Header joist under bathroom.

After decades of neglect, water from a backed-up shower drain rotted out the floor, subfloor, sills, floor joists and header joists. The fist step in the project was to use two bottle jacks to lift the house back into shape and then laminate the header joist over the pier.


Bathroom before and after

After the house was jacked back into shape and leveled, the next step was to replace the outdated bathroom. My friend Mike is a professional tile mason and he saved me several weeks of effort.


Kitchen before and after.

Tearing out the floors (there were five stacked one upon the other), walls and ceiling was a good start, but the chimney that hadn't been used in decades had to go, too; it was taking up one corner of the tiny kitchen and the "tall boy" water heater was taking up the other corner leaving very little work space. The floor, walls and ceiling were replaced before installing new base cabinets, wall cabinets, counters, sink and water heater.

A dishwasher is squeezed in next to the sink. A hole cut into the wall between the kitchen and the living room became a breakfast bar.


Antique steel hardware

Most of the mortise block hardware was replaced with modern brass hardware and glass doorknobs. Inside the closets, these salvage hardware knobs work where they are seldom seen.


The hardwood floor before and after

Decades of neglect and disrespect left these floors in terrible shape. A 3' x 6' hole was cut into the dining room floor at some point and covered with a sheet of 3/4" plywood.

This was my very first hardwood floor restoration project, so it isn't perfect. However, it is exponentially better than it was before.


The front door before and after

At some point in the past, this door had been kicked in (by the police?) and the Dutchman was broken out of the original solid oak door. After routing out the broken wood and replacing it with a scrap piece of white oak hardwood floor and sanding off 70 years of paint, a fresh coat of red paint and new polished brass hardware put the finishing touch on the house.


Refinishing the back door

The back door had also been kicked in at some point and had a dozen layers of poorly-applied paint, too. Here I restore the door and install a new Dutchman.

Repairing a leak in new plumbing with vacuum

The new CPVC pipe I installed behind the shower manifold had one spot where I was unable to give the pipe a reassuring quarter turn while gluing. Here I manage to repair it by applying a vaccuum to the pipe and applying additional glue.

Erecting the laundry room/workshop

The 1940's layout of the house left no room for even a stackable washer/dryer combination. The neighbor graciously allowed me to erect this building flush with the property line.

My friends dropped by to help with the roof and the siding. Layla and the bride make a cameo appearance while I'm building the foundation.