This scene got hardcore and stayed that way for months. We felt as exposed as the house was. Each day brought infinite decisions, waves of nausea, and willful optimism. We had to assess the bones of the house before committing to anything cosmetic; 117 year old bones.
![FACING EAST](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/59332fe73e00bec37ebadcbc/1580165457559-CMATSOK58L3NC185UN33/0.jpg)
![STARTING OVER](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/59332fe73e00bec37ebadcbc/1580165448637-9TV8OKEMGZSTJKGL3JY3/1.jpeg)
![WINDOW BLOCK](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/59332fe73e00bec37ebadcbc/1580165466823-955OTMRJ185T2Q5EGNX7/2.jpeg)
![LURKING SHOPVAC](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/59332fe73e00bec37ebadcbc/1580165472178-RWCNSEYXEJP8WECPVYK8/3.jpg)
![DO THESE LOOK RIGHT TO YOU?](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/59332fe73e00bec37ebadcbc/1580165474083-MN42PI8ZAJE5YFKTH7NG/4.jpg)
Ultimately we took the 2nd story down to the studs; and those studs were not up to code! Neither were the floor joists. The floor was out of level by inches in some spots. The insulation was labeled 1984. Our odd-sized windows? Ancient weight-and-pulley; some painted shut, one permanently broken by a guest. But the mother of all issues? To get the intense vaulted ceilings up here, a previous owner had eliminated some vital structural support.
Our house was SLOWLY COLLAPSING.
“I Don’t know how your house is standing.”
-Todd Schutte, Structural Engineer
The Bad.
Solid Gold Glulam beams the length of the house had to be craned in and installed to shore up the structure. Every element was sistered; brought up to code. Ok, not SOLID GOLD, but they might as well be for the cost. Total budget ambush!
The Good.
So much good!
Sprayfoam insulation = warm, cozy, and quiet. The walls upstairs are now 8” thick!
High efficiency windows operate properly. No more need for junky-looking storm windows.
Goodbye mottled splatter wall texture.
We are safe and sound up here.
Those Glulams look hella cool. You’ll agree when we get to the AFTER portion.
![SUBFLOOR + RAMBOARD](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/59332fe73e00bec37ebadcbc/1580168518176-7FUJYRQ7KZXQRC0MNREQ/6.jpg)
![GIANT WINDOW](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/59332fe73e00bec37ebadcbc/1580168547741-ASMCEB8PHSEF5DYJOMMX/7.jpg)
![OLD STAIRS](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/59332fe73e00bec37ebadcbc/1580168270737-WJ6CUV4KOILP0X505R17/8.jpg)
![FRAMING](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/59332fe73e00bec37ebadcbc/1580168572864-AKV567VZL3LJOBKCM1PT/9.jpg)
![This is now Mike’s side of the closet, but for a long while it was just a big hole.](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/59332fe73e00bec37ebadcbc/1580168273891-29M22IPN32Z2JPNTHRSY/10.jpeg)
And there was one quiet whisper that finally came free…
Mr. Burns
the creepy mummified squirrel trapped in our walls for who knows how long