The Rebuild Starts!

 Hello dear friends, after some delays during the demolition of our old stone house I am so excited to share some of the the progress that is being made!

 

While the renovations are ongoing we were temporarily blocked from the second floor addition including our bedroom and bathroom.  We have converted our dining room into a bed/sitting room and Vera is in her element.  She spends most of the day lounging on the bed with her collection of stuffies, looking out the window, barking at squirrels, chipmunks and anyone on the road in between taking  lengthy naps.

The old timbers that were part of the main floor structure have all been removed and are piled up outside.  These timbers were all part of the original construction so are approximately 170 years old.  We don't want to get rid of them as they are original to the old house so they have some sentimental value.  How many people can claim to have 170 year old timbers?  We are thinking of using them to build a folly at Lake Ophelia.

The new engineered rim joists were fastened to the stone wall using special anchor screws.  The gap between the rim joists and stone wall was filled in with mortar to further strengthen the construction.  The use of these engineered rim joists and floor joists was not part of our original plan.  The demolition however did reveal some issues with the old timbers and joists and these new joists will be much faster for the carpenters to work with.  

Once the rim joists were in place the floor joists were attached using joist hangers.  Then the process of laying the subfloor started.  At this point the house looks much larger than it really is!  The main floor and second floor are approximately 1200 square feet.  

A temporary railing for safety was constructed around the opening to the basement.  

Of course a glass of wine to celebrate the progress was in order!

And for fun we invited BearBear 1 and BearBear 2 to join us.  We left the evidence for the carpenters to find the following morning.

Now, back to the serious business of the renovations.  Once the subfloor was installed the interior framing could begin.  First vapour barrier was installed over the stonework and then the studs were installed.   Rock wool insulation batts will be placed between each of the studs.   This will greatly increase our comfort in the winter by keeping the house much warmer.  Our furnace will be happy as well at not having to work so hard.

A temporary staircase was added last week which allows the carpenters to start working on the second floor and also gives us access the second floor of the addition.  I am so happy to be able to access our bedroom again.  This renovation has been very disruptive to our normal routine and I am so pleased to be able to sleep in my own bed again!

The old cedar joists that supported the second floor have all been removed and are being replaced with the same engineered joists that are being used for the main floor.

This week the carpenters have laid the subfloor for the second floor and are working on building the studs for the walls.  It is exciting to imagine what these areas will look like once completed.  The little alcove by the cathedral window is going to become a reading nook.

This area was previously two bedrooms.  We have decided to sacrifice the smallest bedroom and combine the two rooms into one large bedroom.

This area was previously a bedroom and second floor bathroom and wont change significantly.

That is the update for now!  Thank you for following along on our big renovation adventure.  I will have more to share in a couple of weeks.