Let the Demo Begin

My Romantic Prairie home is turning into a skeleton. Yep, down to the bones. The trailer has been filled over and over.

This is a sure way to uncover all of the old wiring, plumbing and (lack of ) insulation. Including a few rat/squirrel nests and tons of dirt.

I showed you a "before" picture of the entry in my previous post. The wood floors in that photo were the ones on top of these original floors.
Why these were covered up is a mystery.

The room upstairs that we will make our media room has a step down which I thought gives it a little character. This room sits at the back of the house and is over the existing kitchen. The new construction add on to the house will start here and extend out beyond the current footprint.

The floor was torn out and several feet below was the kitchen ceiling. As you can see the step was only a few inches deep, so why the space? Another mystery. Maybe someone thought this would be a good place to run central heat and air. (?)

I don 't know when this kitchen was added. It has all been torn out and my new kitchen will be bigger, better and most importantly new!

All gone...

Now that the kitchen has been torn out you can look up and see where the old room was and the new media room will be. The window transoms were even lost in the black hole.
I LOVE the ship lap wall with all the different boards. I told Wayne, our contractor, I wanted this wall in my studio. (I will tell you about that project in another post.)

When the black and white checkerboard flooring was pulled up it revealed decades of history.
The floor design with the small cream and black squares was probably picked out by someone who liked simple basic dishes. Buffalo China?

I am certain this floor had a pink refrigerator sitting on top of it. My fav... by far.

Possibly Blue Willow or Flow Blue dishes?

I am seeing a Majolica oyster plate when I look at this pattern.
(The 1960's newspaper to the right was found in the wall.)

If only the floors could talk!!

Charmed

I want everyone to know I have really enjoyed hearing from you all. Your comments have been so encouraging. Our journey will take about 11 months until completion.
The home was probably built in the 1890's, possibly sooner.
McKinney record keeping at that time was sporadic.
Wayne, our contractor, has been fabulous to work with. He has been an important part of the restoration of McKinney's Historic District.
The first time we looked at the house, it spoke to us in many ways.
Here are a few of the things that charmed us ...

We saw the character in the front door as soon as we walked up on the front porch.

The original staircase greets you as you enter.
Try to picture it without the lovely wallpaper.

The front door stained glass can be appreciated as you gaze down the stairs.
I am picturing my grandsons sliding down this banister or maybe even Mary Poppins sliding UP.

Outside there are a couple of beautiful wooden architectural pieces.

Most of the windows have transoms above them. Thankfully the ones inside will be used only for decoration and not for air flow. Unlike in the 1890's,we get to have A/C!!
In my next post I will show you the history that was revealed as floors and walls were stripped down. It is a little sad to watch the house being taken apart, but it will shine in the end!!