Stair in a weekend

The old stair, has been replaced, with a new stair- going the opposite direction. We found the old stair was 1 5/16" out of level across the treads across only 30 inches.


new stringers being test fit against the old stair (still in place)



old stair coming out...

the new stair, note the stringers are made of "Pressure Treated" 2x12's. This is because they are made from Southern Yellow Pine - much stronger and stiffer than SPF or Hem Fir the two varieties typically found at the local lumber supply around here for dimensional lumber. I have since learned that we can easily find Southern Yellow Pine (in this area) but typically only pressure treated.

Thanks Leo

A few pictures from Leo of just how nasty removing plaster can be. big thanks to the demo crew John, Steven and Leo.

progress cont...

insulation and vapor barriers are in on some walls. huge ammounts of expanding foam have been used to keep the wind from blowing through our sills.



our solution to removing the load bearing center wall down stairs? turn the wall above it into a truss and bear down at the two party walls. This solution came to us after realizing that the beam we'd sized to take the load was too long to get through the house and up the narrow stairs.

Real Progress

new wiring - a total of 8 new runs through the house. Currently a blow dryer and a cell phone charger will max out our energy use.