Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Forgot the "BEFORE" pics!

Good morning! I was thinking about the blog I posted yesterday while I was finishing up my permit application (that's right Steve...I am turning it in today!) and remembered that I did not attach the pics of the master bedroom or its bathroom "before" I started the remodel. So...here they are. You should be able to see from the fotos the beautiful crystal chandelier, the flocked wall paper, the marble sink with iron legs, the lead glass windows, the beautiful wood floors, the cedar closet, and lots of "stuff" left behind for me to sift through! When looking at the foto with the chandelier, you may be able to see how the ceiling and dropped from the weight of the light and the roof. That is the area that we had to jack up and reinforce so that it would not cave in. You can also see that the fireplace is completely covered up by plaster and wall paper. (Well...not any more!)

Hey...one fun fact that I just learned from Howard Ayers, Jr....all of the wall, floor and ceiling joists/beams are made from black walnut. I knew they were not oak but I was not sure what tree they were made from...now I know. Black walnut. Can you even buy black walnut anymore?

I also have a question for anyone out there that might be able to help. Does anyone know someone who has the ability and knowledge to clean crystal chandeliers?

                                                            MASTER BEDROOM












                                                         MASTER BATHROOM










Monday, January 30, 2012

Permit? What's a permit?

Hi Guys. Well...I got a visit from the City of Lafayette and apparently I need a permit for some of the stuff that I have been doing. I didn't think that I needed one yet for the work that I have done thus far...but I knew I was going to need one eventually so I guess NOW is as good as ever. Maybe I shouldn't be posting my work on the web????? Don't worry...I am not removing the blog. (that one was for Jenny and Steve!).

So we have continued to remove any disintegrating plaster and some of the old wall paper. Wow...that old wall paper does not want to come off! I started on the Master bedroom. We have uncovered the old fire place and the plaster from the ceiling. The ceiling was beginning to sink due to the beams spanning over 20 feet and the weight of the roof pushing down on it. We solidified the seven central ceiling joists with 12 foot treated 2 by 8s on either side. Now that ceiling is strong and can take anything. Yes...Jenny and Steve...I do realize that is structural but it had to be done or the ceiling was going to cave in. We removed the jacks and the ceiling is all better and ready to be recovered.

                                                      CHANDELIERS IN THE BATHROOM?


                                                ME AND MY HELPER




                            WORK IN THE ATTIC ABOVE THE MASTER BEDROOM




                                          FIREPLACE IN THE MASTER BEDROOM UNCOVERED!



                                        WE SAVED THE CEILING AND SAVED THE BEDROOM!



I hung all of the crystal chandeliers from the three bedrooms on the shower curtain rod so that they would not lay flat and break any of the crystals. Also, we are ready to start upgrading the electrical as soon as I get a permit to do so. A lot of it does not need to be changed but there are some areas that I simply want to be sure.

Monday, January 23, 2012

New week...more work accomplished!

Good morning! We got a lot done this weekend. We installed the remaining faring strips on the second bedroom ceiling so that we could install the new ceiling...hopefully later this week. I removed the remaining plaster from the Rotunda ceiling. I am thinking about installing wood pocket paneling on the ceiling and staining it...not sure yet. But the Rotunda is starting to look really nice. The dining room fireplace/chimney stack has been completely stripped down. I am going to install some new electrical wiring for outlets on the mantle, sconces on the wall, and small directionally lighting on the ceiling to showcase some artwork. Finally, I removed a massive amount of old plaster from the library to expose the old lathe. Surprisingly, the lathe is in really good shape as are the windows and molding/trim. I will be removing the plaster from the brick chimney in the library as well and leave it exposed. Ahhh...progress.

I need to give a shout out to my helpers: Ashton Contracting (Jeff Ashton and his cousin Michael have been really hard at work and do a great job); Clint Judd...he really doesn't have any skills and he takes too many smoke breaks...but I still appreciate his help!; and CHARLES AND COMPANY CONTRACTING (decks unlimited and roofs unlimited)...Chuck Chadd has been excellent in helping me with some interior work and will be providing the necessary assistance when it comes time to replace the roof. Again...thank you.

Here are some photos of our accomplishments thus far.

                                                               LIBRARY





                                                      SECOND BEDROOM




                                                     SEATED ROTUNDA



                                                       DINING ROOM



Thursday, January 19, 2012

Progress in the dining room and second bedroom!

We worked on the second bedroom yesterday...tearing out the entir ceiling which consisted of plaster, mesh wiring, lathe, and LOTS of insulation. We also removed the remaining plaster off of the brick chimney stack and part of the east wall. Here are some updated photos of the library/den and the second bedroom.

                                                          SECOND BEDROOM






                                                             LIBRARY/DEN