Over My Head

The title should actually be "What's over my head?"  I'm talking about the attic.  When I bought the property I just loved the tall roof.  I was thinking I'd have some great storage space there.  So when I peeked up there a few months later I was disappointed to see that there was some kind of framing about 24 inches above the ceiling joists. 

My visit this past week was to confirm what was actually there since I need to lay in some insulation.  I probably shouldn't have been surprised, but the ceiling in each room is actually a 'drop ceiling'.

This is the ceiling above the bedroom.  The ceiling joists are toe-nailed to a 2x4 which was nailed to the original wood wall.  There are just those two 1x4 supports attaching those two joists to the original wood ceiling above.  The original wood ceiling height was ten feet.  I thought I was going to just crawl around up there laying out the insulation batting, but after seeing how this was done, I'm going to have to seriously rethink that!

Those remnants you see hanging down are what's left of the ceiling paper they put up, apparently a decorating element used in the 1920s and 30s.  I haven't seen any evidence of 'wall' paper so I'm guessing the ceiling paper was the main decoration.  Oh, how I would love to see how it looked back then with the tall ceilings!  I'll have to do some research to determine how much it would set me back, both in time and dollars, to remove the 8-foot drop ceiling and use the 10-foot original ceiling. 

The next surprise I got was when I saw this medallion on the 10-foot original ceiling.

I couldn't figure out what it was.  Did they hang some kind of light fixture there?  Nooooooo.....

This is what's above that medallion.  They had a wood stove in the bedroom and this was the exhaust chimney!  WOW!  I love this place!!!  

The inspection of the area above the ceiling in my kitchen area also revealed a hole in the original wood ceiling where I'm guessing the exhaust pipe for the kitchen stove went through.  The ceiling joists in this area were attached to the side walls with lap joints, and while there are no hangers connecting the joists to the original ceiling, this ceiling is supported from below by the wall separating the kitchen and the bathroom.  I would feel comfortable crawling up there to put in the insulation.  However, this ceiling is just 7 1/2 feet tall.  Had it been 8 feet I probably wouldn't have even thought about taking it out, but since it's so low this may be the first 'drop ceiling' I remove.  I'm still researching the costs and pros/cons.

   

                          

 

                          

 

There wasn't an easy access point to get to the attic over the living room, but I was able to get one rather poor photo.  It looks very similar to the bedroom ceiling, including the 1x4 connecting the joist to the original ceiling.  I'll find a way to get better photos of this area on my next visit.  I'm curious to see if there was a wood stove in this room, too!

Insulation in the attic is the second task on my "To Do" list.  The first task is to get the water line upgraded.  I've contacted a local plumber to get a quote for trenching and installing a new one-inch line from the street to the house, approximately 375 feet.  I'll post another update once I hear back from him.  In the meantime, never give up, never surrender, and may all your dreams come true.



Spring Has Arrived at Moody Girl Farm

          Spring has definitely arrived and everything is greening up.  I think this is the best photo of my little house yet, other than the 'stuff' on the porch.

About two weeks ago I finally decided to make the move up to my little farmstead by the end of this year.  I've been so wishy-washy and I've second guessed myself to the point that I couldn't think straight.  No more putting it off.  So, my Friend M and I drove up to determine what I needed to get done to actually live there, and not just 'camp'.  My biggest hang-up was that I wanted to get the house leveled before I moved in.  I don't have the funds for that right now and it's not likely that I'll have those funds in the next year or two.  So I'm going to move into a crooked house. 

The house actually sits on rocks/stones, no basement, and minimum crawlspace.  The soil under the rocks has eroded, so the floor sags.  The problem is the concrete slab porch along the front of the house.  Rain runoff from the back of the property should flow straight under the house and out toward the front of the property, but the slab/porch blocks it and it pools under the house.  It would cost about $600+ to have the concrete slab removed and since I don't have funds for that either, I'm going to put in a French drain about 10-15 feet behind the house to direct the water over to the side.  I'm hoping I can get this done for around $100.  This should keep the house from sagging any more than it already has.

After a much closer inspection I found that the house was built without 'stud walls'.  The sheetrock on the inside is nailed directly to the 'boards' of the board and batten exterior siding.  This type of construction is called 'single wall'.  And there isn't anything under the wood flooring except the joists holding them up and then the ground.  No subfloor.  What really amazes me is that this skeleton of a house has stood for 90+ years!   My plan is to put 5/8 inch plywood over the current floor.  I may have to build up a little just inside the front door where the sag is the worst.  Then I'm going to build stud walls, using 2x4 framing attached directly to the new floor and the inside sheetrock wall.  I'll lose some floor space, but it'll make the house sturdier and with the insulation I'll put in, it should be much warmer in the winter.  Basically I'm building a house inside a house. 

 

I plan to do most of the labor myself, slowly over the next 4-5 months.  My friend M, the electrician, has helped me do some work on the house already, and he'll help with this new work when he has time.  I plan to take LOTS of photos to document what I'm doing so if I need to do any future repairs I'll know what's there.

 

I drove up to MGF yesterday and got photos of the attic, I'll add another post later this week explaining that situation, along with the photos.  In the meantime, never give up, never surrender, and may all your dreams come true.