Yesterday, we began 2 long awaited demolition projects. 1. The backhouse. 2. The ceiling in the Addition. In these cases, pictures are worth thousands of words.
Before with Johnnie’s tools of choice. (He is my demo guy for the job.)
Before – view from the back door.
By lunch time, there was obvious progress.
End of the day. (Take note of the wood and metal being salvaged on the right. Unfortunately, there isn’t much else to be recycled or reused due to the termites and poor condition of the structure.)
Johnnie taking off for the day . . .
. . . so Sara decided to try out the bobcat.
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Before – we hung plastic to contain the dust.
Before – attic access.
By the end of the day, 2/3 of the drywall ceiling was removed! It makes the space feel so much bigger – and much less debbie downer!
Cheers to all my DIY friends -
Sarah
Over the past 4 months, the project I have been unable to overcome is my ATTIC HATCH! This story begins back in December 2009 with some poorly thought-out work by my HVAC contractor. The existing attic access in laundry room was not large enough for the new air handler. Without my permission, the contractor cut a section out of my original bed board ceiling and one of the structural trusses. I was so aggrevated! It reminded me – yet again – that subcontractors need more supervision than you’d expect. Because they don’t have the whole project in mind, they don’t think past their trade or immediate tasks.
For the past 6 months, a piece of plywood has covered the hole. With summer in full swing, it was time to solve this problem. The plywood panel is not sealing the hole well and allowing our cool, conditioned air to escape. To remedy the situation, I will build a new frame that does four things: covers the damage, seals the opening, is sized to reuse the original hatch panel, and can be removed if HVAC maintenance is ever needed.
The original panel is 23″ by 26″. I will make a frame with the inside dimensions of 21″ by 24″ to hold the panel.
I used my chop saw to cut the wood to the correct lengths. Then, I used small metal angles to join the pieces together. These angles did not provide the rigidity I needed, so I added 4 additional metal straps in the outside corners. Because I may need to be able to remove the frame in the future, I’ll use metal L brackets to hang the frame from the truss members. With my frame in hand, Liz helped me hold the frame in place to confirm the measurements and locate the existing structure.
With help from Liz and some clamps, I successfully installed the frame! Weatherstripping and caulk helped seal the edges and create a tighter seal. In the future, I’ll finish up the painting when I tackle the walls and ceiling!
For the month of June, I’m committed to one house project per day. I’ll continue to update this post with my progress.
June 1 – Hung new blinds in the laundry room windows.
June 2 – Asked the City of Austin to downsize our trash can to participate in a new composting rebate program.
June 3 – Picked up the full demo permit for my “Alley Flat” demolition.
June 4 – Hired my friend Alisa to work at my house part-time this summer!
Alisa’s first day of work at the Depew Redo!
June 5 – Take misc metal to the scrap yard! Made $126.25!
Last weekend, I traveled to New Orleans for my cousin’s graduation from law school. While in town, I was able to visit with old friends and see their rehab projects similar to the Depew Redo! Today, I’ll report on Emilie Taylor’s future masterpiece!
The 1880′s house is on Louisiana Avenue tucked beneath large trees and some convenient on-street parking. Emilie is an experienced design/builder working with Tulane’s URBANbuild and City Center, first as a student and now as studio instructor. She bought the home last year and has been renovating it with Seth Welty, a fellow architecture grad and current Rose Fellow in Biloxi. The house is a traditional camelback, with one story to the front and two stories at the rear. The original layout was 3 bedrooms/one bathroom. The new layout will be divided into two units, a studio apartment and 2 bedroom unit. [Unfortunately, I forgot to take pics during my visit, so I pulled the pictures below from Emilie's Facebook page.]
The exterior – note the front and side porch!
They modified the rear facade turning windows in doors and adding rear balconies on 2 levels.
Similar to the Depew House, the walls are wood. These walls are barge board with vintage wall paper, which were later covered by tongue-and-groove shiplap.
Congrats Emilie and Seth! The house is looking amazing! Maybe you’ll share more pics with us in future?
