Mike Herring
Member
- Messages
- 13
- Location
- Fort Worth, TX
Howdy!
In August of 2005 we started the remodel. Probably will get done by this Christmas We're just about to get to the fun stuff, the built in book cases and cabinets and entertainment center.
We've been taking pictures of the progress. There's close to 600 pictures up on my website now. It may be a bit slow, sorry.
My dad and I have done most of the work. My mom, sister, and brother-in-law have all pitched it. And we did hire a few contractors for the roof and framing the walls. And for placing the concrete. Mostly though it's been me and dad, and mainly dad, since he's retired now and I work 40+ hours a week.
Here's how the house looked:
And here's what it looks like so far:
Although we've since ripped out the old porch and placed the new porch. Can't find a overall picture since then though.
We're mainly remodeling the front of the house.
The idea was to enclose the side porch, extend the roof over the driveway to make a two car carport, extend the roof over the front porch, make the front porch a little deeper (extend it towards the street a bit), extend the front wall of the house two feet towards the street, and add a 10x10 music room onto the porch.
But the zoning board said no, because of a neighbor that didn't understand that "brick veneer" is the proper term for brick, and though we were going to use some sort of brick equvilant to walmart furniture.
We were allowed to extend the roof out over the driveway, but only 200 square feet worth or a portecache. We wanted 400 square foot. We were not allowed to bring the front of the house out two feet, even though we surveyed the lot and proved that we were two feet further from the street than our neighbors on either side. We were not allowed to add the music room, because we didn't own a grand piano (seriously!) and their immediate neighbor to the north complained that it would block his wind, even though the wind is predominately from the north. We were not allowed to extend the front porch towards the street. We were granted a variance to "allow" the front porch to stay where it was, because when it was built, in 1920, it was three feet from the property line, and now porches and everything else has to be 5 or more feet off. Oh, and we were given a variance to rebuild the existing north wall of the house that is also three feet from the line. They did want us to move it two foot south! And we were allowed to move the front door to the north so that it lines up with the entrance to the dining room, even though the veneer neighbor complained that it would "ruin the character of the neighborhood!"
First thing we did was put up some six inch pipe to become the supports for the roof and the portecache.
Then we welded up wide flange beams to the top over the car port area. They're what the roof is supported on on that side, and what holds up the floor of the attic there.
Then we went up, doing all the metal work structure on that side up to the new roof line. We were building the new roof about 5 feet above the existing roof so that we got some more room in the new attic and so that we were always dry.
Then we built the new roof. It was tricky getting the interface of the new roof to the old roof right. Lots of drawing and making of models and such. I think we waaaay over thought it.
Then we put shingles on the new roof, and ripped off shingles from the old roof we were keeping and re-shingled them.
Then we demo'd the old roof that was under the new roof.
Then we demo'd the living room. We thought about keeping the front wall, but decided to build a new one since we were moving a door, and the windows, and the fireplace, so it was mostly going to all be re-done anyway.
Once the walls were up we could install the ceiling joists. We used salvaged 2x12s. Doubled up and bolted and nailed together. They had to span from the existing interior wall to the new wall and then across the front porch to rest on the beams out there, for a total of 24 feet. We used a lot of 2x12s. But we wanted to be able to store woodworking machines in the attic if we needed to, and maybe even work up there, so we built it hell for stout. We used up all our salvaged 2x12s and ended up having to buy 8 or so.
We also took the opportunity to raise the ceiling in the dining room. It was sagging pretty bad and needed to be raised up about 6 inches. From inside the room you couldn't tell, but from the attic you sure could. The house is 80+ years old, and they used 2x4s for the ceiling joists, so it's not suprising that it sagged, it more suprising that it didn't sag more!
More to come later tonight! (maybe tomorrow)
-Mike
In August of 2005 we started the remodel. Probably will get done by this Christmas We're just about to get to the fun stuff, the built in book cases and cabinets and entertainment center.
We've been taking pictures of the progress. There's close to 600 pictures up on my website now. It may be a bit slow, sorry.
My dad and I have done most of the work. My mom, sister, and brother-in-law have all pitched it. And we did hire a few contractors for the roof and framing the walls. And for placing the concrete. Mostly though it's been me and dad, and mainly dad, since he's retired now and I work 40+ hours a week.
Here's how the house looked:
And here's what it looks like so far:
Although we've since ripped out the old porch and placed the new porch. Can't find a overall picture since then though.
We're mainly remodeling the front of the house.
The idea was to enclose the side porch, extend the roof over the driveway to make a two car carport, extend the roof over the front porch, make the front porch a little deeper (extend it towards the street a bit), extend the front wall of the house two feet towards the street, and add a 10x10 music room onto the porch.
But the zoning board said no, because of a neighbor that didn't understand that "brick veneer" is the proper term for brick, and though we were going to use some sort of brick equvilant to walmart furniture.
We were allowed to extend the roof out over the driveway, but only 200 square feet worth or a portecache. We wanted 400 square foot. We were not allowed to bring the front of the house out two feet, even though we surveyed the lot and proved that we were two feet further from the street than our neighbors on either side. We were not allowed to add the music room, because we didn't own a grand piano (seriously!) and their immediate neighbor to the north complained that it would block his wind, even though the wind is predominately from the north. We were not allowed to extend the front porch towards the street. We were granted a variance to "allow" the front porch to stay where it was, because when it was built, in 1920, it was three feet from the property line, and now porches and everything else has to be 5 or more feet off. Oh, and we were given a variance to rebuild the existing north wall of the house that is also three feet from the line. They did want us to move it two foot south! And we were allowed to move the front door to the north so that it lines up with the entrance to the dining room, even though the veneer neighbor complained that it would "ruin the character of the neighborhood!"
First thing we did was put up some six inch pipe to become the supports for the roof and the portecache.
Then we welded up wide flange beams to the top over the car port area. They're what the roof is supported on on that side, and what holds up the floor of the attic there.
Then we went up, doing all the metal work structure on that side up to the new roof line. We were building the new roof about 5 feet above the existing roof so that we got some more room in the new attic and so that we were always dry.
Then we built the new roof. It was tricky getting the interface of the new roof to the old roof right. Lots of drawing and making of models and such. I think we waaaay over thought it.
Then we put shingles on the new roof, and ripped off shingles from the old roof we were keeping and re-shingled them.
Then we demo'd the old roof that was under the new roof.
Then we demo'd the living room. We thought about keeping the front wall, but decided to build a new one since we were moving a door, and the windows, and the fireplace, so it was mostly going to all be re-done anyway.
Once the walls were up we could install the ceiling joists. We used salvaged 2x12s. Doubled up and bolted and nailed together. They had to span from the existing interior wall to the new wall and then across the front porch to rest on the beams out there, for a total of 24 feet. We used a lot of 2x12s. But we wanted to be able to store woodworking machines in the attic if we needed to, and maybe even work up there, so we built it hell for stout. We used up all our salvaged 2x12s and ended up having to buy 8 or so.
We also took the opportunity to raise the ceiling in the dining room. It was sagging pretty bad and needed to be raised up about 6 inches. From inside the room you couldn't tell, but from the attic you sure could. The house is 80+ years old, and they used 2x4s for the ceiling joists, so it's not suprising that it sagged, it more suprising that it didn't sag more!
More to come later tonight! (maybe tomorrow)
-Mike
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