This Old House

[JimR]

Well I really got into trouble on this old house project today. Now remember that this place was built around 1750. So it is no surprise that things will fall apart or even worse, rot away. Yesterday I started to peel the outside of the house apart to see how it was holding up. Well I found carpenter ants having a feast inside one of the beams. They are all dead now. Here are a few shots of my handiwork to repair that section. I chiseled out a 5.5" x 6.5" x 43 section inside the beam and made a new piece to replace the rotted out section. Fitting it in was the fun part. I still need to pin it in place. Fortunately this is not a load bearing section of the beam where it rotted out. Tomorrow the rest of the siding and boards get removed from this wall. I wonder what else I will find eaten away.

 

[JimR]

Here's the fixed picture. These beams are 8" x 8" and have plenty of meat on them to repair if not rotted too badly. I also replaced the vertical directly above the repair with a recycled piece of Chestnut from my barn project. It is not installed as of when this photo was taken. I did install around 8pm tonight.

 

[riptides]

Old houses are like finding a buried "treasure" chest, are they not? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

My problem is the chest is not full of treasure. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

You did a nice job of fixing that up. Just this past week we removed 90 percent of a building within a building on our property.

Powder Post Beetles.

I plan on some tractor time against the chicken coops next. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

-Mike Z. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[JimR]

Thanks, I'm still looking for the hidden money or whatever that may be hidden in a secret place. We did find a framed picture of a woman inside a wall. I wonder if she was a mistress. It was not my mother in law or either of the in laws mother.

 

[Lloyd_E]

Hi Jim,

You're never finished (really)!

My house is 1790-1800 and I scarfed part of the sill last year with new material. Did you find a coin under main entrance/sill? In my neck of the woods...it was tradition to place a coin under threshhold of front entrance during construction. Didn't find any in my house but I did in one I took down for parts.

Great looking cape by the way - love those low eaves and no overhangs.

Keep posting pics.

Lloyd

Ps: outbuldings look interesting too!

 

[JimR]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Hi Jim,

You're never finished (really)!

My house is 1790-1800 and I scarfed part of the sill last year with new material. Did you find a coin under main entrance/sill? In my neck of the woods...it was tradition to place a coin under threshhold of front entrance during construction. Didn't find any in my house but I did in one I took down for parts.

Great looking cape by the way - love those low eaves and no overhangs.

Keep posting pics.

Lloyd

Ps: outbuldings look interesting too! )</font>

I haven't pulled the sill plate yet. maybe someday I'll get that far. So here is todays progree and more decay to fix. You'll love the crooked verticals in the picture. My daughter and I replaced this vertical beam today. I may straighten it out tomorrow. I'll have to cut into a wall to do it as the beam was exposed on the inside walls.

 

[JimR]

New post in today. The horizontal above this vertical is going to get some serious work done to it very soon. I need to remove about 4" of the width and put in a filler to repair the beam.

 

[JimR]

My peanut (daughter) driving my Cub. She was doing clean up for me today. She got a good lesson in hard work today when I needed a hand to carry a 12' 8x8 from the garage to cut it down. Yes, I could have used the tractor to move it. But I wanted her to
see what it's like to work hard. She carried her end with no problem on her shouder. What a girl. She's getting excited as "HER" house progresses.

 

[JimR]

A view from the inside looking out. We didn't destroy the inside wall by jacking and removing this beam.

 

[riptides]

Is that a PILE of firewood in the picture, or part of the remodelling effort? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

-Mike Z. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I have had two burn piles going for one project. Cannot imagine what happens when we turn our attention to the house. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[JimR]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Is that a PILE of firewood in the picture, or part of the remodelling effort? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

-Mike Z. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I have had two burn piles going for one project. Cannot imagine what happens when we turn our attention to the house. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif )</font>

That is the wood from a 3' and 4' diameter White Ash trees' that use to be in front of the house. That's next years heating supply plus. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[JimR]

This is the followup on last years work on the east wall of the main part of the house. Then I opened up the extension on the main house to replace all the rafters and the roof.

 

[JimR]

Work proceeded as planned on this until November.

 

[JimR]

Two surgeries and a long rest for roof work until last week. Also the finished inside wall that we removed.

 

[JimR]

The project is taking off again now. I started on the roofs off the main house last week. A few of the roof rafters needed to be replaced. The section to the left is getting all new 2x8" put in it. The chimney below the roof level and into the workshop area has been all dug out and remortared. The rest can wait til I get the roof finished. This really stunk as I had a guy do the upper part and he told me the lower section was fine. The mortar could be removed with an air gun and air it was so loose. Repairing that chimney was very time consuming as you can only remove so much mortar before it may come tumbling down on you. The new rafters on the right side building were made from Red Pines. The roof boards are made from Hemlock trees. I am now working on the backside of the center roof and the part behind the chimney. The east side of the right roof also needs to be stripped and reshingled. After that I will be jacking up the building to the right to replace the sills, repair the vertical timbers and residing this whole section of the house. There is never a dull moment with an old house.

 

[scott_vt]

Mornin Jim,
Hey buddy, that thread title may be copywright infringement Just kiddin Looks like youve been busy, nice job !

 

[JimR]

Hi Scotty, Thanks, I'll try and keep the photos coming as the house progresses this time. It sure is a slow process working on old houses. Nothing is straight, nothing is solid and everything needs to get tweeked.