Friday's Work On Saturday's Post

Here's the blue tarped spot where the skylight used to be.  And at the bottom of this picture you can see J holding up that side of the brick hearth while J2 pounds on it with a sledge hammer from outside.

The effects of Physics (I love to write that word because my son reads these posts)  caused the center of the hearth wall to fold in on it's self and then gently fall out of the hole without anyone having to do much but watch.  And we were left looking at this. The bricks had just fallen moments before. The most gorgeous view out into the yard and from the side I could look at the garden.  I can see why wealthy home owners have solid glass walls.   It is incredible.  Like being in the house and outside at the same time.

Today, both the skylight hole and the hearth hole are covered in blue tarps. No view. The guys will be back on Monday.

 G and I loaded 60% of the bricks into the dump truck (we're being helpful because I want the guys to be busy doing framing and not bricks on Monday).  It was hard to "toss" or "throw" the bricks and cement toward the back wall of the truck bed.  They were heavy.  I loaded and unloaded seven wheelbarrows full of bricks before giving up.  What's left is the rubble and that needs to go into the five gallon dry wall buckets.  And I can load them but not carry or lift them into the dump truck.  So, I stopped.

G saved a pile of the inside, solid bricks for projects.  Most are nice and clean.

The original mason used "interior" bricks on the outside chimney and fire cured "outdoor" bricks on the inside hearth.  Because they were prettier.  The chimney, hearth and rafters, and roof were doomed from the day this chimney/hearth was completed.  Architectural misadventure.  We were too stupid to realize what we were seeing in the bricks was not supposed to be happening. Live and learn.