The EcoBuilding Bargains (formally ReStore) took the salvageable demo items they wanted including vintage globes, a ceiling light, floor grates, and bathroom grab bars. We were a little dissapointed that they were not interested in more of the great finds, but they have a specific eye for the inventory they need. We posted a Craigslist ad for the remaining free demo items. Within 1 hr people carted off with some great stuff, including storm window glass, a functioning ceiling fan, a bunch of scrap metal, electrical outlet cover plates, side venting wall mount gas heaters, unpainted lumber, and the like. We're very happy to be able to give these items a little more life.
I was really excited that one of the previous owners stopped by and chatted about the house. Considering that this house has run in his family for quite some time, we can't wait to hear his stories. Shelly will be documenting his tales to be included with the house manual that will be provided to the next owners of this home. LEED requires a home manual to help the next owners understand and appreciate the green features of the home. But, we'll be buffing the manual up with a bit of history of the property as well.
We've also met many of the great neighbors living on the street. People are always out and about and supportive of our work thus far...despite a mishap when our builder started work at 5:30am on a Saturday. Oops! Sorry about that one!
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Friday, July 22, 2011
Week 2 Recap
Well, we've almost filled up our third dumpster, and the demolition is very close to complete. It turned out that there was blown in cellulose insulation in the walls - Something we had not anticipated. There was A LOT of cellulose! It was a little sad to have to send it all the to the landfill, but there really was no way to recover it unfortunately.
By the way, if you have old knob and tube wiring in your home, it is really not a good idea to add insulation (unless the knob and tube wires have been disconnected and left in place, which was not the case here). This creates a significant fire hazard. I assume that this work was done through the MassSave program, which subsidizes the cost of insulating a home, so it is really very suprising that this was done. In any case, I'm surprised that ANY contractor would have done this work.
Anyway, the house is now open. We haven't yet removed the wall studs to reconfigure the floor plan layout. However, just about everything else is gone (pictures coming soon), and it looks pretty good. There's a lot to work with here. The kitchen, which now has a cathedral ceiling, looks great. We also recovered the attic planks above the kitchen ceiling. These will be replaned and used for flooring. Some of the planks are really wide so it will look pretty neat when finished. We also found some newspapers from 1960 under the toilet...
Today, we have a pick up scheduled with EcoBuilding Bargains (formerly the Restore) to donate materials that were recovered from the demolition. So far, we've given away a medicine cabinet, a small shelf, and several cabinets with a sink top that we pulled out of the kitchen. The remainder - including a number of doors, two in-room gas heaters, several fixtures, etc. - have been left ontop of a tarp for donation. We'll se what they will take. Stay tuned for pictures of this. Whatever remains will be either given away for free using Craigslist, recycled, or put in the dumpster. Overall, I think we did a pretty good job with recovery for the demo.
With the heat wave, some final demo cleanup ahead, and the additional structural work, we're probably looking at a third week of these tasks before completion. We also have a mason fixing the brick foundation and putting new basement windows in, and we're beginning to think about next steps on the insulation, siding and roof replacement.
By the way, if you have old knob and tube wiring in your home, it is really not a good idea to add insulation (unless the knob and tube wires have been disconnected and left in place, which was not the case here). This creates a significant fire hazard. I assume that this work was done through the MassSave program, which subsidizes the cost of insulating a home, so it is really very suprising that this was done. In any case, I'm surprised that ANY contractor would have done this work.
Anyway, the house is now open. We haven't yet removed the wall studs to reconfigure the floor plan layout. However, just about everything else is gone (pictures coming soon), and it looks pretty good. There's a lot to work with here. The kitchen, which now has a cathedral ceiling, looks great. We also recovered the attic planks above the kitchen ceiling. These will be replaned and used for flooring. Some of the planks are really wide so it will look pretty neat when finished. We also found some newspapers from 1960 under the toilet...
Today, we have a pick up scheduled with EcoBuilding Bargains (formerly the Restore) to donate materials that were recovered from the demolition. So far, we've given away a medicine cabinet, a small shelf, and several cabinets with a sink top that we pulled out of the kitchen. The remainder - including a number of doors, two in-room gas heaters, several fixtures, etc. - have been left ontop of a tarp for donation. We'll se what they will take. Stay tuned for pictures of this. Whatever remains will be either given away for free using Craigslist, recycled, or put in the dumpster. Overall, I think we did a pretty good job with recovery for the demo.
With the heat wave, some final demo cleanup ahead, and the additional structural work, we're probably looking at a third week of these tasks before completion. We also have a mason fixing the brick foundation and putting new basement windows in, and we're beginning to think about next steps on the insulation, siding and roof replacement.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Week 1 Whirlwind, Part 2
The structural work also began this week. Henry and his crew (Steve and, also, oddly enough, another Henry), began work to replace two beams and to repair several columns in the basement. We took a closer look at their progress this morning, and it all looks great so far! (Stay tuned for pictures.)
When the demolition team finished removing the ceiling in the second addition this week, they exposed a structural beam that needs to be replaced, so we've added that to the docket.
We also faced a new decision: The ceiling joists in the kitchen are sagging. We can either: 1) fix them by adding a cross beam to remove the sag, and then continue with our original plan (new walls and ceilings in their original locations in the kitchen, with blown in cellulose in the crawl space attic cavity above) or 2) remove the ceiling joists and subfloor planks above entirely, since they are non-structural, and instead create a cathedral ceiling in the kitchen (this option means using spray foam insulation throughout the second addition, rather than blown in cellulose as originally planned). We believe that the cost wouldn't be very different between the two options (in the first option, the structural work is more expensive, and in the second, the insulation is more expensive). So, we decided a cathedral ceiling would be a pretty exciting direction to go! Also, Henry believes we could reclaim the ceiling wood, have it re-planed, and use it to for wood floors in the additions! Sweet!
What else? Oh, one more thing, In the original addition, the first floor ceiling joists are running longer spans than they should. This is a shame, as we were hoping to really open this area up. Our options are either to put a structural wall in to shore them up, or, if we want to keep it open, to add a beam. We haven't yet gotten to a decision on that one.
So that's the structural work as it stands right now. We anticipated that more structural issues would become apparent once we opened up the ceilings, so no big surprises yet. And we're excited about the cathedral ceiling in the kitchen!
When the demolition team finished removing the ceiling in the second addition this week, they exposed a structural beam that needs to be replaced, so we've added that to the docket.
We also faced a new decision: The ceiling joists in the kitchen are sagging. We can either: 1) fix them by adding a cross beam to remove the sag, and then continue with our original plan (new walls and ceilings in their original locations in the kitchen, with blown in cellulose in the crawl space attic cavity above) or 2) remove the ceiling joists and subfloor planks above entirely, since they are non-structural, and instead create a cathedral ceiling in the kitchen (this option means using spray foam insulation throughout the second addition, rather than blown in cellulose as originally planned). We believe that the cost wouldn't be very different between the two options (in the first option, the structural work is more expensive, and in the second, the insulation is more expensive). So, we decided a cathedral ceiling would be a pretty exciting direction to go! Also, Henry believes we could reclaim the ceiling wood, have it re-planed, and use it to for wood floors in the additions! Sweet!
What else? Oh, one more thing, In the original addition, the first floor ceiling joists are running longer spans than they should. This is a shame, as we were hoping to really open this area up. Our options are either to put a structural wall in to shore them up, or, if we want to keep it open, to add a beam. We haven't yet gotten to a decision on that one.
So that's the structural work as it stands right now. We anticipated that more structural issues would become apparent once we opened up the ceilings, so no big surprises yet. And we're excited about the cathedral ceiling in the kitchen!
Friday, July 15, 2011
Week 1 Whirlwind, Part 1
On Monday, our 20 cubic yard dumpster was delivered by Alternative Recycling Systems (ARS). On Tuesday, we used stakes and orange ribbon to set up a construction perimeter. This limits compaction of the soil to designated construction work areas, and preserves the remainder of the site. Demolition and structural work also began on Tuesday.
Demolition began in the original house, and then moved to the first addition. For the most part, there were no surprises: Lots of plaster and lathe were removed from the walls and ceilings. On Wednesday, demolition in the first addition and the upstairs of the original home began. By Thursday afternoon, the dumpster was full and a replacement had to be ordered. So, we are on our second dumpster. This afternoon (Friday) laminate flooring in the kitchen and bathroom were being removed. We anticipate the demolition team will be done with their work on Monday.
Because plaster and lathe are not recyclable, the first dumpster was disposed of at the landfill. However, we have been able to save a few items during the deconstruction. We had all interior doors carefully removed and stacked on a tarp. We also set aside the kitchen cabinet, sink and a small corner shelf; nothing too special but perhaps someone can use these in a basement or workshop. Existing lighting fixtures were also carefully removed and saved, and some of the existing trim has been salvaged as well. We found some original slate roof tiles in the basement, as well as some bricks. We may save and reuse the slate and bricks on site. For the rest of the salvaged materials, I've scheduled a pickup for next Friday by the EcoBuilding Bargains store (previously the ReStore), which reclaims and sells used building materials. Here is the website for the store (located in Springfield) for those who are interested: http://www.restoreonline.org/. For the remainder of the materials that EcoBuilding Bargains decides not to take, we will try to give them away for free on Craigslist.
Whew! More in Part 2 on the structural work. Also, stay tuned for some pictures (we hope to get some up this weekend).
Demolition began in the original house, and then moved to the first addition. For the most part, there were no surprises: Lots of plaster and lathe were removed from the walls and ceilings. On Wednesday, demolition in the first addition and the upstairs of the original home began. By Thursday afternoon, the dumpster was full and a replacement had to be ordered. So, we are on our second dumpster. This afternoon (Friday) laminate flooring in the kitchen and bathroom were being removed. We anticipate the demolition team will be done with their work on Monday.
Because plaster and lathe are not recyclable, the first dumpster was disposed of at the landfill. However, we have been able to save a few items during the deconstruction. We had all interior doors carefully removed and stacked on a tarp. We also set aside the kitchen cabinet, sink and a small corner shelf; nothing too special but perhaps someone can use these in a basement or workshop. Existing lighting fixtures were also carefully removed and saved, and some of the existing trim has been salvaged as well. We found some original slate roof tiles in the basement, as well as some bricks. We may save and reuse the slate and bricks on site. For the rest of the salvaged materials, I've scheduled a pickup for next Friday by the EcoBuilding Bargains store (previously the ReStore), which reclaims and sells used building materials. Here is the website for the store (located in Springfield) for those who are interested: http://www.restoreonline.org/. For the remainder of the materials that EcoBuilding Bargains decides not to take, we will try to give them away for free on Craigslist.
Whew! More in Part 2 on the structural work. Also, stay tuned for some pictures (we hope to get some up this weekend).
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Meeting with the Center for EcoTechnology
On July 1st, we met with our LEED for Homes Green Rater from the Center for EcoTechnology. Raters play a critical role in the LEED for Homes process by overseeing all verification services on a project. The Green Rater has the following responsibilities within the LEED for Homes Program:
- Oversight of all verification services on a LEED for Homes registered project
- Communication link between Provider Organization and Project Team
- Verification that Project Submittal Package is complete and delivery of package to Provider
Friday, July 8, 2011
Ta Da!
And here she blows. Our cute little house.
The Skinny: 234 State Street has a gross living area of 1,618 square feet. The original home (front of image) is a two-story farm house style structure built around 1900. The footprint of the original home is teeny, with just 384 square feet on each floor! A single-story addition (364 square feet) was built in the 1950s, and a second single-story addition (500 square feet) was built in the 1970s. In sum, there is 1,234 square feet of ground floor space and 364 square feet of second floor space. As purchased, the home has 6 living rooms (including 3 bedrooms) and one bathroom. (When we are finished, there will be 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms - but more on our renovtion plans later). The home sits on a 5,775 square foot (1/7th) acre lot.
Finally, The Keys!
Whew! We closed on Tuesday (July 5th) and the keys are finally in hand! The delay we encountered is a long and frustrating story - which I won't go into in detail here - let's just say it involved long lost cousins. Anyhoo. So here we are, and we're slowly getting things moving again. Over the past few weeks, we began to refine our LEED Certification plan, we worked with Henry and George (see the Project Team page) to plan and pull permits for the demolition and structural work, and we ordered a dumpster, to be brought on site this Monday. (More later on the demolition work.) We also continued work with our Smith College Praxis interns Shelly and Monique (see the Project Team page). Shelly has been creating a Green Materials Database and helping out with the blog, and Monique has been working on the rain garden design and sizing calculations. Stay tuned for their updates, and thanks for your interest in our little blog!
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