Undoing our House. Floors Removed.

April 22, 2025

I find one of the most wonderful aspects of renovating an old house, is discovering unique characteristics of the house that brings into the spotlight the culture and history of that time period.

Bit by bit, we remove each layer carefully, curious to see what artifact or architectural detail is hiding behind each coat. This is the constructive part of the renovation project, unlike what has happened in the past three days — a total and complete demolition of the existing floors — all the way down to the dirt and boulders.

No Floors In Sight

Yes, correct there is no floors whatsoever, and it looks like we’re taking steps back with our projects.

But, really the floor started coming out a few days earlier, with the cut of a small square through layers of click-flooring, linoleum flooring, and hardwood flooring. We found it interesting how the choice of flooring has changed so drastically over the years.

The purpose of having the opening was to access the ground, as Michiel has started using the demolished gypsum walls as fill — a big step before pouring concrete to form our permanent floors. Our plan is to install radiant floor heating throughout the house. It is an efficient way to keep warm — when our feet our warm, the rest of our body is as well.

The multi-layered floors were pulled up, exposing floor beams and joists underneath. Boulders of different sizes and shapes erupted through the dirt and sand.

s our eyes flit the span of the remaining wooden lattice below, large copper pipes, and electrical wires catch our attention. We are reminded of how solid the houses were built in the past. The heaviness of the copper pipes weighs like anchor in our thoughts — as we brainstorm a sensible way to remove them.

Michiel used long pieces of materials as a lever to prop up the joists and then removing the joists. Some of these joists will be used in the house to reinforce structures. Removing the beams beneath the floor joists were the next in line. Then the posts supporting the floor beams were removed — leaving the concrete blocks that stabilized the posts and beams.

A Minor Injury

While Michiel methodically removed each floor joist, hopping and balancing from one joist to another, he caught an old nail in the sole of his foot. Fortunately it was not a serious injury — no infection or major swelling took place. For this, we are thankful! It did temporarily stall the progress of the project he had lined up, but the healing was swift and uneventful.

And, even though he wasn’t fully able to use his foot, the very next day he did manage to remove some materials from the room — clearing the space to work in a more open environment, the following day.

Removing the floors unveiled the stone foundation of the house. The layer of concrete foundation was later poured on top — most likely to reinforce the old stone structure. Above the concrete foundation sits the sills. And, above the sills sit the pine sub-floors.

Relying On Our Block Heater

There was frustration in the atmosphere today, as we missed the opportunity to purchase a bag of wood pellets to heat our home. We had one last bag left in the house — and the stores were closed due to the Easter holiday.

To rectify the problem, we relied heavily on our electric block heater during the day while using the pellet stove overnight to economize the electricity stored in our batteries. We have found this to be good practice in managing our resources and utilities, where possible.

A New Location For Laundry

One exciting news to a homemaker’s heart is the installation of a laundry line! The line had not been in service for some days now, as Michiel anticipated tarping the shed with a waterproof Tyvek barrier.

After the shed had been tarped, Michiel moved forward to attach the laundry line in a better, easier to reach location. We were glad to be able to hang our laundry on the line again.

There is no better scent, than that of the mid-afternoon sun — clean and fresh — a mix of fresh linens and light floral notes, infused in our cleaned, dry clothes.