Farmhouse Renovation: Week One

Well it’s been quite the week over at the farmhouse renovation project, but we have accomplished a lot despite the Iowa weather skipping fall and turning full winter on us. The short version of the long story is the house is officially prepped to have it’s 3 additions torn off, and with any luck that will happen next week. I have had several questions on which rooms are staying and which are being torn down, so here is a breakdown:

Staying

• Living Room

• Upstairs Bedroom & Bonus Room

• Front Porch

• 1 Car Garage

Going

• Kitchen

• Bathroom/Laundry Room

• Creepy Basement

• Sunroom

• Deck

• Most of the Fencing

• Lean-to Driveway Covering

We made some exciting discoveries this week while de-constructing the home, it is so interesting to me to think of the history within those 119 year old walls!

I have no idea who John or Amy are, or how old this touching tribute is! HA!

SUPER SCARY BASEMENT——No thanks!

But the most impressive discovery of the week was by far these original wood floors (covered in wood-look vinyl tile). These floors are in surprisingly good shape and just need some TLC.

These floors are in the portion of the home that is staying intact, so we will come back to them later on. For now, this section of the home is being boarded up to protect it from the elements while we tear off the rest of the house.

This past week we:

-removed all appliances and fixtures from the tear down portion

-took down the lean-to structure attached to the garage

-took out fencing and other obstacles to make room for heavy machinery

-acquired the necessary permits for demolition

-had utilities disconnected

We had two random snow events this past week, and some unseasonably cold temps for October in Iowa, so that made outdoor work kind of difficult. Despite all of that, we have the property ready for the heavy machinery to come in next week and get to work. Adam is out of town for work all week, so that leaves me to manage whatever issues arise (yikes).

Hopefully the tear down goes as planned and we can start digging for the new foundation next week, as we really need to get that concrete poured before it’s too much colder here. Although, knowing Iowa, it will be 60 degrees in December so maybe we can take advantage of that! All we have to do is get it closed in before the frigid air arrives and then we can work with heaters and etc. It’s not ideal, but it’s where we are at this point.

I have some videos saved under ‘highlights’ on Instagram, if you are interested in seeing some of the excitement over the last week. Also, I will try to record as much of the demolition as possible next week (when I’m not running 1800 errands or handling whatever snags arise).

With that being said, I had better get back to making my list for next week! Thanks for stopping by the blog today, it’s definitely an exciting time in our lives!

Until next time-

-Rachael

The 'Great Outdoors' Project

Winter has arrived in full force here in the Midwest, and that means all outdoor projects have to be wrapped up. If Iowa wasn’t such an extreme weather state maybe we could work outside into December, but once the air hoses and tools start to freeze/not function properly, we call it quits for the (outdoor) season.

We did get to finish up one last project for the year, one which completes a series of outdoor renovations at a particular client’s home. This home is situated next to a golf course and has stunning views of the surrounding landscape, however the grading of the back yard and limited outdoor space made enjoying this little slice of heaven challenging.

The projects at this location included a new and expanded deck, new retaining wall and extensive dirt work/grading, as well as a complete overhaul of an existing screened in area to make it weather proof and fully functional addition to their home. All of these renovations were completed by adam and aps construction.

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The Raised Deck

Original Deck Photos

As you can see, this deck was functional but small, and showed wear from the elements over the years. In the last picture, you can see the screened in area in its ‘before’ state as well.

New deck photos

This project was completed with cedar boards and aluminum spindles, check out that view!

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Retaining Wall and Yard Grading

This part of the project was very important, as it produced level yard space that could then be used for additional structures, fire pit, you name it! Here are a few before/after shots.

As you can see, not much of this part of the yard was usable due to the terrain, but that is no longer a problem!

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Screened in porch overhaul

original photos

The final leg of this outdoor project was to update the existing screened in porch/patio area underneath the raised deck. this room was not being used to its full potential, since it was at the mercy of the harsh Iowa weather.

New and improved four seasons room

With new framing, insulation, windows, doors, and stacked stone vinyl siding, this room is now ready for the elements and can be used to enjoy the golf course views and Iowa sunsets year round.

(disregard the red tape :)

The completion of this project brings our time outside for 2018 to a close, but that doesn’t mean our schedule slows down. we simply transition to more wood working projects, furniture making, and various other items that can be completed indoors. And of course, snow removal, because this is iowa after all!