Now that the permits are in place, the rebuilding can begin! We first had to continue to demo the structure and take off the old roof and ceiling as well as make some improvements to the foundation to support a second story. This is where is crucial for us to hire a professional contractor and architect that knew how to deal with historic homes. Ewers Architecture and DT Construct were masterful at putting the plans together to rebuild correctly.
It was fun to see the old wood and original lines of the home as we tore off the roof. We also found even more brick than we thought.
Basically brick was added in the addition of the home in the late 1800’s, with the original cabin being just timber. Usually its the opposite so it was a unique find. Much of the old timber was local, as the railroad was not fully in place when construction began in 1867.
As the ceiling was rebuilt and the second story grew, it was fun to see how many of the windows incorporated Golden views perfectly. The second story basically added a bedroom, office, walk in closet, and master bathroom along with a porch of the master overlooking the foothills. Most of the window frames had to be rebuilt as well in the downstairs during this phase as well. The old insulation was removed, the walls were reinforced and prepared for new siding. Patios were poured, and the back laundry addition and master suite patio were put in place.
Both the plumbing and electrical had to be torn out and started over as well. The home had old nob and tube wiring, along with sawdust for insulation. Talk about a fire hazard! We also had brick masons in to restore certain areas of the brick in the kitchen, bathroom and bedrooms. We love the brick and are excited to see how it comes together when everything is finally complete.
We are now heading into the final faze. Siding is being put on, drywall is going up, floors are being restored…
The next blog and video will show the final steps to completion. What a fun project.
Jeff Fox
Jeff Fox 