What’s known as a demolition is really an excavation. It’s a time when you find how well things were built, how good or bad past renovations have been done, if there is insulation and where, and if there is any rot or dead critters in your walls. Lucky for us, we found little rot and no dead critters.
What we have learned is how the addition was built and the reason for sloping floors. The answer came when we found that the upstairs addition was built on an exterior deck that was never built to support the amount of weight it currently holds. Additionally, supporting beams were nailed to the A-Frame support beams of the house.
There was little to salvage. The upstairs walls southern facing walls are being rebuilt with fully supported wall beams.
All the ceiling beams are replaced and fully supported over the flat extension of our roof. The floor is now much more stable and solid.
New supporting ceiling beams have been added to support the new ceiling. Also, a new ledge to the main room is being built – the old one was removed as it was too low and not to code.
The open beam/tongue and groove ceiling is being built to replicating the open beams downstairs.