We knew that once we got started, there might be additional costs that we didn’t or couldn’t expect, especially since the plan was to tear down all the walls and expose 118-year-old structural framing. Like clockwork, the day after the walls came down, we got the bad news: there were structural issues that would need to fixed to meet building code.
There were little things: framing around the door and window weren’t adequate. The mystery doorway had been poorly filled in. There was no insulation on the outer wall and the ceiling insulation was both inadequate for under a roof and not properly vented. The main wall was uneven and needed to be leveled with plywood. All of this was annoying, but (miraculously) included in George’s original cost. He had budgeted for framing enhancements.
Then there was the big one. As you can see in the picture below, our kitchen ceiling is normal height in the front of the room, then shoots up higher toward the back. This corresponds to the upper floor ending and the ceiling reaching up directly to a lower roof, below our upstairs bathroom window.
Kitchen ceiling
Apparently, there used to be a load-bearing wall at this point holding up the upper floor and the roof above it. Now there’s no wall and no replacement support. While we have never had any settling or structural issue resulting from the lack of support, it doesn’t meet building codes. Now that the walls are open and it’s visible, we have to fix it.
The fix involves putting a 9-inch beam across the room and attaching it to support columns on the sides. Fortunately, there’s a giant wooden support on one side where the beam can be attached. On the other side, we need a new column. No big deal.
But now the beam will stick down into the room. There are three inches’ worth of extraneous wood that can be removed from the existing ceiling, so we only have to lower the ceiling height by 6 inches. Aesthetically unfortunate, but it still fits with our cabinet design. Big sigh of relief.
The final tally: $1,900 added to a project that was already way over budget.
Pictures of the beam and new ceiling tomorrow…
Uncategorized
construction, extra cost, open walls