The Back Addition: Gone! (for now)

First of all, I apologize for the delay in posting recently, it has been a very busy week at work for me and I just haven't had the time to sit down and collect my thoughts until today. I've also been thinking about broadening the scope of the posts a bit. I had some suggestions from an avid reader of the blog and so I am going to be offering some more diverse information on the project. Some of this may not be of interest to everyone, so feel free to pick and choose what you read. I also want to welcome new readers. I know that the audience is growing and we appreciate your interest in the project. We are especially excited to be in contact with Dale Johnson who grew up in the house and who still lives in town. He has been very supportive and offered lots of great information. I know Dale has informed his friends and family about the blog and we're glad you will all be joining us. The more information about the house the better, so please don't hesitate to use the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post or to email me directly at: khstrum@yahoo.com. I have yet to meet you Dale, but I hope we will cross paths at the house sometime soon!

Another important matter is a big "THANK YOU!" that goes out to Mike Champagne, Ryan's dad, who has generously given so much of his time already to the project. As you know from my last post, he made the trip down from Saratoga, NY for the second time and spent the good part of this past working on the basement and demolishing the back addition. Mike, your assistance is invaluable and it's great to see you more often that we usually do!

Now to progress made this week. When I last posted Mike and Ryan had gutted the basement and begun the arduous task of digging out the wet, moldy basement to prepare it for a cement pouring. When they needed a break from that work they took out the floor and ceiling between the first and second floors, allowing a view from the ground floor all the way up to the attic in the back of the house.

Since we'd like Mike to come back again and help and we just like him in general, Ryan decided that although back-breaking, the basement digging is a job that can be done alone. With a day and half left of his visit, the pair started work on demolishing the back addition, a job that called for two. As much as the inside demolition really has changed the way the house looks and the way we picture its possibilities, removing the entire back of the house seems to be the biggest visual change to this point. Because the addition was in such bad shape, it only took a full day on Thursday to take it down. I wasn't there to see it all happen, but according to Ryan the process went like this. First, they peeled back the tin roof, removed the roof decking, and cut the roof supports. Next, they cut the outside supports and dropped the roof down. With just the unstable walls left up, they began to slowly take apart the walls and then came the most scientific part of the whole process. Once you get to the big pieces, as Ryan describes it, "You just push them down and run like hell!" Rudy, the faithful black lab, was banished to the truck during much of this day (see the photo album) since he seemed to prefer running towards the falling walls rather than away. Rudy is the sweetest dog you'll ever meet, but not one of the brightest! He has an unwavering loyalty to Mike and almost an unhealthy attachment. Ryan and I love having Rudy stay with us, but after two sleepless nights with him early in the week, we let him stay with Mike so we could all get some rest. Rudy also likes the familiar. Although he was excited to be "on the job" (he goes to work with Mike everyday), he was confused and feeling a little out of his element in Lewisburg and let us knew how he felt about the house project by opening the day on Tuesday with a "present" right in the middle of the living room!! Wednesday he was trying to be a good dog, but got a little confused again, understandable since the basement is a dirt floor, and left another surprise down there. Despite his antics, Rudy is the most lovable dog and he always has an open invitation.

Judging from their appetites and chatter at dinner on Thursday night, the day was a tough but rewarding one. Mike had a half day left on Friday and so I stopped by to say goodbye in the morning on the way back from my morning run. The addition was definitely gone. All that remains now is the cinderblock foundation that outlines where the room was. Ryan and Mike worked on digging out and leveling off the dirt floor, which will be getting concrete just like the basement before the rebuilding begins.

This past week we had some new and old visitors. I think I've already said this, but meeting people in town has been the most exciting and rewarding part of the project so far. Everyone we have met is grateful that someone is finally going to restore the Zeller House to the condition it deserves and have been so forthcoming with pictures and stories about he place's history. This week Mike had the pleasure of meeting Dale on Wednesday as I posted last time. Also stopping by this week are a couple who restored one of the buildings with a storefront on the main street in town, Market St. They live in Lewisburg during the school year were interested to check out our project. Not new visitors, but ones we haven't mentioned yet are our neighbors to the right, Bonnie and Art. Both are retired and very friendly. As we spend more time at the house we learn more about them. This week Art stopped by before lunch on Thursday to chat with a glass of wine in hand, ah retirement! In the afternoons this week Mike and Ryan were treated to some great blues, both guitar and vocals courtesy of art and the open window in his second-floor music room. Greg, our neighbor to the left who works weekends on his own place also stops by frequently. He was nice enough to give us a tour of his house a few weeks back. Another new face this week was PJ, a young builder himself who owns a business in town. PJ is also working on sustainable building and remodeling, so he's a great contact to have. He and Ryan may get together on some work in the future. And last, not a visitor to the house, but we met Peggy, a relative of Dale's through a comment on our blog. It was great to hear from her and she adds yet more fuel to the fire on the question surrounding the actual birthdate of the Zeller House. Peggy included some great info. She told us that at one point our house was featured as the "House of the Week" in the local paper and at that time the build date was listed as 1828. In case you're keeping track: We originally thought the house as built in 1855, Dale brought by a real-estate info sheet from 1990 that listed the date as 1825 and now Peggy has brought to our attention yet a third possibility, 1828. The plot thickens!

So what's up next? The plan for the next few weeks involves finishing digging out and leveling the basement and the back addition. Ryan then plans to dig footings (creating holes for the supports beneath the concrete slab) for the back addition so it is ready for a concrete slab to be poured. He'll be laying radiant tube piping for both the back addition and basement. As I said before, we won't be finishing the basement, but it is a good idea to heat the basement to maintain a low moisture-level and therefore create a healthier environment in the home and avoid the major mold build-up that is currently a problem in the house. Speaking of the mold, Ryan will also be spraying the entire house to kill the mold that has been growing for years. With the rapid pace of work up to this point Ryan sat down today to draw a plan of the existing layout so that we can start to play around with the possibilities.

Be sure to check our picture gallery, (link on the side of the blog) there are tons of new photos up.

KEEP READING! This isn't the only new post. Below are two new sections that I'll be addressing every so often. Let us know if you enjoy them.