Here is a picture of the rafters, nicely and throughly chewed up by the Carpenter Ants. They can certainly do a job when left unattended. All those rafters have to be replaced. The board on the top end, is the bottom of the skylight, sort of floating.
Here is the framing holding up the skylight on the inside of the house. That white block at the top is the skylight. That custom brick "wood stove" hearth is going to be demo'd along with the rest of the chimney tomorrow and a nice set of Anderson French Doors ($$$) is going to be framed into the space (actually five feet wide). All those windows are being replaced. The armoire is staying. Riley's dog bed will be returned to his spot with a new window.
This room can be used as a "family" room but the high ceilings and the cold temps here in Maine make it a very chilling experience after the sun goes down. When the sun is up--very cozy. Which is why we moved the "family" part (TV) into a room with a lower ceiling--the original dining room and moved the dining into this room.
This brick hearth was once my very favorite part of our "new" house. Once. And not for long.
On the left side of the armoire is a bay window which is being removed and replaced with a double floor to ceiling window. The entire southern wall will be "renewed". And the roof shingles will need to be replaced. Sigh.
The Good News--overnight no ants in the house. I didn't have to check into a hotel.
2 comments:
Wow. I grew up on the east coast and carpenter ants were present in my mom's home. I remember getting bitten by one that was in the sheets of my bed. I had to pull it off my leg, nasty bug. Looking at your rafters reminds me of our (former) deck here in CA, the support beams looked very similar due to dry rot and termites. It was amazing that our deck was still standing after seeing the damage uncovered. I feel the same when I see the pictures of your rafters. I hope the new construction continues with no further surprises for you.
Tracy
It appears pretty wonderful that the roof didn't just cave in on you whilst dining!
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