Cledwyn Household Goings On

New Projects

Aug 2007
-Chimney re-working
Feb 2004
-Weekend with Ann and Al
Sep 2004
-Foundatation Work
June 2003

-New Roof
March 2003
-Front Entry Stairs(1)
-Front Entry Stairs(2)
Original Pics
-Exterior Shots
-Original Interior
-Basement

-First Floor
-Second Floor
-Attic

 

Sarah and Miller tore out the Front entryway wall and other things that were done in the 20s to convert the house into a Duplex then the next thing to do was to make the stairs to the basement wider so that you could walk down them in (relative) comfort.

Here you can see the lines on the ceiling that are where the old closet was for the first floor unit. Butted up against the stairs to the second floor.
   
Here we are looking down into the basement at the large project ahead of us. I built clean LEVEL stairs going to the basement here in the middle of the house. You can see why we need to make the stairs so wide. There in the lower right is a pile of insulation beads and under that is the foundation wall. The foundation wall comes a good 10-12 inches in from the interior face of the wall. If you want stairs that are any decent width then the ones above have to be 14 inches bigger!
   
Here is Sarah modelling the wall that I had to modify. The people who remodelled in the '20s thought it a space saving idea to turn the studs on their sides so that they would only take up 2" and not a full 4". But since I wanted to frame in a door here I had to rip some 2x4s and sister them onto the existing studs. This also helped to reinforce the wall.
   
Of course Kirby was stuck on the second floor durring the process of replacing the stringers. Um, also take note of the little notch of a stringer that had been supporting the stairs! AND note which part of the stair header is new lumber and what little bit was there... Saftey first.
   
After a very long day of fitting the stringer and re-cutting the left most stringer no less than 3 times we could put up the drywall.
   
The Taunton Press video on drywalling gave me the abition and courage to take on the mudding myself. I think it worked out pretty well. Still possibly the worst part of remodelling, after sewage work of course.

 

See the finished stairs