Gutted and the debris removed (just as we thought, ZERO insulation).
This room really appeared to have been an open porch in the past.
Perhaps it was even an addition to the original structure, because we could see daylight where the room extends beyond the brick (brrrrrrrrr).
This room really appeared to have been an open porch in the past.
Under the paneling we discovered old gypsum board (much more dense and solid than modern product). And oh, the nails, so many nails to be removed. And the black crud and dust, don't even get me started. Upon washing my hair each night, the water that flowed toward the drain was literally dark gray. I choose to believe it was from the days when the house was heated with coal. Thankfully, our only true surprise was one live, but sleepy bat which dropped out of the ceiling in the one section I was working to pull down (I stuck to the walls after that).
Notice the incredible sandstone headers and footer hidden inside the walls.
We decided to update the wiring, eliminating the old knob and tube. Fishing it up from the basement to the 2nd floor proved to be a much easier task than I thought it would be (we had some guidance from a friend at church, and believe me, I was praying too). We also had to build out this wall, rather than replacing the door jam, and added quite a few lengths of 2x4s in both the walls and ceiling for receiving the drywall.
Prep work and wiring completed. Insulation and sheet rock in progress.
My dad is amazing! He worked right up until the moment he had to climb in the car for the 12+ hour trek south to his home.
He even re-wired the fan (which I ended up replacing... thank you, Michael), refastened the moulding around the door, taped the sheetrock, and explained how to mud.
Thank you, Dad!!!
(and Mom since she cooked, hung out with the boys, and completed her very own bonus project).
Not sure where I was in the mudding process...
pros might be able to perfect it in 2-3 coats but not this amateur.
This is what I looked like many, many days after sanding for a few hours.
My mom's bonus project (can't believe this is the only picture I took):
Our dining room was this dark reddish-orange color. She and some of the boys worked very hard to cover it. What a dramatic improvement!
♥ Thank you, Mom ♥
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