Summer Kitchen

After Brian had gotten a little overzealous and stripped off the wall-to-wall carpeting, six layers of linoleum, the original wood floor, and the old floor joists, the place sat quietly for three months. Last week, it was a hive of activity.

Mike had another job to complete in Cornwall, so Barry from Olde York Homes is helping out. His first job was to remove the only functional bathroom, which didn't make him real popular with the rest of the crew. (The septic guys had accidentally cut off the water supply the day before, but nobody noticed the toilet didn't flush. They noticed the toilet was missing right away.)

Barry then removed the "privacy glass" window that had been installed where the old door had been. (He found a brick signed "Wm Darlington 1952" -- William was Dawn's father.) Unfortunately, we don't have a door to replace it with, so right now there's a piece of board marked "door" covering the hole.

Next, Barry laid out a grid of new floor joists, but Mike the HVAC guy stopped him so he could first install some ductwork. Soon the plumber and electrician were also involved, and the entire floorplan was modified! Now there's a "utility room" that's only accessible from the outside, which houses the air handler, hot water heater, and breaker box. It's actually kind of clever; I wish I'd thought of it.

So then Barry went upstairs to pry up the old floorboards on half of the room so he can reinforce the floor to support a whirlpool tub and a bathroom. The plumbers have asked if they can hoist up the bathroom fixtures while the floor is out, instead of having the take them up the circular staircase, so he's waiting for them.

So if you're keeping score, Barry removed the old bathroom without building the new one, he opened the wall but didn't install the door; he laid the floor joists without laying the floor; and now he has pulled up the old floor upstairs without repairing it. Barry, can you finish one job before starting another? ;-)

By the way, the Harrisburg Patriot-News is also doing a story on Olde York Homes, following up on the This Old House article. They are in the process of setting up a web site at http://www.oldeyorkhomes.com

The many faces of Barry