Farmhouse Renovation: Week 2 Demolition

Major progress at the farmhouse! The weather cooperated and demolition was completed this week, along with digging for the foundation of the addition we are building. If you missed my last update where I explained everything that is staying vs going, I will link it here.

On to the photos!

This first photo shows just how much of the house was torn down. On the far right of the photo, you can see the bucket of the machine used to demo the house, and that is approximately where the structure extended to.

This next photo shows what remains of the original structure. The bottom floor is the living room and second floor is a bedroom. If you look closely at the back of what remains standing, you can see there are a number of different siding materials that were used over the decades, layer upon layer.

After all the garbage was hauled away, the digging started for the foundation of the addition. Since it’s only going to be a slab foundation, it’s not required to be too deep.

The addition will be slightly larger than what was existing, and more importantly it will have a proper roof structure so the trusses do not bow and the ceiling does not sag (this was a major issue in the previous structure). We are adding a brand new kitchen, full bathroom, laundry area, master bedroom with attached 3/4 bathroom, and a utility closet so we can bring the furnace and water heater out of the scary basement! We will still have access to the basement with a trap door in the flooring, but that would only be used in an emergency, such as a tornado.

I am excited to see how this comes along! We really need the cooperation of the weather to allow the footings and foundation to be poured, and it’s Iowa so any weather is possible in November! Hopefully I am back soon with another update!

Cheers!

-Rachael