Demolition Continues

 This home was built in a very unique manner with the wall framing resting directly on the floor framing. For those of you not familiar with modern framing practices.  The floor is usually framed as an entire assembly with sheeting (known also as the sub-floor) tying all the framing members together, and then the walls being framed on top of the sub-floor layer.  In modern homes the sub-floor consists of 4' x 8' 3/4" tongue and groove structural panels.  Older homes built around the time of this one generally consisted of 3/4" pine planking sub-flooring usually set at a 45 degree angle to the floor joists to achieve sheer strength, with solid wood (often pine as well) tongue and groove planking similar to the ones seen being torn out in the pictures below.  In the case of this home, the wall framing was nailed directly to the floor framing and then one layer of finished quarter-sawn pine tongue and groove flooring was nailed in between the walls directly to the floor joists.  This meant that we would have had to patch the sub-floor everywhere we removed and old wall.  Another major concern is that the old floor squeaked terribly all throughout the home.  To go through and patch the sub-floor and then nail off the entire floor with ring-shank nails to prevent future squeaks would have been very time-consuming. 

In addition, we were having a bigger problem deciding what type of flooring to install throughout the living area.  We all agreed that we need to use the same type of flooring in the living room, kitchen and dining room to help make the space feel bigger.  Once you start dividing an already small space into smaller boxes with different flooring products, it accentuates the square footage problem.  The issue was finding a flooring finish that would perform acceptably when exposed to moisture in the kitchen and dining area and still be comfortable enough for a living space.  Plus, the stairs tie into the living area, so whatever flooring we use would have to transition with the stair coverings in a way that flows smoothly and attractively.  Finally, whatever product we chose to use must be cost effective.  The first suggestion was laminate flooring.  However, although it is easy to clean and thus attractive for a dining room, it does not hold up well when exposed to moisture.  One leaky dishwasher or a major spill in the kitchen and the future homeowner could have a major failure on his hands.  Linoleum or tile are really ideal for a kitchen, but do not feel acceptably "homey" to anyone concerned with the current project.  We are going for a very cute, comfortable, country type of style and a tiled living room just doesn't work in our minds.  With the previously discussed issues regarding the existing pine flooring in mind, we decided to remove all the existing flooring and re-sheet the floor with OSB sheeting, which both eliminates squeaks and adds additional sheer strength to the assemble.  We will then refurbish and relay the old flooring throughout the space.  We feel like an old wood floor has as much warmth and comfort as you can expect;  because the planks are extremely old and well cured solid planking, and will be well-finished with a durable polyurethane, they will not be harmed by potential moisture exposure; and there is more than enough material available to cover all the square footage in question. We will even have enough we may choose to surface the stairs in this reused pine to avoid an awkward flooring transition at the top of the stairs.  Finally, we think this flooring solution will be very attractive and will be a great conversation piece for the new owners.  Anyone concerned with environmental sustainability in building would love the idea of a 70 year old, locally produced softwood floor that would have been headed for the landfill.

Flooring torn out of the kitchen

 As can be noted below, most of the flooring was laid in continuous pieces the entire length of the room.  Where the flooring ends in the lower left-hand corner of the screen is where the existing wall used to be. If you look carefully at the center left of the following picture, you can see a piece extending clear out of the picture.  There were a few pieces that were almost 20' long, with very few knots, if any!  Also, we realized as we tore out this flooring that this is old quarter-sawn pine, which is virtually impossible to buy today, due to the size of tree that is required to quarter-saw a log.  It would have been a shame to either dispose of this lumber, or worse yet, cover it up with cheap carpet!

 And now a quick note on proper air-sealing of a home.  It was long believed that it was bad to seal a home up too tight or the air would be unhealthy, not having a chance to be recirculated.  Therefore, old-timers never took any special care to seal windows and doors up tightly.  Look at the window we removed--which was probably less than 10 years old, I might add--and see the thick layer of dust and silt on top of the window and on the sill.  There was a similar layer of filth inside every wall cavity and up in the roof on top of every wall.  This is what happens when a home is not air-sealed properly.

And now another word on proper moisture control.  The home had been resided in the past 20 years and was wrapped with house wrap for the most part.  On the back of the home, they apparently ran out of house wrap and so used black plastic instead.  Although I said that a home needs a complete air barrier, that barrier should go on the inside of a home in a dry climate.  The point of house wrap is that it prevents water from entering the wall cavity while allowing moisture vapor to escape.  Sheet plastic does not allow for this and traps the vapor inside, potentially causing mold and rot.  In this case, it severely deteriorated the siding below.  Where actual housewrap had been installed properly, the siding was not nearly as deteriorated.  Luckily for the former occupants, the dry climate prevented any mold from developing.  Had this been in a coastal climate, they would have a sever case of black mold inside this wall.

Lumber and siding we have salvaged

We almost got the roof removed before the rain started

Interior completely demolished

Demolition complete.  Not the best looking home on the street right now