My wife and I bought this house 2+ years ago as a fixer upper. I’ve been working on it since. The house was turned into a duplex by a previous owner and was in poor shape. Our intention was to make it a whole house again. We needed to put the stairs back where they had originally been. The project morphed into something that I never expected. I never intended to take the house down to the studs… So, here it is, my house of projects.
http://forums.taunton.com/n/docs/docDownload.aspx?guid=C62D0F76-9661-4B85-AAD4-1DCA54285494&webtag=tp-breaktime
Edited 5/12/2008 11:10 pm ET by hughmus
Edited 5/12/2008 11:12 pm ET by hughmus
http://forums.taunton.com/n/docs/docDownload.aspx?guid=753DCA82-423A-4FE1-B206-C53B2F14E3EE&webtag=tp-breaktime
Edited 5/12/2008 11:13 pm ET by hughmus http://forums.taunton.com/n/docs/docDownload.aspx?guid=8C0BC13E-385C-48B2-994A-86F593E60767&webtag=tp-breaktime
Edited 5/12/2008 11:18 pm ET by hughmus
Replies
Here are some various interior shots.
I ended up gutting the entire house. Should I have? Thats a great question. If I had known then, what I know now... The house had "great bones" as my sister called it. The structure was not rotted at all except for a little area where water had gotten though the soil pipe flashing in the bathroom. The difference in floor height got me to thinking that it was going to be an interesting master bedroom with stairs, or the roof needed to be raised...
I'm trying to embed the picts, but I'm having no success. I read JohnT8 post about it. I can copy the picts, but I can not paste it. What am I missing?Thanks-h
Hugh, I like the fire extinguisher on the door casing. Nice touch. ; ^ )
When I want to embed a picture I post like you did and then open another page to the same post. Click on edit on one post and on the other page open the picture and drag it to the post being edited. Mike
Trust in God, but row away from the rocks.
Nice project. Those views are all too familiar to me these days.
After the pics are attached to the post:
Hit Preview
Open one of the picture icons
Right click and copy it
Click the back arrow/button
Click Revise
Paste
Good luck and keep us posted.The best reward for a job well done is the opportunity to do another.
can copy the picts, but I can not paste it. What am I missing?
IE or FireFox?
Firefox will want some html tagging--which is not too bad.
In IE, you have to attach the files first, then you can Paste.
I try to attach first, then use Preview. From Preview, I'll right click the attachments and select either Open in new Window (IE 6.x) or Open in New Tab (IE 7.0). When the attachments are open, I go back to the original message using Revise. Then I copy-n-paste. Que VoilĂ¢.Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
Well, you certainly got my attention. I love old houses and If I could afford to buy I'd be doing the exact same thing.
Completely gutting it was absolutely the way to go. Looking at the photos that place had been so hacked and remuddled, the last thing you need is to work with the exisisting.
I have to go to work right now but I'm going to be following this thread for sure. Haven't had time to read beyond the first post, so I'll read more when I get home tonight. --------------------------------------------------------
Cheap Tools at MyToolbox.netSee some of my work at AWorkOfWood.com
I'm using Firefox. It's quite maddening trying to have your computer do something and it laughs at you. I get to copying the pictures in a different window, but when I go to edit, then click on the edit tab to paste, "paste" is greyed out and is not an option. You mentioned Firefox wanting html tagging... What exactly is that? Will that be my answer?thanks-h
I'm trying to embed the picts, but I'm having no success. I read JohnT8 post about it. I can copy the picts, but I can not paste it. What am I missing?
Which method are you using? Going to the preview view, or are you posting the message and then going back to edit it?
if doing it via preview, I like to open each picture up in its own window. So attach the pictures, then hit preview. Then hold the shift key down and click on each picture. It should open each in its own window. If the shift-click doesn't work, just right-click on the pic and choose 'open in a new window'.
Once you've got the pics open in their own windows, just go back and revise your message. Where ever you want to insert a pic, go to the window displaying the pic... right click on the pic and choose 'copy' then back to your message and right-click 'paste'. Viola!
jt8
My advice to you is not to inquire why or whither, but just enjoy your ice cream while it's on your plate-- Thornton Wilder
At this point stop asking yourself that ???? It now give you the opportunity to do so much more with the property. I'd get friends and other people in the trades into the home for ideas, pick their brains just one little thing from each person can be a wonderful thing. Just always keep in mind what the neighborhood can bear $$$$ wise. I think it's a good project.
I ended up gutting the entire house. Should I have? Thats a great question. If I had known then, what I know now...
Let me know if you managed to invent that 20/20 hindsight time machine, cuz I'd like to use it on my current project. Sometimes it would just be SO much easier to bulldoze and start from scratch.
jt8
My advice to you is not to inquire why or whither, but just enjoy your ice cream while it's on your plate-- Thornton Wilder
Here are the drawings I had my friend draw up. The main reason to have drawings were to relocate the stairs. The old stairs were accessed from the outside to the upstairs (was a house converted to a duplex) I wanted the stairs in the center of the house, then build the rooms around them. The back room (I think that its labeled the mudroom on the print) was added on after the house was originally build. They rigged some stairs down to the basement using the old bilco door stairs. They also used 2x6 for the floor so it was a little spongy. I tore it out, cemented over the sand and built a new floor.
While locating the new stairs I had to remove a bearing wall. I put in a triple 8" LVL and hangered the joists off it. My brother an I lifted it into place. It was kinda heavy. On second thought, I should have put them up individually. The reason I hangered the joists was so I could run a heating and cooling duct run right down the middle of the house.-h
I cut a hole in the floor for the stairwell. I put footings under the four corners to bear the weight. Looking back I should have replaced this whole section of floor and put in 2x10 to stiffen it up. Oh well, live and learn. I had thought of putting the stairs back in their original position (when it was a single house), but they would have been too steep. The stair landing is located where the old kitchen was. (I think the picture is in my second post)-h
Looks great. After doing remodels for 12 years I've found the easiest and ultimately cheapest way is to gut and redo on something that involved. Then it is done right and all the problems can be fixed properly, and electrical, plumbing etc. is easier and therefore cheaper.Keep up the good work.Ott
Thanks for the encouragement. Its been an interesting project. I didn't quite understand how much money it would cost to remodel the place. I wonder if its worth the time to gut a house now (after the fact), knowing the time it takes. It seems that starting out fresh is the way to go.-h
Where is the house located? "Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
The booming state of Michigan. South of Grand Rapids.-h
Well, I decided that there needed to be a little more headroom on the south end of the house. Why not raise the roof? After pondering cutting the roof loose and having a crane lift it while we rebuilt the floor and walls underneath, I decided the easiest and safest was to just tear off the old, and start fresh.
I made the mistake of loading all the shingles in a trailer instead of getting a dumpster because it was "cheaper". Well, I learned my lesson after it took 3 HOURS to unload the matted mess at the dump. I see where a dump trailer would be really handy.
My brother and I had the roof down to the old rafters on a friday night, and by Saturday evening we cut down the old walls, put in new top plates (old balloon framing), put a new floor in, built the walls and new rafters in place. It was a little disconcerning with a quarter of the house missing, but it was quickly replaced.
-h
More raising the roof pictures
I wanted to match the existing fascia and rake detail on the rest of the house. It proved to be a time consuming project. I intended to paint it so I tried the exterior product Mira-tech. I had wanted to use Azek, but I was trying to control costs too. I wasn't thrilled with the Miratech. It seemed to blow apart using a 15ga. nailer. I ended up wraping the whole house with aluminum.-h
H
Job looks good! I like your style, gut the damn place completely and go to work, makes for an easier time.
Doug
In order to quickly unload a non-dump trailer, I use a tow chain hooked to a loose board at the front of the trailer--all the mess is pile on top of the chain & board. At the dump, hook the chain up to a big front end loader and just drive the tailer out from under the messy load.Loader then backs the chain out of the mess, retrieve chain, tip loader operator $20 and off you go.Nice work on the home place.
I made the mistake of loading all the shingles in a trailer instead of getting a dumpster because it was "cheaper". Well, I learned my lesson after it took 3 HOURS to unload the matted mess at the dump. I see where a dump trailer would be really handy.
A few of the local builders have old grain trucks for garbage. You can get one for as little as $2-3k. Just make sure the dump part still works.
When I first saw a guy using an old grain truck I laughed and thought to myself, "no way I'd want to hoist all my garbage up into the bed of that truck when I can just roll it into my gated dumpster." After the 3rd dumpster ($), I started to see the practicality of the grain truck.
[edit to add]
I kinda like that second floor deck you've got there. Almost a shame to cover it all up ;)
View Image
jt8
My advice to you is not to inquire why or whither, but just enjoy your ice cream while it's on your plate-- Thornton Wilder
Edited 5/12/2008 1:35 pm by JohnT8