the roof crew 2 days later

Tuesday (yesterday) at quittin time, the back half was ready for shingles. This morning 3 guys show up at 0800 and stripped the frt half and were cleaned up/ ready to start the rebuild by 1130. Couple pics of what timber frame construction looked like in 1904. The upstairs floor and ceilings in this house are 8x8 beams with the middle filled with wedged in sticks and a mixture of clay, dirt, gravel, and straw. Walls the same but the exterior had brick in some places then all was stuccoed with an inch or so of clay and straw. Now, the floors, ceilings and walls will stay the same the roof will be insulated. Planning on the outside walls being insulated and wood siding going on next year, but the guy installing the heater and also does insulation said that insulating the walls won't be worth the time and money compared to the energy savings. Guess kinda like daylight savings time. may keep a little heat from going out but will also keep the sun from warming the stuccoed walls.... Anyway, here's the pics... Windows were just stuck in there when I replaced all the others, that wall will get another 4 inches of insulation and they'll be installed permanent.

very interesting construction, guess all around the world the older generations used what was available for materials. Hope you dont get any rain while repairs are underway.

Mmmmm, can"t quite tell exactly where yo"re talking about, but thermal insulation is always recommended. It will pay for itself, the more you can get the better. It insulates against both the heat and the cold ..... and vapor barrier is always wanted on the interior. NOT the exterior. Keeps from condensation of vapor inside the walls.

(quoted from post at 05:28:28 11/14/12) but thermal insulation is always recommended. It will pay for itself, the more you can get the better. It insulates against both the heat and the cold ..... and vapor barrier is always wanted on the interior. NOT the exterior. Keeps from condensation of vapor inside the walls.

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We'll do this winter and see what it's like (how much pellets we use)... I like the house the way it is (just gotta paint it every 10 or so years).. Thinkin we can buy a bunch of pellets for what we'd spend on initial cost and maintenance of insulation and wood siding.

thanx dave ,,..for the amazing photo of resourceful german heritage .. in new harmoney , in .... they display a dutch biscuitinsulating with straw and mud

They're making good time, you must be happy with the progress and that is some old school construction really cool to see the innards of that building to a somewhat old and slightly ailing construction guru !

neat part is, boss showed up and measured everything and done a little sketch, drew it up later and gave it to his cutter guy. Everything was cut, notched and numbered at the home shop and hauled here. They just had to do some finetuning at the base and lock/screw it all together. They'll have it covered before they go home in a few minutes (these guys work 8.5 hours including a lunch break).......

Dave

I see what appears to be framing to accommodate a skylight. Will that be finished living quarters?

I'm a little confused by the wall with the windows and no apparent access.

Beautiful old house.

I went back and reviewed the pictures. I think I answered my own question. I was confused by the camera angle as to which wall was interior versus exterior.

not sure i"d want a vapour barrier any where near those wattle and daub walls... they need to breath, otherwise the wattle will rot... I have a friend in the west of England who has just rebuilt his house (15th Century build), no vapour barrier anywhere before or after the rebuild.. just my 2c

Kind of funny that the beams in your house were put in much like the ones in mine about the same time. My house was built in 1902.

Dave

Did you start the crew off with a breakfast beer again? That wouldn"t go over too well on our job site. Plus I"d be ready for a nap before lunch time.

(quoted from post at 16:38:01 11/14/12) Did you start the crew off with a breakfast beer again? That wouldn"t go over too well on our job site. Plus I"d be ready for a nap before lunch time.

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Naaa, had night shift and was asleep before they got there... Boss takes their keys and throws a big Christmas party for his whole tribe..They'll get a half gallon of Jack Daniels and 20 pounds of good rib steaks....

(quoted from post at 09:58:16 11/14/12) not sure i"d want a vapour barrier any where near those wattle and daub walls... they need to breath, otherwise the wattle will rot... I have a friend in the west of England who has just rebuilt his house (15th Century build), no vapour barrier anywhere before or after the rebuild.. just my 2c

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Exactly........ A lot of these old houses are made unliveable by gluing styrofoam to the walls and sealing them up...

Dave In the States we see them tear down a 20 year old house instead or remodel. Really like the photos and your devotion to the old structure.
Really going to be nice when you finish. Problem is a lot of us on here are going to be changing our opinion of you. We all thought you never spent a dim on anything. LOL.. Really a big project looking good.

(quoted from post at 09:22:04 11/14/12) Dave

I see what appears to be framing to accommodate a skylight. Will that be finished living quarters?

I'm a little confused by the wall with the windows and no apparent access.

Beautiful old house.

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There used to be a dormer on the side facing the driveway with a little window. If I had my way, there'd be dormers on both sides 10 ft long but compromised on a roof window (skylight?) on each side.One will be in the middle and one will be offset so it is in the bathroom I'll be tucking into the corner where the chimney is. This project is long overdo... Just been doing the other stuff that we could do out of pocket while saving for the big one. Being a tightwad pays off but you gotta know when it's time to dust off the piggy bank We lost a lot of energy out of that room and the uninsulated roof over the last 12 years so we'll really be making money on the job over the next 10 years....

SWMBO and "if I had my way" tells a story.Puddy caaat.Lol.