March 29th, 2008-Unexpected Demolition Army Arrives
Pictured above is a column that was moved so it was correctly supporting the floor above it. The column had been moved in the past and was not holding as much weight as it should have been. A previous carpenter had installed a metal bracket that had done a decent job, but still allowed the second floor to sink some. I leaned on the new post to make sure it was strong....it was. The work that Jim Dance and Larry have done to get the building straight and beef up the foundation would be merely remarkable if they had good weather to work with. To see how much they have completed during some truly miserable conditions is a testament to their extraordinary skill and work ethic. I still marvel at how lucky we are to have secured Jim and Larry for this project. Our realtor Bobby Whear referred us to Jim. Thank you Bobby! Here is how the West Wing looked before we started for the day. 
Laura got started on bottom of the west wing. Our old nemesis was back: All the clapboards on the first floor of the west wing were double-nailed at somepoint by a carpenter who clearly never wanted the siding removed! It looked like it was going to be a loooong day. The double-nailed clapboards only come off in chunks. You can see in the picture the square hand cut nails on the left next to the newer nail on the right. Hopefully the original contractor would agree with our decision to go with vinyl. Our good luck with the project makes me believe he's ok with our decision...unless he or she has some control over the weather. 
Luckily, only the first floor was double-nailed. The second story of the west wing was a shed dormer addition that had only single nails. Here's how the west wing looked when we broke for lunch. 
We broke for lunch because Dan and his army of helpers arrived! Dan, his son Andrew, and daughter Abbie arrived in their car. A few minutes later Dan's friends Jenny, Kurt, Anna and Zoe also drove up. All of a sudden ten people were onsite bent on destruction. 
Of course...we had to eat first. I know my priorities...and they often involve pizza and beer. Dan picked up some pizza from Reilly's, a growler of Sheepscot Pemaquid Ale and a six pack of Shipyard Export Ale. All excellent choices. Reilly's pizza has been a real find: lots of cheese with a tangy tomato sauce. If only Reilly's would come to Gorham so we wouldn't have to be subjected to those easily hacked Hannaford servers anymore. 
After a very brief lunch, we got back to work. Andrew, Anna, Zoe, Abbie and Jenny moved all the stuff off the porch so they could get at the clapboards. 
While the porch group was learning the art that is clapboard removal, I hopped up on the roof to start to tackle the doghouse dormer and shed dormer siding from the roof of the porch. Soon Zoe and Abbie, with Dan's OK, joined me and did a great job despite the melting snow that left us all soaked. Laura finished up Lupine's siding and joined us. We got all the siding above the porch removed in less than an hour! 
Dan and Kurt took on the messiest job of the day. Pulling down the rock wool insulation and drywall from the ceiling in Lupine. Was Dan thinking "Was I really enjoying the sun in Florida just 48 hours ago?" I think so. Jenny left the "safety" of the porch to give Dan a helping hand. 
Kurt and Dan did a fantastic job removing Lupine's insulation. I can't thank Kurt, Jenny, Zoe and Anna enough for lending a hand on Saturday. I continue to be completely stunned by the help we have received for this project. We're going to throw one heck of a party once this project is complete! 
Here is a shot of Lupine after all the siding had been removed. Siding removal is now complete!!!! I am still in total awe of how much progress we made in four short weeks. Without all of the amazing people that have joined us and worked hard during this adventure, I shudder to think how long this project would take. I feel truly honored to know all the fine people who have lent us a "helping hand". 
Up next on April 4th: Pull some nails in Lupine's ceiling, finish up the demo in the upstairs bathroom for the west wing and remove the floor covering in Equinox. Should be another fun and production day. Hope to see you there! Posted by Jeremy 4/1/08 8:50 PM
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