Rottenwood Manor
My husband has affectionately called this old place Rottenwood Manor on more than one occasion. But according to the foundation expert, the original house, which was built in 1937, still stands within tenths of an inch level. The foundation is solid. The original cypress exterior is solid and the original cement shingles are solid.
HOWEVER, the additions from subsequent owners have caused major problems! The addition of a skylight in the bedroom 30 years ago--which leaked--rotted the roof and caved in the floor there. The addition of a breakfast room from the same renovation period, rotted to the ground taking out a wall in the kitchen. And the exterior walls for the additions were made with pine timbers which are in the process of rotting away.
When the house sat empty for nearly 20 years the pipes froze in the upstairs bathroom and left the water pouring for who knows how long, which rotted the downstairs dining room floors. And the basement sat full of water for many years which softened the living room floors on the first level. During the cleanout, we found documents from the previous sale which noted the skylight leaks and repairs needed around doors which obviously were never taken care of after that sale.
This old magnificent house has sat neglected waiting on its next chance at life for a long time.
So...Dwight is in the process of bracing the ceilings and pulling up EVERY joist and floorboard in the downstairs and replacing them. Since the floorboards were walnut downstairs--which someone painted white!!--he is taking extra time to carefully remove every board, so he can restore and replace them. (They are currently stacked under the carport at my house where he works nightly on pulling nails and preparing them for replacement.) The old ductwork (Yes, this 1937 home had central heating with an enormous furnace in the basement--which has to be torn apart and hauled out.) and wiring has been removed, so you can stand on dirt floors right now in 1/3 of the downstairs.
The kitchen has been gutted to the studs and the master bedroom suite will get a major demolition later. The once impressive South front door also has major water damage and has to be completely rebuilt!
I call it a labor of love. My husband has loved this old house for many years, longing for the day when he could give it life again. But before there's life, there are the pains of birth....