More Guts!

Okay!  The demolition disease spread from one room to another.  We decided that it would make sense to go ahead and open up the rest of the upper family room.  We knew there was some concern about wiring and potential structural and/or framing issues.  However, despite it not being PERFECT behind those walls, we were pleasantly surprised.  Structure and framing are pretty good.  A couple of the headers need jack studs and reframing, and the pass-thru from the family room to the "sun room" needs a major header re-frame, but it's all straight-forward stuff.

Something else we've got up our sleeve, is a major change to the wall between the room with the wood-burning stove, and the upper family room.  Double pocket doors will replace the single 5-panel door.  The double pocket doors will be 15 lite "french doors" similar to style that is in the dining room.  This will open up the house from front to back, yet still give us the option to divide that room off without loosing all the natural sunlight that floods that side of the house.  This will require a MAJOR re-frame of that wall, including a 13-foot engineered beam, but the end results should be just what this house needs to flow into the family room area.

With the rooms completely opened up, we can now pull new electric and bring it all up to code, AND...  we can also pull a new, larger cable to the garage so it can have the power we need for the shop tools that sit waiting to be plugged in.

OH!  And the fireplace is finally uncovered!  :)

The pics...

The chimney and fireplace is finally exposed!

Unfortunately the fireplace was plugged.  HOWEVER!  We had a chimney inspector out to evaluate all our chimneys and fireplaces.  They can all be restored.  Even this one.  The plug is in there because the floor of the firebox was knocked out to provide a vent for the oil heater that was below the family room.  Relatively simply repair and WILL be done!  The plug appears to have been constructed outside of the fireplace and then set in place.  It isn't very thick.

Door to master

The wall that will get re-structured and double pocket doors installed.

Hmmmph...  the one big(ish) framing issue we an into.  The load is picked up and transferred to the ceiling joists in the adjoining sun room.  Not ideal.  BUT!  It will be an easy re-frame.  It was also interesting to see where the old exterior door to the breezeway used to be.

And THIS is a little alarming.  Nobody is allowed to walk under those bricks until they are supported.  HAHA!  Geesh...  HACK JOB!!!

Pass-thru to the lower family room was MOSTLY right.  Jack studs just aren't really correct on one side.  Actually looks like a couple were deliberately cut out.  Easy fix!

Then there's the wiring.  Amazingly, it's in good shape, but there's no reason to keep it.  It's also 2-conductor, so no ground.  Illegal by today's standards.  Wiring is relatively inexpensive and important.  Best time to fix it is now.

That's all for now!  Next will be the fun stuff!  FRAMING!