Hearthstone
Roger and Brey
August 11 thru September 12, 2012
Roger and
Brey continue to be enthusiastic as work continues. Roger's birthday was
celebrated here and was a lot of fun. They are looking forward to settlement
and their future here.
Overview
House: All dormers are down and hardware and sash salvaged.
Bricks, stone, and some lumber have been saved. The old section is now
completely down, and the East section of the main house is now down to the
floor surface of the 3rd floor. We have not started work on the
later additions (kitchen, laundry and rooms above)
We
discovered a "pegged together" joist, soffit and rafter system on the
old section. This discovery piece was about a 10' soffit length, 2 rafter ends,
and about 10' of rafter plate. Some return elements remained. All this was
buried under the 1903 or so remodel. Date: likely in the early 1700's. This
discovery will help us determine future design of those systems.
Most
of outward pressures have been relieved on the exterior gable walls of the main
house (both West and East). The process is slow. Wood, plaster, metal, stone
and other materials are separated. Photos are taken and a written journal is
made. Hopefully at the end of the cleanup period we will understand what went
on over time. We'll try to get a handle on period, technique, colors and
purpose as we plod along.
Barn: SW
fore bay 1st floor window wall bearing beam has been replaced for a
length of 14'5". First of 6 joists was set. The rotted floor and timbers
have been removed and disposed of.
NE
barn roof has been repaired up to but not including the ridge. Trees have been
taken down that were rubbing on the NW gable and immediate area cleared.
This process was achieved by using the High Reach machine
donated to us by Dave Stoltzfus with the help of Matt. This machine helped
extensively with the dismantling of the dormers as well repair of the barn
roof.
The
barn yard has been cleared of the redwood trees left behind by tenant and
invasive plants (sumac and poison ivy) along with various piles of rotted
timber removed.
The
North West upper floor area has been cleaned, and washed down. We use that area
to house the salvaged building materials to keep them dry and organized
Natural
Land Trust:
Survey
has been completed and restriction areas delineated. Approximately 1.5 acres
are in the highest protected area and is located on the north western section
of the property. This area was once pasture but has since grown over and the
long gone drainage system from the "new pond" has created wet lands.
This parcel is protected from all intervention except for limited walking
trails, hunting and fishing.
Approximately 2 acres are in the standard protected area and
is located on the North East border. This parcel is less restrictive, for
example, it could be cleared and converted into farmland. No buildings, paved
areas etc. are permitted.
The remaining balance of the 10 acres is in a building
envelope which has the least restrictive controls. Buildings, landscaping, and drives
are permitted as long as they meet local codes and restrictions.
Property
Survey:
The
survey is complete. Proceed up drive 30 feet to the right to the mill race. The
line then runs down the center of the mill race east to the foot bridge, then
up the steep slope in a line directly to the old foundation area. The line then
follow 10' East of the foundation and on past to a line which proceeds to the
Butler property line. The survey then goes along the Butler line to Bondsville
Road and follows the road for 50' and returns back along the Butler line offset
by 50'. The line then goes to the pond and from there to the dead pine and from
there towards Bondsville Road. The line parallels Bondsville road back to the
starting point.
Garage: The tenant has moved out and much was left behind.
Significant time will have to be spent on clearing out the
"abandoned" items which cover everything from piles of paint, roofing
tar, and mattress, box spring, built in work tables, chairs, carpet and on and
on. The Dawn Red Wood trees left behind (about 60 of them) have been either
planted or given away.
Roger
has completed the new door and installation will start soon.
Other: Clearing has started on the pond side of the
barnyard, however it is tough going with the backed up water problems.
The
grass we planted is about 4" tall and thick. Not quite 1/4 of the total
cleared has been planted. We will likely hold up for awhile on planting more
until the clean up of the house is complete.
The
phase I walk thru by the EPA was completed. The report should be in soon.
We
restored a stone lined storm water ground gutter that was located along the
eastern side of the drive across from the barn. We noticed in photos that the
drain was there. Excavation revealed the structure. A few pieces were the same
dimension as the wall caps along the drive and were salvaged to replace some
missing ones. Most of the stone was enough, however some were added to complete
the 80' run. Grass was planted along the drive side and is up over 4" already.
Summary
A
little over 550 solid work hours were achieved this month (over 900 since the
start).
Next
month should see progress on the South Barn roof repair and the ridge.
Hopefully we can complete that project before mid October. We expect to clean
up the debris left behind and make the garage functional as far as clean place
to work from.
We
will also start the process of stabilizing the remaining stone walls of the
house to try and get them through the winter.
This is the 2nd Official Monthly Report.
I love these because although I am sufficient at describing the progress in "Brey Language," this is a write up of the progress from a professional perspective. Thank you, Rocky!
Sweet...
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