As fun as it has been to see some of the finish work moving forward with new ceiling and drywall in the center of the house, we had to face the fact that our "WING" had been leaking and was in need of being evaluated. The wing protrudes off of the main house and is located just inside the wall below.
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| Roof coming off! |
The more Greg pulled it apart, the more he realized the rot was too deep to save and it would have to be built back new. In the long run we expect this to be even easier than repairing. The wall can now be the foundation of the upcoming addition and match the other homes on the street. You can see the roof coming off on the left.
This is the front bedroom. The green door is a front entrance to the piazza. The side green door enters our residence. Of course, securing the dwelling because we are currently living here is priority.
The weather remains cold which is a problem in making the house comfortable as we move forward. if you look within the walls, a lack of insulation gives the lack of R-Factor. These rooms while in horrible condition were acting as our garage for miscellaneous tools. Without much room, tool storage has been an issue. We have to keep them secure. The amount of debris is staggering when tearing down these three rooms. Greg asked me to stay away on Saturday for fear I would get hurt trying to help him. He did not want me underfoot for him to worry about with so many boards falling.
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| Front window facing Carandolet |
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| Cast Iron pipes from the previous bathroom |
We were approached by a young man who retrieves and recycles pine from Charleston houses to create custom furniture pieces. He was able to use over a truck load of wood. His website is
waingreenwood.com You may get a piece of our wood! You might wonder on this tiny lot, where all the debris went? I wondered that as well. I have a few shots of just how high the pile grew in our courtyard. We rented the dumpster above but did not realize City of Charleston requires a permit of 10 dollars per day for each day it sits in a parking space. They did not fine us, but we got it promptly once we knew! Greg then wisely covered our exposed area of the house with plastic.
This door is the entrance to our guest bedroom. Greg has it bolted to keep unwanted guests out.
This past Saturday, Greg began to take down the block wall that bordered our property. We decided to make the last two rows the foundation of our new rooms. This wall was built in 1958 if the newspapers stuffed in the top of the block indicates when the block was laid.
Bringing the rooms to the street will match up our house to the neighbors and add over 40 square feet to our two bedrooms and jack-n-jill bathroom. This allows us to add a linen closet. This puts the total square footage to 1020+, these are welcomed storage spaces.
By the end of our weekend, the wall was down and the foundation of our rooms started. The temperature in Charleston this weekend has been very cold with lows in the 20's. Greg installed a silt fence to keep our yard area a bit more secure and help with any debris that could blow on the street. If you'll notice the green house next door, this side will match their front.
To get the rooms removed and the site cleaned as well as the wall removed, it's been several weekends to get to this point. The neighborhood has been asking lots of questions. Many of those who have lived here for years, hate to see the change, but know the house was in bad shape. We are bringing life to a real eyesore in the community. We want to breathe new life in an old structure. Some are weary with how long it is taking us, but Greg is doing most of the work himself. It's been awhile since I update our blog. I'll try to do another sooner!
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