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Photographer
Moxee, WA
(Zone 4a)
July 9, 2007
4:54 PM Post #3715902
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We have had an old old old as the hills carriage house/horse stall on this property for close to 60 yrs. Before that it was in town (15 miles away) where it was originally constructed circa 1900, then hauled out here to the farm on a lowboy trailer around 1958. Over the years it has been a slaughter room for beef, chicken coop or tool shed. The roof had moss growing on the rotting shingles on one side. When we got into looking at it in 2002 the timber frame that touched the ground had rotted and even many of the 2X4 wall posts were shortened by dry rot. We extended all the short 2X4's and replaced all the rotted 4X4 framing then added 2X8 floor joists every 15" along the ground attached to a sill plate. I had to get a few chains with come-alongs to attempt to bring the walls into square and plumb as much as possible. So for the 1st time ever the old carriage house (prior to garages for automobiles) had a floor. We then had an extremely kind neighbor move the small carriage house with his front end loader and a fork-lift east about 150 feet across the yard where we leveled it 1 foot off the ground on pillars and cement posts. It was and had been a sight. It was never painted and has pine siding in mostly T-in-G panels that are 1X8's. The building is not plumb ... leaning 3 inches in 8 feet. We located similar 1X12's & 1X10/s to provide matching exterior panels to cover the entire building. Originally the carriage house had large swinging doors that were removed sometime and a gaping hole was covered by plywood for the last 40 years or so. The building looks awful to be honest. With some insulation, tyvek, sheetrock, joint compound & tape my 18 yr old son and I have brought this building back from the dead.
This message was edited Aug 19, 2007 1:05 PM
This message was edited Aug 19, 2007 1:08 PM |
Bubba_MoCity
Missouri City, TX
July 9, 2007
5:50 PM Post #3716107
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With a name like that, I was looking for some pix - before, during, after.
Please?
I'm in the process of helping a friend refurb an old family house. Interesting to see the construction details, materials, and craftmanship.
Trying to figure what some of the intentionally cut or drilled holes were used for makes for some interesting conversations.
And speculation about what animal created which damage - rats, squirrels, racoons, skunks, armadillos, etc.
Replacing old T&G can be challenging depending on where the damaged board(s) are located. |
Photographer
Moxee, WA
(Zone 4a)
July 9, 2007
8:32 PM Post #3716667
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Bubba,
Here is a photo of the door side now. Notice the enormous barn door hinges ... they glide. The door was an interior hollow core door but with the addition of 1 inch planks on both sides it is now 3 inches wide and must weigh more than 100 lbs. I'll get a before pic of the door later. This new door is clad w/ 1" pine and cedar boards that have been weathered by years of exposure like the rest of the exterior. The building looks or looked like it should have been torn down or burned down. We've had quite a bit of fun doing this. My oldest son is moving in/out of the house. His drums and a few close friends w/ guitars as well as his recent graduation from HS have prompted the renovation. I also happen to get a 250 sq ft office in the house adjacent to my BR as a result of this project. So there's a few reasons for this project.
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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Photographer
Moxee, WA
(Zone 4a)
July 9, 2007
8:40 PM Post #3716695
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Bubba,
Her is a pic of the interior. This one provides a clear image of the current inside status. We've been sanding the joints, seams, corners, cealings and nailhead spots all day long. We still have painting and then the new floating floor (dark chestnut pecan color) to install. I've done this for less than $1k + our time.
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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Photographer
Moxee, WA
(Zone 4a)
July 10, 2007
1:10 PM Post #3719233
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Bubba, Here is a before & during demolition photo of the interior. We had just barely installed a recycled ($25) double paned aluminum framed window that filled in a 72X35" space. Before the space was covered by 2 hinged wooden frames with 2X2 lattices that provided ventilation for the chickens. You can also see the closed chicken door about 14 sq inches on the back wall next to the leaning shovel. 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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Photographer
Moxee, WA
(Zone 4a)
July 10, 2007
1:20 PM Post #3719280
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This photo shows a finished 12 foot wide west facing side of the carriage house. We have a matching double paned (also recycled ... for just $9) but much smaller 35 sq inch window on this side. The building looks like its seen everything and endured everything for 100 years. Anyone looking at the building from a distance would never suspect it is nearly habitable and finished so nicely inside. Once we have the interior painted and the flooring installed ... it will be the nicest room on the property by far. We have a 3BR home about 60 ft from this old semi-restored carriage house. We have purposely used materials that have endured years of rust and weathered exposure. It makes for an interesting effect. |
Photographer
Moxee, WA
(Zone 4a)
July 10, 2007
1:40 PM Post #3719371
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forgot the pic here it is 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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Photographer
Moxee, WA
(Zone 4a)
July 10, 2007
1:50 PM Post #3719417
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A before and during construction pic showing the rickety old front door removed. This is a view from the north facing side. Little has changed from this side view except the door is now installed and we have policed the area of rubbish and wood scraps. 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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Bubba_MoCity
Missouri City, TX
July 10, 2007
4:25 PM Post #3720083
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Thank you.
The roof looks like it is new.
Inside looks like the perfect "band" practice space. |
Photographer
Moxee, WA
(Zone 4a)
July 10, 2007
6:11 PM Post #3720529
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Bubba, You're right of course. We peeled off the old cedar shakes. They were totally dry rotted. I got 90% of the steel roofing panels for free ... my B-in-L worked at a local lumber yard at the time and turned me onto the scrap pile (2nd's). The remaining panels cost less than $50. One roof side is dark green and the other side is a dull corrugated steel color. We found that roofing was a challenge because of the old planks were spaced about 2 inches apart. We stapled down the tar paper and then screwed down metal panels. After having completed the roof we sorta wished we had spent the extra money to give it a new OSB layer, then the tar paper and then the steel roof panels. The pine planks are even more soft after all the years. |
pepper23
KC Metro area, MO
(Zone 5b)
July 19, 2007
9:17 PM Post #3757025
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Wow!! I want that carriage house!! LOL |
zion_lover
delhi
(India)
July 20, 2007
7:39 AM Post #3757996
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Wow! nice work photographer. Keep it up that one. Also tell us what hidden experiences or problem u faced while doing your work on this prety cool house. Thanks alot. |
Photographer
Moxee, WA
(Zone 4a)
July 27, 2007
3:19 AM Post #3784711
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Zion_Lover, This small old barn / carriage house is almost ready to paint inside. We've been away for nearly a week so the joint compound has had plenty of dry heat to cure solidly. The biggest obstacle has been the overhead sanding of the seams in the ceiling drywall. Filling in the seams with joint compound was a bit of a hassle all over the room mostly because I'd never done it but the job of using joint compound was also made larger because the room is not plumb and the seams or creases in the corners were larger than had everything been perfectly square. We used $4 sheets of drywall from the cull pile at the local HD and reduced the drywall cost by 50%. With all the crappy drywall boards it caused a need for significantly more repeated joint compound efforts and sanding and filling repeatedly over the crumbling drywall spots. In the long term this restored outside room will become an extra bedroom for visitors or my wife's storage and presentation room for her fairly significant/impressive collections of glass wares, costume jewelry & antiques. When we get the surrounding ground landscaped better I'll post photos of all 4 side views. On the outside this little building is really quite hideous looking ... in a rustic sort of way. The painting will be completed late this afternoon. I'll post a pic of the inside tonight or tomorrow. We'll install the floating wood flooring after the painting is done and I'll post another photo when we get to that point.
This message was edited Jul 29, 2007 6:24 AM |
Photographer
Moxee, WA
(Zone 4a)
August 7, 2007
2:03 PM Post #3828955
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Bubba, We got the Carriage House interior painted and the floating engineered hardwood floor installed. My son has already moved his drums into the room. It is so clean. We also finished the door trim and got it all flush with the hinges. The door is tight and the bugs stop there. Here's the latest image showing the painted room and the new flooring. We salvaged about 70 feet of 2X6's from a burn pile in my neighbors abandoned pasture to use as the baseboard along the bottoms of the walls to keep the floating wood flooring in place and to hide the slightly uneven ends of the finished floor pieces. The baseboards are huge and warped and uneven and totally weathered with nail holes or drilled bolt & screw holes all over. They look like they've been exposed to the elements for close to 50 years and been through years and years of various uses and abuses. They are from old corral fences and gates. Can't beat free and they match the exterior perfectly ... totally beat to kingdom come. Kelly 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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Bubba_MoCity
Missouri City, TX
August 7, 2007
2:50 PM Post #3829113
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Great looking!!
I will remember that trick. Used some new boards for a valance around an old room. Not really happy with the look but needed to cover the ragged ends of the vertical sheetrock.
Unfortunately the ceiling boards are 5 1/2 " T&G about 80 years old - very uneven, so I have gaps all over the place. But it does look better than it did.
Owner and the current tenant both like the look of the old boards, so busy filling and caulking the cracks. |
Photographer
Moxee, WA
(Zone 4a)
August 7, 2007
9:40 PM Post #3830698
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Bubba, I don't have any recollection of seeing an old T&G ceiling. I've seen plenty of tin and plaster on lath ceilings. The home we live in was a small Dutch Barn 40X28 ft with 2 later additions ... 1 on each end that are almost about 400 sq ft each. The floor is cement. In the summer we hardly even need air conditioning due to the cold cement slab. Perhaps 1 week in the summer we actually turn on the air conditioner. |
Selkirk_Grammy
Selkirk Island, TX
(Zone 9a)
August 8, 2007
10:28 PM Post #3834990
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Loved reading and seeing the pictures about your carriage house. A huge undertaking but I sure the rewards are well worth it. Beautiful job.
Thanks for sharing. |
Photographer
Moxee, WA
(Zone 4a)
August 13, 2007
11:40 PM Post #3854728
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Selkirk_Grammy, I never really thought of this a as big effort. I re-did the math on the sq ft and determined it was closer to 250. But the walls and ceiling add about 750 to the area being completed and if one adds in the roof space ... the project gets imposing. We originally added the sub-floor and the new roof 4 years ago. That was half the work involved. This time we had demolition and all the new sheet rock. We're now working on adding a 50 sq ft porch and an even larger new roof to cover the porch. This new addition will make the building homier and much more inviting. Last week I put a shutter on the west side window. Next week we'll have 2 on the east side window as well. I'm gonna have to start taking photographs again because the new features are adding significantly to the whole. |
Bubba_MoCity
Missouri City, TX
August 14, 2007
9:12 AM Post #3855475
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Are the shutters working or decorative? The latest This Old House magazine has a "how-to" on working shutter installation.
Looking forward to seeing the pictures. |
Photographer
Moxee, WA
(Zone 4a)
August 15, 2007
12:54 AM Post #3858432
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Bubba, The shutters are functional and decorative in a rustic sort of way. We have them attached with oversized hinges again. The shutters are substantial ... 2 inches thick. I still have to get some sort of chain attachment to keep them in place when they're open & closed. We have come across a few old rusted hay bale hooks (used to buck hay bales) & several old rusted 1 foot lengths of chain that we're considering using as a part of the hardware to keep the shutters closed or open. In the winter I'll cut styrofoam boards to insert between the windows and the shutters to create an additional "R" barrier between the windows and the shutters. The more things we do to the Carriage House to improve it ... the more I wish it were my/our office or BR. My son is in there and at this point he's not leaving unless he goes away to a university or gets married. Chances are he's in there for the next 2.5 yrs minimum unless he lands a job up on the North Slope ... some sort of Alaska Pipeline job. My neighbor has a great deal of influence so we're considering this as career option related to his engineering studies. The pay is mind boggling and the 2 wks on and 2 wks off at significantly more than the average hh earns is inducement enough. Few 18 yr olds could resist having 26 weeks of vacation plus earning more than any of his uncles, aunts, cousins (except 1 M.D.)
This message was edited Aug 15, 2007 7:31 PM |
Photographer
Moxee, WA
(Zone 4a)
August 19, 2007
10:52 AM Post #3874023
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Bubba, Yesteday I began adding facia boards to the overhanging truss end boards. This building has had an exposed loft-attic since it was originally constructed over 100 years go. But since we added the ceiling with insulation over it ... there have been pigeons flying inside who came to the wrong conclusion that the attic space would make a fine home for them. I hope we don't end up closing them in. We're down to just one more facia board and several of the underside soffits before the attic space is totally inaccessible to birds. The starlings will be shut out of the attic space as soon as we get some 1X2 strips along the upper siding boards as they meet the soffit boards ... plus we'll have to cover a few small knotholes. I used a tyvek type wrap on the inside of the building before we installed the insulation. We even covered the 2X4's that were spaced every 18 to 24 inches apart. The walls are incapable of being penetrated by birds plus whenever we found a knothole in the siding boards... I stapled an old cedar shingle to the inside of the board so the tyvek would not show through the knothole and to reinforce the tyvek against woodpeckers. We're looking for rusted old tin cans with or without advertising on them to cover the knotholes and add character to the exterior. There are (as one would suspect) several knotholes in the pine and almost none in the rough hewn cedar siding boards ... but the holes are especially visible up along the attic siding where the walls to the room itself do not extend. I did not put tyvek up there in the attic nor did we use the shingles (this area is/was out of reach for the most part). So the small birds can still get in if they try. So far we've not noticed the starlings but they were up there before we began all the construction. I assume they dislike all the noise and commotion. The building has remained dilapidated in appearance. We'll be covering the knotholes with the flattened / rusted tin cans (with advertising?). The oldest pine siding boards are dry, brittle, soft and have aged terribly. The newer cedar siding boards came from a corral and barn. They had 30 years of cattle rubbing them + the unspeakable exposure to the elements. I didn't even want to hose them off or even hold them much ... they are so clearly distressed by the animal poo and aged much quicker than had only wind and rain been the cause. If we ever have the opportunity ... we'll replace the older pine boards with the heavier thicker cedar. The cedar turns different colors and it is twice as resistant to the elements. The pine boards literally crumble to the touch when rubbed across the grain. The pine still has tensile strength lengthwise and is dark as can be seen in the photos. We're down to a few final little things on the outside and now were assembling a porch with a covered roof to mismatch with the existing metal roof. We're way down to the last few items on the check list and looking forward to the being completed.
This message was edited Aug 20, 2007 9:24 AM |
Photographer
Moxee, WA
(Zone 4a)
August 22, 2007
6:50 PM Post #3887829
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Last night I began covering the knotholes on the west face using rusted tin can lids and pieces. Old pineapple cans seem to rust better than other zinc / tin cans. I have 2 coffee cans to cut up and 2 other odd cans with enamel paint advertising to accentuate the awfulness of the exterior. This is kinda fun to do. The building is becoming more of an eyesore as each piece of metal is put in a visible place. My son is a bit annoyed at the added touches. There hasn't been an invasion of birds (starlings) to deal with yet but having lived here for 5 years ... I know they'll be in the attic space before long if I don't take the normal precautions or steps to keep them out permanently. The 2 pigeons have been hanging around the Carriage House but the soffit spaces are completely covered. The building certainly has a cleaner more finished look than before. I'd like to get 2 or 3 rather large old Coke , Pepsi or Hires signs ... but the cost would be off the charts. I'll get some advertising up and take a photograph for a few more laughs.
We're planning to add an ever so slightly elevated deck onto the south facing wall ... just a bit larger than the square footage of the carriage house itself ... 16X22 ft. We intend to put a hot tub on it this fall. That should add some value plus we'll all have more enjoyable lifestyle with the warm and fuzzy tub.
This message was edited Aug 24, 2007 8:08 AM |
Bubba_MoCity
Missouri City, TX
August 24, 2007
7:54 AM Post #3893988
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Now, really looking forward to seeing the pix. |
Photographer
Moxee, WA
(Zone 4a)
August 24, 2007
4:50 PM Post #3896152
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Here is a photo showing a few of the tin pieces. The new functional shutter is also in this view. I have preferred using over sized pieces of trim for the doors and windows and inside for the wall baseboards. Notice the 2X12 for the lower valence for the window. These pieces of wood have been lying exposed to the elements in various piles here on the property for 20 years. Due to the desert dry conditions here (9 inches of annual rainfall) ... nothing rots quickly and if it does its always dry-rot.
This message was edited Aug 24, 2007 1:09 PM
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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Photographer
Moxee, WA
(Zone 4a)
August 24, 2007
4:58 PM Post #3896184
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Here's the East side with the functional shutter open. I'm planning to clad the inside facing plywood with the same wood as the outside has been ... but maybe vertical instead of horizontal. 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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Photographer
Moxee, WA
(Zone 4a)
August 24, 2007
5:02 PM Post #3896205
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My son has mostly moved into this space. Here is an early photo that provides a good feel for perspective and room size. The window shown is the same east facing window that now has the new functional shutter attached to the exterior. 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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Photographer
Moxee, WA
(Zone 4a)
August 24, 2007
5:19 PM Post #3896256
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The first step in getting the Carriage House renovated was removing the previous occupants from the Carriage House and into their new house ... the chicken coop. Actually we have both guinea fowl and chickens. They co-exist. Here is a photo of their new chicken coop made from poles and scraps of wood and sheet metal for roofs plus pieces salvaged from their former digs inside the Carriage House. This is an 8X8 ft structure with 6 ft ceiling. Before they had 12X12 ft inside the Carriage House. The flock is nearly half what it was and they need far less than what they had. 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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Photographer
Moxee, WA
(Zone 4a)
August 24, 2007
5:32 PM Post #3896294
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5 years ago this Carriage House had 3 entrances ... 2 doorways and an open garage door hole. Our intent was a more confined building so we were forced to enclose 1 of the 2 doors and then we also re-clad the entire west face thereby eliminating the horse/carriage entrance. We chose to eliminate the south side doorway mostly because there was no door. DG readers can easily see where the doorway was. It looks really awful doesn't it? And so does the rest of the building. We love it any how. This photo here also shows the new facia covering the ends of the roof trusses and below the facia are a few boards that make up the soffit area. The soffit boards are mostly not visible and that is normal to be out of sight. We have some trim to finish but the soffit boards are all up but not quite the right size and thus not yet totally nailed in place.
This message was edited Aug 24, 2007 7:04 PM
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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Photographer
Moxee, WA
(Zone 4a)
August 24, 2007
6:09 PM Post #3896422
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This next photo shows the North side of the Carriage house and one can see that the chickens enjoyed a large space (1/3) of the building. It was a mess to clean up and we are glad it is over. 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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Photographer
Moxee, WA
(Zone 4a)
August 24, 2007
6:19 PM Post #3896446
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This is the new roof frame for the new small porch on the North side. This is a heavy frame . Anyone out there in cyberspce wanting to assist in lifting the roof frame into place ... just let me know when you'll be driving through South Central Washington. We're planning for a deck on the South side of about 300 sq ft. When that is added this Carriage House will be significantly better than now. 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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Photographer
Moxee, WA
(Zone 4a)
September 2, 2007
3:21 PM Post #3929057
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This afternoon we put the porch roof frame into place using stilts to hold it up and temporary nails to tie into the building. Later we'll be drilling the holes for several 5 inch lag screws to hold it onto the building at the roof line. The frame was heavy. We needed 3 people to lift it up into place. Glad that's over.
This message was edited Sep 24, 2007 8:12 AM |
Photographer
Moxee, WA
(Zone 4a)
September 24, 2007
12:19 PM Post #4011840
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The porch and attached roof are done except the trim. I'm drawing up the sandstone flagstone patio with a pergola to cover 1/3 of the stone. Wisteria grows here fairly well so my intent is to have wisteria in the pergola. I probably should replant our grapes since we have wisteria in another location doing well and the grapes are not (mostly due to lack of nurturing). The porch is quite a bit like a deck in that we have cement pillars holding the 4X6 corner posts and used 6 inch lag screws to hold the frame up tight to the building. We have been adding skirting to the porch so that the underneath area is not visible and we'll better prevent skunks and things from hiding underneath. The skirting adds quite a lot to the overall visual appeal of the porch.
This message was edited Oct 2, 2007 7:07 AM |
Photographer
Moxee, WA
(Zone 4a)
April 16, 2008
3:01 PM Post #4817912
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Spring again and with spring ... we got seveeral days of high winds again ... 60 mph and our roof was heavily damaged. The roofing material used was low tensile sheet metal. We have to replace 20% of the material as it blew off the roof ... exposing the old planks. So we're gonna do it right ALL right. We have heavier gauge roofing sheet metal that will be on top of OSB. We'll use twice as many screws that are twice as large along with washers. This new roof will last forever as its 2-3 times thicker than the cheap painted material we put on last year. Thank goodness the old stuff was nearly free (that's about what it was worth). Nothing like a lesson well learned. I'll post a few pix as the OSB is put in place and later when we put on the old heavy gauge corrugated sheet metal (salvaged from a barn that toppled on the neighbors land). Nothing like having fun on the side when you're already knee deep in work. |
