Completely New Kitchen on an 1841 Federal

[psugar]

I thought I would share since we're doing the house thing on the Eastern Shore. Basically I had a porch enclosed, with the outside wall torn down, a new beam there, plumbing moved inside (don't make jokes it was outside I'm on the Eastern Shore), a wall torn down exposing the pantry/laundry room, the chimney exposed, a beam put there, the entry to the bathroom removed. This is two weeks worth of work, drywall is up and painted now.

Destruction:

Construction:

 

[Woodsong]

I think you need to fix your pictures!

 

[psugar]

Yup screwed up the first time...better now. Stay tuned for the paint and the chimney and the floors.

 

[MikeeH]

Phillip,

Looks like a bunch of work. You need Norm Abrams and company!! BTW, did you get any grief from the local historical board?

 

[psugar]

I have a good guy knock on wood he has been kicking ass.

I have to say the historical board has been good to work with.

Yes I had to have three separate sets of approval.

Yes, I had to have nine sets of plans.

Yes I had to save the clapboards and put them back.

But in reality they just want to preserve the character of the town and if they didn't exist you would get what has happened on the other side....vinyl siding, sheds, mis-mash, etc, and it really does make a difference in character and therefore price.

They had no issues about the inside....like why do you need commercial refrig, frezzer, diswasher, oven, farmer sink, flat screens, tons of outlets, etc, etc. I've heard some places don't let you even update bathrooms or plumbing!

 

[Woodsong]

I love historical renovations. I posted pics last winter of the 110 year historic storefront I renovated here on our Main Street for my office and a rental space- major pain and way over budget but love how it came out and I love coming here to work every day!

Keep posting the progress pics.

 

[psugar]

I should have posted the outside when it had no paint and the front porch was leaning. Woodsong, check out the diagonal beam on the last picture of destruction.

It killed my guy to take that out....(my wife really wants the open floor plan and so do I) That thing was hand sawed and nailed with hand pounded nails. Built by the owner of the sawmill.....guy said the tolerances were a work of art.

 

[SCORPIO]

Those diagonal beams were a on many old buildings from that era. Very often used in barns of similar vintage. I have a barn circa 1860 framed entirely of American Chestnut, all hand hewn, mortice and tennon(sp)? and pegged with hand made wood pegs, no iron nails in the frame at all. The farmhouse of same era had a ton of scroll work on the gabled ends that was going bad and falling apart. The local county historical society took pictures of the house before we were allowed to remove the bad scroll work.
The worst parts of those old remodles is the horse hair plaster dust and dealing with non standard dimensional lumber on what ever center the carpenter felt like using.