Demolition Archives

August 26, 2019March 31, 2024

Carpenter Bee Damage

Day #88

August 11, 2019 – Not much doing today. We finished up some shingle demolition and then tarped over the roof to keep things dry. Interestingly, we came across a couple pieces of wood from the roof demo that a Carpenter Bee drilled into.

Carpenter Bee Damage — Carpenter Bee damage.

It’s pretty amazing (and pretty destructive) how deep these bees can drill. Once we have everything complete we’ll have to see if they continue to bore through the new siding. We may have to go on a Carpenter Bee extermination mission.

Many thanks to my Tinnler Roofing Crew…! I know you guys drive a long way to come down to help out. I really appreciate it. Your hard work saves me hours of time in this renovation process. One day we will be done and we’ll sit back and enjoy the new digs! It’s a promise, cee….

Next weekend I have to relocate two electric switches at the living room door. One controls the outside light and one controls the living room overhead lights. This will allow us to continue the exterior wall demolition and repair in preparation for a new sliding entry door. There is a rats nest of junction boxes up in the ceiling so I’m sure it will take me some time to figure out how they are wired and the best way to relocate them. Stay tuned …

For more about the Carpenter Bee click here: Xylocopinae

August 26, 2019December 7, 2023

Roof and Wall Demo Continues

Day #87

August 10, 2019 – Today the plan includes continuing the roof and wall demo but first we need to finish the new kitchen window. This closes in the big hole we made yesterday.

New Kitchen Windows — Third new kitchen window is installed.

After the window was complete, the roof and wall demo commenced. My roofing crew started removing shingles and I concentrated on the wall demo. It’s great to see the youngsters having fun together.

Demolition of the first living room window and the exterior wall went very smoothly. I got the window out in one piece and the rotted wood removed from this section. I discovered the rotten wood back in October of 2018. It feels good to finally remove it. Probably smells better too!

Rotting Wood — Rotten wood by the living room window.

I closed in with new stud framing and exterior plywood wall sheathing. The cottage is framed, old school, with full 2″×4″ rough sawn oak studs. To make things “dimensionally” easier I ripped full 4″ studs from some wider stock. This creates more waste but it’s much easier to line stuff up with the existing structure.

Roof and Wall Demo - New Studs & Sheathing — New living room wall framing and exterior sheathing.

With today’s roof and wall demo complete, my crew took a break out in the front yard before heading out to J.P. Edwards for some dinner.

Roof and Wall Demo Crew — Roof and wall demo crew on break.

Tomorrow we will finish up the shingle demo and tarp over the roof to keep things dry. Next weekend I hope to the continue the exterior wall demo, remove the living room door and frame in the rough opening for a new Pella sliding door. Keeping it going.

June 18, 2019December 7, 2023

Roof Demolition – Existing Kitchen

Day #64

June 15, 2019 – Before the start of the new roof framing the existing kitchen roof will need “disconnected” from the main cottage roof. Today I wanted to concentrate on the miscellaneous roof demolition to accomplish this isolation.

To remove the remaining fascia boards at the gable end it was necessary to remove the roof above the old kitchen door. I took off the shingles then cut the roof deck parallel to the gable. Once the deck boards were removed I was able to cut and remove the joist in front of the fascia and then the fascia itself.

Misc Roof Demolition — Roofing removed. Deck boards cut for removal along the gable end.

Deck Boards Removed - Roof Demolition — Deck boards removed, Rafter exposed at the base of the fascia boards.

With the rafter and fascia boards removed I moved on to exposing the ends of the new structural beam. Each end of the new beam needs anchored to the top plates of the walls, on both sides. I continued the roof demolition by removing the shingles on each side of the new beam exposing the roof deck. Cutting and removing the deck boards exposed the new beam.

Structural Beam - Roof Demolition — Exposing the ends of the new beam for anchoring to the top plates of the wall on each side.

And then the rain started….

Just as I got the beam exposed it started to rain. We quickly covered the holes in the roof with tarps. Luckily we didn’t take on any water. With rain on and off for the rest of the day the work pace slowed down to a crawl. I got three of the four beam / wall anchors installed. I’ll have to get the last one installed on a better day.

Rain Tarps - Roof Demlition — Quickly tarped over the roof openings because of the rain.

With the continued threat of rain we decided to demo the wall sheathing on the living room wall. The siding on this exterior wall was removed yesterday. This area was under tarps and staying dry so we went for it.

Light Stripes — Light coming through the wall as the roofing paper on the outside is removed.

Wall Sheathing Removed — Exterior wall sheathing boards removed.

After we finished removing the exterior wall sheathing boards from the living room wall we closed up for the night.

Rain Tarps — All buttoned up for the night.

All in all it was a pretty good day. Tomorrow we will start the front posts and beams at “Brenda’s Deck” and the porch ceiling / roof framing. Dam the rain!

June 18, 2019December 7, 2023

Exterior Wall Demolition

Day #63

June 14, 2019 – Earlier in the week I placed a small lumber order for the start of the roof framing. To pass the time while waiting on the delivery I continued the exterior wall demolition.

The siding along the exterior living room was easily removed with a pry bar and hammer.

We’ve come a long way with the demolition. Here’s a look back at the start of the exterior demolition.

Exterior Wall Demolition — Exterior wall demolition at living room wall.

Siding Removed - Exterior Wall Demolition — Siding removed from exterior living room wall.

Bird Nest Relocation

Since we still have a bird nesting on the old porch roof support along the exterior kitchen wall I had to perform a bird nest relocation. The nest has 4 eggs in it. I was able to move it to the big oak tree in front of the cottage but I don’t think the mother bird found it. Sorry bird family….

Relocated Nest — Relocated bird nest in the big oak tree in front.

The Lowe’s delivery guy showed up around 1:30 PM with the lumber order. He off loaded it by the porch and was on his way in like 10 minutes. In and out no problem. The big stone parking area is working out great for these big truck deliveries.

Exterior Wall Demolition continued…

With the Lowe’s guy on his way,and the nest relocated, I was able to continue the exterior wall demolition along the kitchen. The siding came off just as easy as on the living room wall. Once I removed the exterior window trim the old kitchen window came right out. It was all pitched into the dumpster.

Window Removed - Exterior Wall Demolition — Siding and kitchen window removed.

Old Kitchen Window — Say goodbye to the old kitchen window.

I quit for the evening around 6:30 PM. After I got cleaned up, Robrandi, Brenda from “Brenda’s Deck” and I, headed to Wingman’s Brew N Que for dinner. The discussion centered around the asking price and the square feet amount of “Brenda’s Deck” that will be rented out. Hummmm…?

June 12, 2019December 7, 2023

Living Room Ceiling Support

Day #60

June 7, 2019 – Not a whole lot going on today. I managed to get the living room ceiling tied back into the new structural beam. We placed a temporary 4×4 post under the living room ceiling to hold it up while we installed the new structural beam. With the ceiling tied back in I removed the 4×4. Voila, there you have it, ceiling support in the living room.

Temporary 4×4 Post — Temporary 4×4 post holding up living room ceiling.

Living Room Ceiling Support Beam — The living room ceiling support beam meets the new structural beam.

Joist Hanger — Installation of a new joist hanger to tie in the living room ceiling to the new structural beam.

Ceiling Jack — Jacking up the living room ceiling to flush it with the bottom of the new structural beam.

Ceiling Support Tied In — Living Room ceiling tied into the new support beam. Temporary post is removed.

Before night fall I was able to get some more demolition done at the gable end of the living room. We are getting closer to tearing out the walls.

Gable End Demo — The gable end is now open and the new structural beam is clearly visible.

Next up is the installation of a new ridge beam to support the new kitchen ceiling.

June 10, 2019December 7, 2023

Support Column and Kitchen Sub-Floor

Day #58

June 1, 2019 – The corner of the living room, at the old porch connection, was leaking for several years. As a result the wall sheathing and possibly the corner studs in this area have succumbed to rot, mold and mildew. To provide for an open ceiling in the new kitchen, a structural beam will be installed. This beam will span from one side of the cottage to the other. If the stud framing in this corner is rotted it will not be able to support the beam. If this is the case then a new support column will need to be constructed in this corner. We need to open up the walls at this location to assess the situation.

So, the goal for today is to finish the kitchen sub-floor, assess the wall framing in the living room corner and re-construct a new support column if required.

Sub-Floor Installation

Sub-floor panel adhesive — Applying a bead of sub-floor panel adhesive.

Sub-floor nailing

New Support Column

After the completion of the sub-floor we started to expose the rotted out corner of the living room. As you can see in the photographs, it was really rotted! A new support column will be necessary to properly support the new structural beam.

Expose Bad Corner - Support Column — Exposing the rotted out corner.

Rotted Sheathing - Support Column — Rotted exterior wall sheathing.

Rotted Corner Support Column — Exposed corner. Rotted wood.

Exposed Corner - Support Column — Exposed corner. Rotted framing members.

With the rotted framing removed we were able to frame in a new support column and tarp up the house for the night. Tomorrow we construct a massive beam and attempt to lift it into place inside the cottage. I’m hoping for the best.

Stink Bug Nest — Stink bug nest, part of the reason it stinks so bad….

At the end of the day we accomplished everything that we set out to do. It was a great day!

June 10, 2019December 7, 2023

Dumpster Delivery & Sub-floor Installation

Day #57

May 31, 2019 – Today was a productive day. S&S Trash Service delivered a 15 yard dumpster for all the demolition debris. Melanie from S&S told me it would be onsite by noon and it was right on time! Just to make sure it works, I removed the old kitchen door and tossed it into the dumpster. Everything is good. Thankx S&S!

We had a visitor at the renovation site today. He crawled in from the giant puddle in the neighbors yard and he spent the entire day napping under the big oak tree in the front yard. His name is T. S. Snappy. He likes to have his nose tickled while being hugged. Hide yo wife, hide yo kids and hide yo dogs! We have had other aquatic visitors to the renovation site.

T.S. Snappy the snapping turtle from the block.

After the dumpster was delivered I started installing the kitchen addition sub-flooring. I am using 3/4 inch treated plywood. It is not tongue and groove but we need good moisture and insect resistance.

In order to fit the sub-floor under the kitchen door I had to remove it completely. So I said goodbye to the old kitchen door and pitched it into the dumpster.

Sub-Floor Install — Kitchen door, frame & sill removed to allow for sub-floor installation.

Sub-floor installation. — Two sheets of 3/4 inch treated sub-floor installed.

October 31, 2018December 7, 2023

Cottage Winterization Time Again

Day #51

October 27, 2018 – Arrived at the cottage this morning at 9:30. It rained all the way from Harrisburg. The sole purpose of this weekend’s visit is for cottage winterization.

Our cottage winterization consists of turning off and draining the hot water heater, draining and blowing out the water lines and placing antifreeze in all the drain traps. This usually takes a couple of hours. It was miserable in the rain but its done.

While waiting for the hot water heater to drain I did some more demolition in the living room. The wood sheathing in the exterior wall to the right of the window is rotting. There is white mold growing in the wall over the window. This window and the rotting wood are going to be removed to make way for a new sliding glass patio door. The sooner the better.

Hopefully it will not rain next weekend. I hope to install a temporary electric pole so the electric can be disconnected from the cottage. This will allow us to take the roof off the old kitchen. Stay tuned.

Living Rom - Front Exterior Wall — While the hot water tank drained I did some more demo on the living room wall.

October 16, 2018December 7, 2023

Temporary Dry In – Exterior Living Room Wall

Day #50

October 14, 2018 – After discovering water damage in the exterior living room wall I decided to temporarily dry it in. Hopefully the temporary dry in will stop the water infiltration and let it dry out a bit while we put on the new roof.

My plan, as simple as it sounds, was to tarp over the wall section where the old porch connected. First I nailed some 2 × 4 fascia boards to the cottage rafter tails. With that completed, I install some cut pieces of plywood on top of the remains of the old porch rafters. Once the plywood pieces were installed I covered the roof with tarps.

Because some of the people in this family have/had (Grammy, Fanny, et. el.) a slight hoarder complex there are 3000 tarps in the “New” shed. From this stockpile I tried to pick the best ones. The tarps are held in place by 2 × 4 runners nailed down with double headed nails. My hope is that this stops the water leaking while we complete the new roof.

We are away next weekend so stay tuned. In two weeks I should have an update about temporarily relocating the Penelec electric service. This will allow us to start taking the roof off! It’s also getting close to cottage weatherization time.

2 × 4 Fascia Boards — 2 × 4 Fascia boards nailed to the cottage rafter tails.

Plywood Decking — Plywood decking nailed to the remains of the old porch rafters.

Temporary Dry In - Tarps — Getting ready to install temporary tarps.

October 16, 2018December 7, 2023

Kitchen, Living Room & Structural Demolition

Day #49

October 13, 2018 – The interior demolition in the kitchen and living room continued today. I removed the wing wall separating the two rooms. A section of living room ceiling in addition to a portion of drywall at the front wall have been demo’d.

During the demolition of the wing wall I discovered some carpenter ant / termite damage. The rotted, half eaten wood was removed and the area prepped for wood hardener and high performance wood filler. The hardener and wood filler will be applied on the next trip. Unfortunately, this damaged area is directly under the wall studs that must support one end of a new beam for the kitchen roof.

In the front wall of the living room, where the old porch connected, the batt insulation was soaking wet. As we had figured this area has been leaking for years. Some of the wood siding is rotten to the point that I can push my finger clean through it. As a result, we will have to remove additional drywall to determine the extent of the water damage. Tomorrow I will have to figure out a way to protect this area from continued water damage.

After the removal of some living room ceiling I began the structural demolition of the wood framing members connecting the old kitchen to the living room / main structure. This will make way for a new 20 foot long beam. The beam will tie the two sidewalls together as well as support the roof during the kitchen demo.

Even though it doesn’t look like much all in all it was a good day!

Photos From The Day

Demolition - Wing Wall — Demolition of the wing wall between the kitchen and the living room.

Termite Damage — Carpenter Ant / Termite damage under wing wall.

Termite Damage Repair — The rotted, termite damaged wood is clean out.

Ceiling Demolition — Ceiling demolition in the living room.

Rotted Wood — Rotted wood in the exterior wall of the living room.