New Openings

The window is out! Ready to become the new south door way.

It has been a couple months since the last post. Many things conspired to prevent my posting, including the loss of use of the computer at work (long story), and the loss of all the pictures I have taken (associated with the previously mentioned long story).  There were also many events, and a few other changes, but here we are and it is time to get back to writing! Now despite the fact I could not get things written, the project did not come to a halt. Quite the contrary, there is great progress to report, and this post is dedicated to some of this progress – New Openings! I will try and write a number of posts in the next couple weeks in an effort to get back on the timeline I had personally established, but now, on to news!

Window out of the frame.

Just before the Fourth of July, following the leveling of the ground after the completion of the foundation, the big hole in what will be the pantry floor received a sub floor! This was a critical first step on the road to fixing and adding openings on the house. The original door on the pantry side was half set in the previous foundation, and a new opening would require raising the opening to accommodate the new north-facing door.  The new opening happened almost faster than I could take pictures, and was a very welcome site. It meant that we were moving forward.  In short order the opening was enlarged, essential framing was in place and the opening was ready to receive its new door. But now Brian from maintenance was around on the south side, removing the window from the opening that would eventually become the new south door! The window came out quickly, and it proved to be in rather poor shape, but the weights were intact and essential parts of the frame were good, so this was set aside while Brian made the new opening on the south for the door. This door will be very important, as this will open onto a porch that will have a ramp for accessibility. As Brian took out the frames and reworked the openings you could see the original timbers, and in the case of the south opening, all the layers of the kitchen floor. Four total layers in the kitchen area. This explains why this floor is so much higher than the rest of the house, and explains some of the difficulty I had with nail removal — but more on that later. 

Enlarging the Pantry window opening.

Now that the door openings were made Brian moved on to opening the window area in the pantry. This area was a former bathroom, added in the 1930s, and there had been a small, square window in this area at one point. The opening was extended to accommodate the window removed from the south side. This will be critical for light in the pantry area since this house will not have any electricity.

Once the new openings were made, Brian began to work on rebuilding the window and preparing the doors for installation. But that will be a part of an upcoming post.