Floored

I know I'm a little strange but I love the look of exposed lath.

If this were my summer cottage by the sea, I would keep it like this.

Just hang a few paintings on the wall.

Anyway, the demo is done.  Well, I think the demo is done.

Here's why I'm not sure.

Darryl Carter

I was toying around with leaving a few of the old beams exposed

like in this Darryl Carter kitchen (which is one my favorites)

but until everything was gutted, there was just no way to know whether or not

anything would be pretty enough to leave exposed.

So I was looking forward to getting home and walking around the space

to make an assessment.  I unlocked the back door to step in and found...

No floor at all!

I guess the subfloor was just so crazy and at all different levels, it

just didn't make sense to save it.

There's nothing left but the floor joists.  Rosemary left me a comment

on the last post that the house looks so vulnerable in this state.  I think that's a great word.

 

We also discovered a second foundation, in about three feet from the outer one

just was I had suspected.  Why?  We'll get back to that.

The joists under the old bathroom don't seem too bad.  New 2x6s have been

sistered alongside the old 4x5 joists and additional pairs of 2x6s were also

added in between.

In other places joists were spaced about two feet apart.

Sixteen inches is normal and probably code.

 

 

And between the two foundations, the spacing is over 30 inches!  Many of the

joists are at different levels and the entire floor is just way out of level.

I could certainly beef up the structure with new joists and pad some of the

joists that are too low, but it just might make more sense to rip it out and

start from scratch.  There's certainly no better time to fix it properly.

From a purist point of view, I would love to leave anything original intact because

it's an historical document; on the other hand, the perfectionist in me would like

it all to be new.  I have a little bit of a stomach ache about it but I'm  not going

to shed any tears or lose any sleep over it.  Just gotta figure it out.

It is what it is, as they say.

But let's talk about the two foundations.  As I said, there are two foundations

about three feet apart but notice the center floor beam goes all the way

across to the outer foundation.  There appear to no bones, no treasure,

no stash of Paul Revere's silver although it would be fun to poke around with

a metal detector.  The inner foundation seems a little better built and made

of gray fieldstone...

...just like the foundation on the rest of the house. 

The outer foundation has a few wooden piers that have been filled in with brick.

It's much more makeshift than the inner foundation.

 The ceiling joists (and the second floor) go all the way across but notice on the back wall,

the sheathing is different on those three feet between the two foundations.

But why?

     1856 drawing                                                      2013 diagram

If you look at a few key measurements between the 1856 drawing and its current dimension,

you'll see that the house has gone from 61 feet to 42 feet on the right side and from

37 feet to 18 feet where the porches are.  Nineteen feet is missing!

I suspect there was a barn attached to the back of the house.  A place where horses and

firewood might have been.  But the double foundation?

Photo:  Our Little Big House

My guess is there was an inverted porch on that side of the house.  Perhaps just wide enough

to provide cover from the rain or snow to get firewood.   I think that explains the more

solid inner foundation of the house and a porch foundation that was most likely entirely on piers.

If I didn't lose three feet of my kitchen, I would love to recreate that.  I think it would be

really nice detail on that side of the house.

 

 

 

Up next is dealing with the plumbing and heating.

 

This plumbing stack serves the upstairs bathroom.  It would probably

make sense to renovate this bathroom at the same time but I have my limits.

Cast iron is famous for splitting open.  This is most like over 100 years old

so it's time to replace it with PVC.

 

 

The plumbing stack was boxed in just beside the old kitchen sink.  In the new plan the kitchen

sink will be placed right in front of the window.  The challenge will now be to move the plumbing stack back into the outside wall as far as possible so I can get a nice expanse of countertop.

 

Having plumbing in an outside wall can be a little troublesome in the wintertime

but I'm being told if the pipes are wrapped in foam and then foam insulation

is blown in around them, there shouldn't be any issue with freezing. 

 

Can I get a witness?

Demolition, Man

Demolition has started.  Three hours, two guys, one dumpster...

View from upstairs

...and the porches were history.

The house looks better already.  Those porches were just bringing the house down.

Under the porch were five shovels and a pitch fork.  There is no visible gap under the kitchen
but we still can't figure out why there's three feet between the outside of the foundation
and the inside of the basement.  The basement walls under the kitchen are poured concrete - so
much more modern than the rest of the basement - so it just may have been dug smaller than
the outside foundation.  I think this is where coal was shoveled in to the basement.



Inside the going is a little slower.  The kitchen tile is set in a bed on thick mortar
on a metal lath that's like a cheese grater.  Watch your fingers!

Above the tile is evidence of the stove flues that went in to the chimney.

The floor.  Ceramic tile on plywood on linoleum tile on plywood
on hardwood on subfloor.  It was a good two inches thick, maybe more.

Here's a few before-and-now photos.

One of the cats took up residence next to the sink after it was emptied out.
He seemed kind of sad about the old kitchen going away.
(Maybe that was just me.)

This is the same kitchen window that was next to the sink.

The bathroom window is in the distance.

Pretty, right?  It's so old!

Here's an old drum trap circa 1900. All lead.

The claw foot tub and sink drain to this.

The old pantry.

The back door to the porch air.

How's this for an example of bad construction technique?

A charred joist between the kitchen and bathroom that's about a foot shy of being

tied to anything.  I was told there had been a fire in the house - I saw evidence

of fire up above the ceiling where the new bathroom is - but this burned joist seems

to have been put here later.  Nothing around it or attached to it is burned.

I always find demolition both nauseating and exciting.  I always fear that something

horrible will be revealed, something will spring a leak, start a fire or fall down.

At the same time, it's the beginning of something new.

Back Porches

Just off the kitchen and master bedroom are my back porches.

My renovation strategy since buying the house has always

been to tackle the ugliest thing.  I started here.

I've ripped things off.  I've added new things.

I've painted them.

And painted them again.

And it's all been lipstick on the proverbial pig.

When I was out last weekend cutting back overgrown plants

and shrubs and I discovered new problems.

The center post is rotting.

You can actually see the lower porch is sagging in the center.

The brick piers are crumbing...

...along with the porch foundation.

The time has come to replace them.

The thing that worries me most about the porches (and the kitchen)

is I don't know what is under one-third of the kitchen.  There is basement

under only two-thirds of the kitchen and the rest is unknown.

Might it be on piers?  It's a mystery.

Historical documents don't help.

On an 1854 map of the neighborhood, it almost appears like

there were porches, or at least one porch, on the house.

But on a drawing of the house from 1856, it's clear

there's only a small staircase leading from the kitchen.

The woman from whom I bought the house told me her father 

added the porches in 1940.  Whether or not there were ever porches

on the house prior than 1940, I don't know.  But these porches just don't look

correct to me.  I wanted to see something with more formal balance.

The porches may not be original but I want them to look

like they might have always been there,

Old Wayland Town Hall
Photo:  Historic Buildings of Massachusetts

The closet thing I could find locally to what I think my porches

should look like is the front of the Old Wayland (suburb of Boston) Town Hall

built in 1841, just a year older than my house.  I don't have the triangular

pediment above the porches, nor would I want the back porches

to compete with the front of the house but it's the symmetry

that my current back porches lack that I'd like to add.

So I've split the columns into two one-story sets that are thinner

than the columns on the front of the house and with no flutes.

This creates smaller-scaled bits that won't compete with the front of the house.

To create the symmetry so quintessential to a Greek Revival, you'll

also note I've created a center entrance.

Adding the back porches to my kitchen has consequences:  the budget.

I've decided not to add a second window above the kitchen sink.  The

cost of removing the old chimney, repairing and residing the house just

to add one window without an attractive view, just no longer made sense.

I also need to take a look other places where I can save money without

holding up the progress.  Right now it's appliances, lighting and cabinetry.

Work should start tomorrow.

Guest Bath Details

Thank you all for the compliments.  You're all the best!

 

 

 

But let's take a step back for a minute to a request by Claudia to see a "before" photo.

There's no real "before" because this new bathroom was created by

borrowing space from my dining room, two closets (where the cat

just lost a toy down a hole in the floor) and about two feet of my kitchen.

The door to the kitchen (behind the chandelier) was moved

to the left and an area about 5 feet by 8 feet was closed in for the new bath.

 

 

 

This created a sight line from the front of house all the way to the back.

 

The old bathroom is behind the sliders in the kitchen and that will now

be demolished so the kitchen can be expanded.

 

 

This is the floorplan of the new bath. Just big enough to fit everything.

 

The guest bath door is a salvaged four panel door that I stripped using the

Silent Paint Remover--a much bigger job than I expected--primed and repainted.

It does look great though.  The porcelain knob is from House of Antique Hardware.

The artwork is a contemporary collage by Massachusetts artist 

Bernd Haussmann.  I already had it and it fits the space perfectly.

The floor tile is Sant'Agostino porcelain tile, color is Ferro Black.

This is the 6 x 24 size and I used a 1/3 stagger that, along with the

linear striations in the tile, gives it the feel of wood.  It's a bonus that the

price point is $9 per square foot.  The grout is Permacolor "Raven."

The small halogen light on the ceiling is probably a place holder.

I have a problem with most flush-mount lights and this one

didn't give me any adverse reactions.  I wanted something modern

and inexpensive and this fit the bill.  I threw out the box with

the name but it came from a local lighting chain called Wolfer's.

This shows the junction of all the materials.

The glass towel rod is vintage.  They can be found on etsy and ebay.

The 3x6 subway tile is American Olean in Ice White which is really

inexpensive stuff.  Available at Lowe's or locally at Roma Tile in Watertown.

The grout is Permacolor Bright White.

The small shelf is cararra marble (see sink info for source).

The Greek key mosaic border is Walker Zanger, Tribeca collection

Adelphia border in Flatiron gray, honed marble.

The planks are shiplapped Southern yellow pine painted with

Benjamin Moore "Icicle," #2142-70.

The chair rail was custom made to match the width of

of the marble mosaic.  The paint color is Benjamin Moore

Stonington Gray HC-170.

The tub is the Kohler Bellwether.  I liked this model because of its

straight front edge.  I thought it was a nice match to the modern

lines of the sink and a counterpoint to the more traditional elements

of the room.

All of the shower jewelry is Rohl from the Country Bath collection.

The shower curtain is Restoration Hardware diamond matelassé in white.

Mary suggested I move the shower curtain rod up to the ceiling.

I tried it and I love it.  It adds a little drama.  Restoration Hardware

makes the same shower curtain in extra long and I think it will be the

perfect length.  Thank you for that suggestion, Mary. 

The vanity table is an antique Swedish console table from Darby Road

in Waltham.  It was too long for the space and had to be cut down in

length to fit but I really loved the turned legs so wanted to make it work.

The original wood top on the table was removed and cut down to make a lower shelf

for additional storage.  Because the side of the shelf had to be cut down, Sam used

a similar routed edge and I did a little faux finish using brown stain and gray paint

to simulate the original worn edge seen on the front of the shelf. 

The plumber did a great job of tucking the turnoff valves way up

under the vanity table to keep the look as clean as possible.

I would have like to have used a bottle trap but they're not

approved for use in Massachusetts for some reason.

The turnoff valves are made by Jaclo.

The sink is Porcher (made by American Standard), the

model is Semplice which unfortunately has been discontinued.

The price was really reasonable so it's a line you should check out.

The new marble vanity top is cararra marble that came from a

remnant from International Stone in Woburn, MA. The people at

International Stone were great to work with and I think their prices are

reasonable so if you're local, it's a place I would recommend.

 

The basket is from Crate & Barrel.

I took this photo to show the corner details.

The clipped corner was originally on the Swedish console top and leg

so when I found a toilet that had the same corners on the tank and base,

I thought it was a perfect match.  I had the same detail cut into the marble top.

 

 

The toilet is the Porcher Lutezia.  I splurged for a fancier

seat with nickel hardware which is by Lefroy Brooks.

Because the chair rail ran right in to the faucet, I designed a bump up

with a little integrated shelf.  The lights are the Bryant sconce by

Thomas O'Brien from Visual Comfort in polished nickel.

The antique Brasscrafters mirror has a nickel frame.  It's unfortunately

too small.  I wanted the top to hit above the level of the sconce shades

but the bottom needs to be lower to make it useful for people shorter

than six feet tall. 

 

The bottles are the handiwork of Artie Vanderpool from Color Outside

the Lines a/k/a the Cross Bottle Guy. 

 

The faucet was my biggest splurge.  It's the St. Germain faucet made by Horus

(from France) in polished nickel.  It comes with either lever or cross handles.

All of the fixtures came from Waterspot which has five showrooms in the area

including the Boston Design Center.

To the left of the sink is a little shelving unit that is built between the studs.

The little painting was a lovely gift from a long-time follower Dianne Ballard

who says it's a portrait of me.  See more of her work in Dianne's etsy shop.

 

There's another bottle of Artie's, a small vintage unmarked vase,

and a few beakers for supplies.

 

I think that covers it.  The bath is now open for guests so I put this

little arrangement of milk weed pods, hydrangea, caladium, ferns and ivy

together to welcome you.  It's always nice to have flowers in the house.  

 

Let me know if I missed anything and thanks again for the great feedback!