Cinder block chimney from former coal stove has been removed.
Small attic is exposed. Rotting logs have been removed.
Rotted logs that have been removed.
Repurposed bamboo from the yard!
Space has been cut out where logs were rotting in preparation for new window in kitchen/dining area on north side of house.
The upper right shows the temporary wall that is protecting the living space during construction.
Framed base for new window in kitchen/dining area.
Interior of kitchen, with ceiling exposed. The verticle stained boards are just temporary, to help with insulating the temporary wall.
Wall outside is being prepared for new window in hallway in front of bathroom.
Installed windows in dining room.
Window installed in hallway. This space had been used as a closet, so this has opened up the area considerably and let in a lot of natural light.
Installed window in dining room. Floor has been removed in front of window and replaced with plywood, in preparation for new flooring.
New insulation has already increased comfort level of the room.
Old blown insulation in attic. We are considering opening up the ceiling, moving insulation to roofline.
Temporary bracing in interior.
Transitional beam between new construction and existing logs.
Bellawood flooring options for downstairs: white oak natural, red oak select, American cherry natural, Brazillian koa select, Brazillian mesquite select, Brazillian cherry select.
A stone wall that had been part of an original storage shed has been demolished. The stones will likely be reused elsewhere in the project.
Excavation has begun for the footings of the extension to the utility room. The extension will have a green roof and eventually (we hope) be enclosed.
Bamboo has been harvasted from the property and helps build the temporary shelter.
Temporary drainage.
Wood from various parts of the original construction are tacked up to help us judge if we want any of them on the permanent walls.
A new porch will be added here to protect the entryway and keep moisture away from the structure.
The existing door is undersized, with steps up on the inside. The ground has been excavated in preparation for enlarging the entry.
Work on the front garden by the resident serfs continues while the cabin is being renovated.
Interior shot looking down into the current kitchen. The stairs here will be rebuilt.
Almost all the existing floorboards have been replaced. Joists have been rebuilt and subflooring installed.
The entry into the current utility room, which leads out to the door with the excavated land. The ceiling here will be rebuilt as the underpinning of a open balcony behind the chimney.
Blown insulation and years of accumulated debris are being removed from the space above the current kitchen.
Plastic prevents debris from falling when work isn't being done.
Hardie panel, a fiber cement product, is being applied to the exterior.
Wood battens are applied for decorative effect and to hide the seams.
The excavation will bring the foundation down to grade for water runoff.
The next step will be applying an acrylic paint.
The hole in the roof where the chimney was has been covered over.
New overhang where the former chimney broke through.
The porch cover is being framed.
The 10x4 porch will eventually support a green roof, easily visible from the main living area.
The green roof will be visible from the living room.
The completed baten work on the dining room.
Hardie panels are being installed under the porch.
Rain barrel prior to installation.
A hose can be connected to the bottom spigot. There is also an overflow valve.
We anticipate placing it under the roof's valley, adding a rain chain to direct the water into the barrel.
Cabin milagro to help expedite the renovation.
Hardie panels now cover the board and baten of the first renovation.
Makeshift gutters from bamboo on the property.
Frame of the green roof is edged with aluminum.
Pipe exiting from utility room.
Mortar had to be removed when the rotten logs were removed. It will have to be replaced.
We have visitors. The floor in the living room has a soft spot in it, which let in enough light to the crawl space for photosynthesis to start taking place.
Night of the Living Bamboo. We sprayed what was exposed with Round-Up, then will cut it at the base. We hope a plastic tarp over the space will discourage further intrusions.
The Gate to Hell.
This cluster of bamboo grass is what was coming up through the rotten hole in the living room.
Some of the stalks were an inch thick.
The bamboo was slowiy wrapping itself around some of the electrical wires. This could have lead to dire consequences.
One more lone shoot was further back in the crawl space.
The fruits of labor, or the devil's spawn.
A dead tree snapped off about one third of the way up.
The oak was a good four feet in diameter.
It narrowly missed the neighbor's west wing addition, landing no more than twenty feet away.
A path between the two cabins has been cut through the ivy and bamboo.
Looking back toward the other cabin.
Temporary gas stove that Seals found. It allows G & R to continue to cook after the kitchen is installed.
A temporary ceiling has been installed over the former dining room to make it easier to use the space as a makeshift kitchen.
Remnants of old hickory.
A new dog pen for Ivan.
The dog pen has been removed from the back to prepare for shoring up the walls and creating the transitional room.
Old fence posts encased in concrete, now ripped from the earth.
Railing removed from back porch.
A few pieces of the old kitchen cabinetry are being moved to the other side of the room so we can begin excavating the space for the bathroom.
Marking off the space for the lower bathroom so we can get an idea of how much room we will have. Answer: not much.
Mr. Seals in front of his handiwork -- the demolished kitchen. This wall is going to need attention.
The original unfinished plank boards are visible now that the cabinets have been ripped out.
We'll need to do something with these windows.
The deconstructed kitchen. Part of it is apparently held together with duct tape.
Signs that the cabin was being used by squirrels to store their nuts.
We're not sure if the duct tape is to hold thing together or to keep the cold out.
The new, temporary kitchen, complete with sink and dishwasher.
A temporary door and wall will contain the dust and noise from the new bathroom, which is to begin constuction soon.
Blown insulation above kitchen has been removed.
Two layers of logs can be seen between the kitchen and the original structure.
Daylight can be seen coming through some of the inferior chinking. There is no insulation or air barrier between the logs.
With building permit in hand, we are legal.
Impromtu work deck.
The back porch, concrete steps, and portion of stone footing have been removed in preparation for shoring up the wall and creating the transition space.
With the stone footing removed, a temporary support structure is placed.
Portions of the old kitchen floor have been removed in preparation for the bathroom.
The outlines of a rotting wooden barrel can be seen buried in the dirt beneath the old kitchen.
A seond barrel. The wood across the top looks as if it were a covering.
The outlines of the two barrels.
An old pipe can be seen emptying into the barrel -- indicating the barrels were used as as a septic tank from the original house.
New footings will be poured to stabilize the exterior wall.
Rebar is laid in the foundation trench, ready for the concrete footing.
Exposing the lowest point of the sewage drain in the coal cellar.
Temporary ramp to move coal and dirt out from cellar
The stonework on this section is not as well done as the other, indicating later construction.
The two styles of stonework point to different eras of construction. How the two walls are joined, however, is not clear right now.
Looking from the south, with the new addition on the lower right.
Elevation from the south (back of the house).
Old subflooring is being removed to prepare site.
Framing in place to support work on roof, which will be removed in this section.
Sections of wall being removed for bathroom.
The two walls, reflecting different stages of construction, can be seen.
Logs that have been removed from the interior.
Robert Hall sets cinder block foundation.
Cross timber under old kitchen rests upon massive stone as its brace.
Log wall removed in preparation to build out transitional building.
The log wall creating the former coal room has been removed.
Looking toward the coal room.
Excavation of the coal room is about complete.
Large boulder in lower right had been used originally to brace the round beams under the floor.
Outlines of the stairs on the other side of the wall. These stairs will be re-built so the incline is not so steep.
