Deconstruction

This week marked the first actual work being done on the renovation.

Empty Window Frame

On a beautifully sunny and warm December 5th, the first of the deconstruction and restoration portion of the work began with the removal of the original windows, and the boarding up of the openings. It has been our plan all along to remove, restore and replace these windows, which are original right down to the wavy glass.

All of the trim for each window was carefully removed, and the windows themselves detached from the framing and slowly slid out as entire units. Over the years the sliding and pin mechanisms had seized up through multiple coats of paint and infrequent usage. A company specializing in restoring old windows took them away to be worked on and replaced when the time is right.

The next major piece of the deconstruction process also completed, with the removal of all of the plaster and wood lath from the studs inside the house. This took a few guys an entire week, and exposed all sorts of interesting finds in the process.

Balloon-framed Wall

With the walls gone, we learned a lot about how the house was constructed. As we expected, the house is constructed with a balloon frame technique. Basically, that means that the wall studs start at the foundation of the first floor and run as a single piece of wood all the way to the roof line. Basically these were 15-20 foot sections of trees shaped into actual 2" x 6" sections, as opposed to the 1.75" x 5.25" pieces you would get today when you buy a 2x6.

As you can see from the picture taken from the stairwell, there is a cross piece notched into the framing. This is the beam that supports the second floor, with joists running across the width of the house from these pieces, which ring the outside of the house.

Light Through Siding

There are two other interesting things to note from the picture. First, there is an air gap that runs from the first floor all the way to the roof. This is a major fire hazard, and a drawback of balloon framing, that will need to be blocked during renovation. Basically, if fire starts on the first floor and gets to the wall, it immediately shoots up behind the wall through the air gaps all the way to the top, which is not good news for someone left inside.

Second, the siding - which is fantastic heart pine from trees that were possibly 100 years old when they were felled 160 years ago - is nailed directly to the studs. All homes built today have plywood or engineered sheathing that attaches to the studs. Then a further layer of house wrap is applied over the sheathing to protect the interior from wind, water and temperature (TyVek is a common brand). Given the age of the studs and siding, it is neither feasible nor cost-effective to remove the siding, apply these layers, and then re-attach the siding. Basically we will have to use some sort of insulation - possibly spray foam - to fill these cavities after fire blocking has been applied.

Without the walls in place, we were able to see the original roof line still intact behind the walls of the third floor bedroom. In short, the original roof pitch was much shallower and no third floor room existed in the original structure. In a subsequent renovation, about which more later, the original roof was essentially scalped and used as a supporting structure for a higher-pitched roof. Stairs up into the attic were added, and a room with gabled windows added. Our plan is to keep this room and use it as an extra bedroom or office.

Original Roof with Cedar Shingles