Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Demolition

I have been so weary of all the political ads on TV that I have watched a lot of HGTV while I sew.  Before long I realized that a modest remodel would make my house a lot more user friendly and would also give me a nice, big sewing studio. Today the demolition started. My house is 100 years old. The contractor knew the wall that he was going to break through to add a double french door was a load bearing wall...but here is our demolition surprise.
Instead of a lathe and plaster wall the interior of the living room was tongue and groove paneling--the boards being as old as the house. After they were removed we realized that the wood on the other side of the studs is outdoor siding. The room that is now my computer room (and will soon be the library) started life as an outside porch with overlapping exterior wood siding. Amazing. Sometime after the house was built the porch was apparently enclosed to become a bedroom and a second, new porch was added to the front of the house. Contractor was not happy but he is continuing to tackle the problem. It's a lot more work to saw through wood instead of just smashing through plaster or wallboard with a sledge hammer.

Here is the other side of my once lovely living room. I am not worried about the sofa and chairs as I plan to have them reupholstered after the renovation is finished. It is now a workroom for the contractor.
I have an old fashioned shotgun house. If you stand at the front door with a shotgun you can shoot out the backdoor. There are four rooms at the front of the house, these are the ones being remodeled, and four rooms at the back of the house...this is where I am living and working until the renovation is complete. Right now I have my computer on the kitchen table. The dog is confused. She doesn't like change. She is getting lots of change. In the end we will both love it I am sure.

On Wednesday I am off to Denver to present a program to the Arapahoe Quilters. I hope when I get home on Friday that the door opening will be cut in the wall and the roof will still be intact at the top of the house and not caved in to the living room.

I am quite excited about the Denver trip. If you live nearby, come as a guest. I would love to meet any and all of you. 




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