Complications, but not too bad

We had two complications (photos here) with the demolition yesterday.

The transitional opening between the kitchen and the eating area was always a concern. There was a soffit there that seemed larger than necessary. When it was opened up it was apparent that the lintel was structural. That certainly complicated things because that ceiling height was to be the same and there is going to be a cabinet there.

Ray believes that we can remove the lintel and support the upstairs by doubling up on the joists – basically adding 4 more twenty foot long 2”*10”s and adding altering and adding cross members as necessary. That sounded reasonable to me, but I’m a chemical engineer, not a structural.

That will also require replacing the ceiling in the dining area, which we hadn’t intended but should do anyway.

The floor had an interesting, undocumented feature. You can see the top of the block wall on the north side of the laundry room. That doesn’t appear to be an issue although we will most likely require a transition piece between the kitchen and dining room floors.

It was very hot and miserable yesterday. We will be delighted when the demolition phase is over.