They Got Us Covered....Whew!!

The next morning after having the house open all night, Greg and our sons got busy constructing the ceiling of the room.  It is exciting to see the new wood intermingled with the antique framing.  This part of the house looks new and much more stable.  

This is the topside of the attic floor just before the roof rafters were put up.  The hole is the attic access.

We understood to secure the house and with the threat of rain approaching on Sunday, we were in a time crunch.  Calculations were crucial in getting the extension to line up closely with existing structure.  

The new section of rafters are set.

This picture below was taken from above showing the final roof line up.  Our plan is to replace both parts with a 5V crimp metal roof system.  Until then, Greg covered the new section with 30# felt paper to hold off the elements.  The next view is of the roof finished with black paper.  

 Our view from our back yard after completing the cable end framing.   The boards above are cantilevered for the new HVAC unit.  Greg later Monday evening put the finishing touches on the outside gable.  The next shed that is removed will not leave us a vulnerable because he will secure the side of the house from outside intrusion.  What kept us more secure was this back shed roof was not visible from the street keeping people from knowing our house was open all night.   Psychologically, it was still hard to rest.

This is how it is currently. The deck will be part of a trellis system planned for over the deck area on the back half of our rear garden.  I am grateful to have come so far with new construction happening daily.  Still much to come but until next time, Charleston Renovators signs off! 

"Moon Roof" takes on a Whole New Meaning!

Around the original house are several shed style roofs.  Our plans show these being removed and a new roof line installed.  The extension on the main house became the focus this past weekend.  Our ceiling heights needed to be adjusted and preventing leaks from damaging new installations were part of the decision to move ahead.  Our good friends, Rick and Donna from Fort Mill, gave us an afternoon to do demo.  Donna told us Rick loved to demo...and she was right.  In just a few hours the roof was removed and stacked on our pickup ready for the landfill.  If you look over the top, you can see our neighbor's roof.  The new wall is on the left side of the picture and our back door is in the middle right.

What did not occur to me was this room was going to have to remain unsecured and open for the night! The forecast showed no rain in the area.   From the street, you couldn't see the roof was missing, but a sturdy ladder and some strong legs, and you are up and over!  Our Simply Safe alarm system mattered little at this point!  We locked our dorm room from the inside and removed all pawn-worthy tools.  Knowing our vulnerabilities still worried me into the wee hours.  We came out to find the moon shining down!  It gave having a moon roof a whole new meaning!  It was only for one night and the process was sure to be worth it.

Our beautiful moon beams shining down inside our Freedman's cottage!

Lookout for our next post which will showcase our roof extension and how it provides protection and added attic space for our Rinnai hot water heater and HVAC gaspack in the future.

It's Saturday...and That Means Laundry Day Again!

 I am reflecting as I sit for several weeks now on Saturday at the College of Charleston laundry on the corner of Calhoun and Smith Street. It's been my Friday or Saturday haunt since I found it is the best deal per load and the cute little eatery has great coffee and Captain Crunch cookies.  I am held captive here for the next few hours and considered it prime opportunity to write again about our progress. 

I know it's perhaps borders on insanity to be so overjoyed my last time with you when I saw my husband's craftsmanship installing some of the first new floor joists, but I can honestly say we are truly above ground finally.  It's been such a long haul.  By investing in a quality foundation, we have prevented the need to dig again in the future when repairs are much more costly.  Greg is working on mechanicals today and laying some of the final sub-floor.  Here is a story in pictures of where we are headed.  I have included captions so you see them with some imagination and understanding.

Floor system in the kitchen area to come.  A few blogs back, you saw us having to remove all of it due to rot.

Insulating the floor system.  Greg has lined the crawl space with plastic and has put insulation board underneath the floor system for added protection.  Even the joints have been sealed up.

This has the appearance of new construction.  The first wall that is within our plan has been installed.  It separates the kitchen from the laundry/mudroom.  After my earlier post, I long for a new washer and dryer set to be workable in this part of the house.

This further shows the division of our kitchen from the rear of the house.  This was the existing hot water heater.  We plan on installing an inline system for efficiency. 

 Next week, we hope to move the back door over to the right.  Our floor plan changes the original plan to allow for a larger master bedroom.  Until next time, I hope you get to visit our beautiful Charleston.  Stop in at the Persimmon Cafe on the corner of Smith and Calhoun and ask about those Captain Crunch White Chocolate Cookies.  Yum Yum!