“They asked how much it would cost and I had to tell them it would actually save them a lot of money...”
I want to give you guys a progress update from one of the worst rooms in a Lansing area termite damaged home to give you an idea of how we are saving this house using skills and precision. If it doesn’t look like the same room as the previous post, it’s because we’ve transformed it!
The ceiling joists holding the original drywall up for the flat ceiling were chewed through by the termites. We removed them with intentions of replacing them, but that’s when we started to get creative ideas …
The house’s roof was built with rafters and not trusses, so we talked some options over with the homeowner. They said they didn’t really use the attic and that the house felt small to them. We asked how they felt about vaulted ceilings. They asked how much it would cost and I had to tell them it would actually save them a lot of money from labor time and materials. Their faces lit up and we got to work.
We put in the horizontal boards towards the top of the ceiling to create a beautiful shape for when we add drywall later. It’s also a nice spot to mount a large ceiling fan so we can circulate the air up there. This home went from feeling tight and small to feeling spacious and when we are done it will be comfortable and perfect for entertaining.
Along the way, we’ve had to replace load-bearing walls. The only way to do that in a home this damaged is stud by stud. This is how you save a home other contractors would demolish. Non essential walls came out between the living room, dining and kitchen areas. What started out as a disaster is turning into the homeowners’ dream home remodeling.
There’s a ton of work to do, but I’m very happy they went with us and didn’t let somebody knock their home down! I really look forward to the crew and I making their dreams come true out of this nightmare.
Follow me and I’ll keep you posted as this project progresses so you can see how my team brings it all together. You can follow this and other projects here on my blog or on the Zischke Builders Facebook page.