After removing any salvageable items from the Ell, such as the kitchen appliances, interior doors, and windows demolition could begin in earnest.  For large tear downs like this we like to bring in our excavating contractor, Harrisons Earthworks to do the heavy lifting.  But before we let him loose with his machine we made a series of vertical cuts along the structure creating more manageable pieces.  We also disconnected all wiring and plumbing lines running through the ell so as not to damage the rest of the building.   Once this was done the fun could begin.  In a couple of hours the ell was down to its block foundation.

After the dust had settled we were able to inspect the edges of the two buildings that we would be tying back into.  What we found wasn’t pretty.  The original plan was to leave a portion of the ell to build the second floor that would connect with the 93′ addition.  However the top plate of the 1st floor wall, a 8×8, had begun to rot out.  This meant we could not tie our new wall and roof system to the rest of the building and feel secure that the structure would remain sound.  After bringing this to the attention of the architect and homeowner it was decided that it would be better to take back another 10 feet of the 2nd floor deck and first floor walls.  The first floor deck was in good shape so that could be saved.  We built our walls on top of it secure in the knowledge that there would no problems in this area down the road.

The other area of the house that posed a problem was the frame of the farmhouse.  The sills on both the first and second floor had visibly deteriorated due to rot.  One likely cause of this may have been a prior renovation in which a picture window was installed on the farmhouse and inadequate flashing where the ell meets the farmhouse.  To fit the picture window in its location someone removed and planed down two load bearing posts that carried the load of the four rafters above.  After having discussions with the architect and the engineer it was decided that we would replace the first floor sill with 8×8 pressure treated beams, a portion of the second floor beam, and any vertical support beams with 6×6 VLC (vertical laminated columns).  Repairing the farmhouse took several weeks to complete.

Dbl 2x8 header for a picture window with major post above, that's a no-no

Cutting this load bearing post was not a good idea

Once all the major timbers were put in to place a layer of 3/4 plywood sheathing was laid over the framing and we could get started framing the new structure.

For the past nine months our company has been engaged in a extensive renovation and addition to a early 1800′s farmhouse located in Yarmouth.  Adjacent the farmhouse was an ell that contained the kitchen and connected to the master suite that was built in 1993 by our company.

The plans drawn up by Whitten Architects of Portland called for us to demolish the Ell between the farmhouse and 93′ addition and rebuild from a new foundation a taller two story Ell.   The first floor of the ell would contain the kitchen, a bump out breakfast bay, mudroom, powder room, and stairs to the second floor.  On second floor would be two bedrooms with a bathroom between.  Originally the area above the 93′ addition was attic space but with a new roof line going above the 93′ roof there will be enough space for a game room / family room.

Back in the farmhouse the idea was to try keep as much of the original look and feel of the structure intact.  Caribbean heart pine will be used for the floor surface throughout the project.  In the farmhouse as one would expect in a house of this age the floors had sagged and we ended up taking up the 2-1/4″ oak flooring.  This was not original to the house and will be replaced with the heart pine in wider widths.  The old wiring in the farmhouse was removed and replaced to bring it up to code allowing us to place more outlets in each room.  When we started each room typically had one or two outdated non-grounded two prong receptacles.   This presented a challenge for the electrician to get his wires through the building with as little damage to the existing plaster as possible.  In the end to get new receptacles into the rooms we removed the existing baseboard to get the wire around the room.

Of note on this project is the use of a geothermal system for heating the whole house.  Because of the size of the house and the living space that needed to be heated the system as designed and installed by Hamilton’s Geothermal Heating of Maine would be split into two parts.  One in the basement to feed the first floor of the addition and 93′ section and the other in the attic of the farmhouse to feed the second floor of the building.  The horizontal loops that carry the glycol/water solution were placed in an area the size of a football field buried roughly six feet underground.  Luckily there was plenty of farmland to accommodate the geothermal system.

Below are some more photos of house before we began.

More to come.

-Stuart Rice

Estimator / Designer

Peter B. Rice & Co. Inc.

I am pleased to present the first images of an extensive addition we just finished for our clients in Yarmouth, ME.  The work included a two and half story building as well as a new kitchen and mudroom entryway.  The main addition has a full basement with mechanical room, an entertainment/ living area on the first floor and a master bed/bathroom on the upper level.  The homeowner opted for a solar system to provide hot water for the addition using solar tubes on the roof of the main addition (see pictures).  This system was designed and installed by the folks at Mainely Plumbing and Heating who also did the plumbing and heating for the project. 

On top of the additions we did cosmetic work on both the existing house and garage that included new roofing and siding.

Below are shots of the exterior, interior shots to follow in another post.

Below are some snapshots from the project: