Hi everyone!
Our team has begun demoing the cottage, and we have had a few surprises underneath all of the drywall.
Just a reminder, here is the current floorplan of the cottage:
I was pretty excited when our contractor called on day one to let us know that there was shiplap paneling underneath the drywall! However, our excitement quickly turned to dismay when we realized that the vast majority of the paneling is rotten, smoke damaged, or termite eaten, and is structurally unsound. Unfortunately this adds significantly to the cost of the demolition, so there is a good chance Jordan will be doing some of this part of the demo himself.
We also found that the shiplap is actually holding up a lot of the roof and weight of the structure, and the actual framing is currently insufficient, meaning that we will need to go in and reframe the bulk of the house. In addition, the windows are not framed, they are simply screwed into the siding and paneling, so those will also have to be removed and rehung with appropriate framing down the road.
So far, the contractor and his team have ripped out the majority of the drywall, and are starting on the lead-paint-covered siding. They are down to the studs in several areas, as you can see above, and have ripped out the giant stairwell to the attic.
It’s looking like we’re going to need to do some stabilizing of the structure with some more framing before all of the shiplap can come down, and they still need to remove the floor so that we can have the foundation evaluated for repair.
To end things on a positive note, we wanted to share what we have decided to name our small farm and our future rental cottage! The property was originally named “Tranquil Timbers”, which although nice, isn’t really our style. After a little bit of thought we decided to stick with Jordan’s love of space and all things extraterrestrial, as well as all of our running inside jokes about bears, and combine the two themes.
We are so excited to move forward with our new home, and we will continue to share updates with you as things progress!
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