This project in Black Mountain posed several unique challenges. Our client, Mark had purchased the home knowing it would need work before he made the move from out-of-state. On the inside Mark wanted to open up the tight kitchen and dining room space and get more light into the house. On the outside Mark said “the aluminum siding has to go!” and he wanted a front porch instead of the small stoop that was in place. There was only one oil-fired floor furnace to heat the entire home. The records for the property didn’t give us an exact date for when it was built but the style and some of the fixtures placed it in the 1920-1930’s range. We agreed that we would make changes that looked like the original style of the house and Mark was committed to increasing the energy efficiency and updating the plumbing and electrical systems of the house at the same time - simple plans that would make a big difference in the look and feel of the home. But first we had to take care of some structural issues…

Front-side "transformation" photos.

The initial and most obvious challenge was to find out what had caused the house to settle over time. The floor in the existing kitchen dropped 6 inches over a span of 14 feet. Walking across the floor in the living room felt like walking on a diving board. Some kind of foundation repair was in order but first we had dig. In short-order the back deck was disassembled, the back-fill next to the foundation was removed by hand digging and the foundation was exposed. What we found was major water damage to the rear rim joist of the house (the transition from foundation to framing that the exterior walls rest on) caused by poor drainage from the back yard. After we removed the flooring in the kitchen we found that the water damage continued into the floor joists. In the front of the house we could see some water damage around the front door and in the foundation just below. It didn’t take long to figure out that the small roof above the front door didn’t have the proper flashing and years of water drainage had been directed into the framing instead of moving away from the house. Now that we knew what caused the problems it was time to fix them.

Kitchen "transformation" photos.

Since the connection from the framing to the foundation was not functioning properly we had to support the home before we did anything else. Two girders were constructed under the floor and placed on adjustable jack posts so we could slowly raise the floor. In the kitchen area we built another beam to support the second story of the house while we rebuilt the exterior wall. After the supports were in place we pulled out the old back wall, the floor joists, and the damaged rim joists. New footers were placed under the foundation, new rim joists installed, and finally we could frame the back wall for the new window and door that Mark wanted. Out front we pulled down the stone steps to get access to the foundation under the front door. Since water had damaged the brick pier at the front corner of the house we built a footer and then a block wall under the front door to support that corner of the house.

Once the structure was stabilized we could start on the fun part of the transformation… Our crew removed the aluminum siding and hauled it to a local recycler. The damaged lap siding underneath was removed piece by piece and new siding was installed to match the original pattern. Next the old siding was sanded to remove old paint and dirt from years past. We caulked all the seams and added new trim around every window and door to bring back the original look of the house. In the meantime the old knob-and-tube electrical wiring was removed from the inside of the house and replaced with new wiring to meet our current building codes and protect the modern appliances and electronics that would be used. With the old wiring removed it was now safe to put insulation in the house for the first time! Cellulose insulation made from recycled newspaper was blown into the walls and Icynene spray-on foam was applied in the attic and basement. Natural gas line was brought to the home and a high efficiency gas furnace was installed along with zoned ducting (allows for even temperatures in multi-story structures) for the future addition of air-conditioning.

The old galvanized and copper plumbing pipe was replaced with modern PEX tubing, and the leaking high-volume toilet was replaced with a low flow model.

The new Low-E windows and doors were installed, followed by new drywall throughout the first floor. Next we installed natural slate tile in the kitchen and dining areas and installed the cabinets and counter-tops while the hardwood floors in the rest of the house were refinished.

For the interior painting we used a no-VOC formula that doesn’t expel any fumes during application or off-gas once it is in place.

Rear-side "transformation" photos.

Back outside we sanded and replaced the rear deck, repaired the side decking and got to work building the new front porch. The porch went up quickly and we added the front steps and new railings all around.

The finishing touches were a new garage door, a brick walkway built from material we found in the back of the home, and several days of exterior painting. The project finished just as Mark was moving into the house. Since then he has added some great landscaping to bring it all together.