Um, your backend is open

Compare this photo to the one I wrote about during "Easement" last July. The original openings are being punched back out and will be filled with new windows and doors.

On the far left, will be the door to my upstairs unit. The existing door in the middle will be moved over about 8" to align with the window opening that you see here above it. The opening on the right, where there are workers, will be a window into the downstairs space.

Amazingly, the brick openings (my walls) are 16" thick. Buildings are built like this today. The exterior facade might be brick, but the interior would be wood, steel or cinder block. 16" of solid brick just look weird. However, I think it will make the window sills and door openings look VERY cool.

All good surprises.

A View from Bull McCabe's

Nothing much to write except this is a view of my building from my local pub, Bull McCabe's. Click the photo to enlarge it and scroll to the bottom. There you'll see the top of my building behind & beside the green and white street sign.

Now, scroll back up and look at the sky. All this madness and concern are lost when we have days like this in Durham.

Let There Be Light......There was Light

My new favorite day was today........

Demolition officially happened about a year ago. But, back then we didn't remove the stairs from the first floor because, well, there'd have been no way to get up to the second floor. Two major events happened today:

1. The stairs were removed and
2. Windows that had been bricked up were reopened

So there's a temporary problem created now. You can't get to the upper floors unless you use a REALLY TALL ladder (there's 16' between floors so the ladder needs to be at least 20'; and even then I wouldn't want to climb it). This problem will be remedied when the new stairs are framed in.

The stairs were removed to make room for the brick masons. In the picture you can see them working, repairing the brick in the openings they created. It's amazing how much light gets in. And it's amazing looking at the wide open spaces. And the hyrogliphics/sayings that were written on the walls in places just now being seen again......some of that isn't printable on my family blog.

Oh, click on the photo to enlarge it and then look at the ceiling joists near the back of the building. Notice how many of them have been cut away over the years? That's not supposed to have been done. Floor/Ceiling joists should span the entire structure to support weight and prevent sagging. Wonder even more how there wasn't a major disaster in the building???!!!

Much progress today. It is my new favorite day.