Rose-head nails

We started this project with the adage, "first do no harm." Well, that didn't last long--they pulled down the ceiling in the attic today (in order to assess the roof structure) and found two walls had been hand-split lath and hand-forged nails, indicating they hadn't been touched in 200 years. I stress "had." :-(

Hand-forged nails are often called rose-head nails because the hammer strikes gave them a "rose-like" appearance. (Or so I've read, although I would never mistake one for a rose.)

To make matters worse, while we're still reeling from this loss, the contractor recommended pulling down the rest of the ceilings! Unfortunately, he's right--if we cut "chases" for the plumbing/electric/sprinklers, the ceiling is going to resemble swiss cheese. And in the end, you won't be able to tell what we did: whether we patch it back or replace it outright, it will still look the same.

But we'll know we destroyed something that's been there for over 200 years. :-(

Before and after pictures of the attic. If you look carefully, you'll notice these pictures aren't even of the same room, so don't look carefully.