully you can see one of the 2x4 studs in the middle of the window on the side of the house. After one week we have completely filled one dumpster with plaster and lathe -- it's amazing how much can come out of a couple rooms.

The general plan for next week is to continue the demo and to repair the structure of the house. We have been working with William March, a local architect, and he is hoping to finish up our plans for the addition by the middle of next week. Once we have a complete set of drawings, we will apply for the building permit for the entire job and the fun will begin.