re:build

this weekend we rebuilt the hvac platform out back, as it had to be demolished to put in the foundation, and it wasn't very structurally sound to begin with. we haven't put the floor boards on yet, but here are our process photos:







and a picture of our ghetto-fabulous house:


the framers covered all the openings of the addition with felt just to protect the inside from rain until the windows come in and we get siding up. all the rest of the openings around the house are covered with plywood, so overall the house is looking pretty much like a crack-den for the time being!

re:markable

wow. i am amazed and so excited at the transformation already after one day of framing and demo. it looks bigger and more open already! *really wishing i had a wideangle lens*

from the living room looking towards the new stair wall (and where the old stair used to be)...


from the front door looking towards the new open hall to the kitchen (formerly the stair):


where they've cut the floor for the new stair (loft above)...






new header for triple window in the dining room!


from the bottom of the new future stair looking up the exterior wall -


demo at the rear wall of the house where we need to add a concrete foundation (none currently exists)...


it's so cool! i'll probably have progress pics to post every night, so stay tuned! i think the new stair is going in tomorrow! here's another exclamation point for you!

re:inforce

soooo...it turns out we have no footings under the existing rear addition. seriously - the combination brick-and-block piers are sitting right on the ground. great! we had a structural engineer out to the house this morning to talk about options for reinforcing the structure so that we can still do the 2nd story addition. there are options (short of tearing down the back of the house and starting over), so that's good. it's going to take some more time and more money to get it taken care of though, so it's under debate...

we have gone back and forth on doing the addition or not, and basically it comes down to the decision of whether we want this house to be a long-term house for us or not. if we can't do the addition, we'll just fix it up and sell it (with only 1 1/2 baths and teeny closets and no room to expand, it wouldn't be a good long-term house). if we do want it to be a long-term house, then we have to commit the time and money to make it so. we're doing lots of fighting - er, talking - about it so we should be moving forward soon. just another hurdle!