Works in Progress
I began work on this project in the summer of 2018. The first series of slides show the concept drawings  I made in 3D Studio. The idea was to pull together sections of my home that happened as separate projects over many years.  The net is a continuous flow in the basement shop areas that are half below grade and open out under the deck.  Above, an enlarged kitchen that takes full advantage of the view is more appropriate to the overall scale of the house. The living room extends as well to continue the line of deck facing windows.  As of this writing, March 2022, all of the structural work is complete. Remaining to be done are deck railings, drawers and doors for the kitchen, interior plastering and flooring, among other things.  You can follow this page by choosing one of the subscribe options above.
Conceptuals
Drone view of existing
The center section was the original gambrel with attached garage. I bumped out the garage to create a studio and added the wing on the right later as a master bedroom.
This was the starting point
camera view
camera view shoing kitchen addition and new deck. I did this in 3DS max as a way of planning the whole project, including it's relationship to the terrain
framing details
3d Studio allowed for planning all of the framing as well
This shows placement of structural steel and new basement framing
kitchen view
another 3D studio application...the kitchen design
camera view from 3d studio
Excavate
The old deck had to go first. The hemlock stringers were rotten in places
The existing bumpout for the kitchen would remain, establishing the new line of the walls and windows.
The plan for supporting the 20' steel beam that would replace the block wall. I cut down the size of the beam by supporting it in the middle., But it needed additional support under the footings. We dug out a cavity, set up a form and shoveled in a nice cement mushroom. The beams hoding up the kitchen bumpout would be replaced by angled supports from the base of the wall
I did everything with this small Cat. Space was tight. I only banged the house once or twice.
Before the block wall could come out I had to put up a few braces. It's a supporting wall.
That wall didn't come easily
We banged some of it out with the bucket and then, of course, it had to be hauled away.
Used the bucket to place and lift that 700lb steel beam...delicate operation.
My neighbor Eric helped get it to the final height. We used his engineering jacks on top of blocks.
A steel beam all the way from the UAE in its new home
Rented this concrete saw to make the cuts through the poured foundation wall for the studio. space is now contiguous
Frost wall and 6x8 posts. plumbing drains in place. Studio foundation wall cut.
second floor plumbing got re-routed and everything had to wrap around that beam...big challenge.
They came, they poured.
my beautiful new floor. 8x8's in place holding everything up
framing for the walls
Next, we had to frame for the deck. Frederic arrived to help, all the way from Paris
I dug all the post holes by hand. When a rock is to big to lift out, sometimes a crane helps.
Eric and Frederick and the framing for the deck
second level framing
used engineered lumber for the headers
Framing and transition
T-111 for the basement walls
kept the existing kitchen until the exterior shell was complete
the kitchen wall comes out and gets replaced by another steel beam
Eric and I put it up. We put a safety strap on it and worked it into place one end at a time
I opted for a cricket in the roof rather than move a window. It needed some serious copper flashing. Hasn't leaked.
water gave me headaches here.
this section needed a complete makeover
the extended living room
Kitchen
My original plan to keep the old tile floor ended up like this
Had to jack up the center of the house to get a modestly level floor...replaced the old jack posts with lalley's. Raised that center beam about an inch and a half.
I layered plywood of varying thicknesses to make up for what I couldn't correct with the jacks
Feathered all the joints with leveling cement to support the underlayment
Covered it all with underlayment and then used a leveling compound over that. Then I had to rent a concrete grinder to level that.
Frederic an I laid tiles for three weeks
And grouted
the pattern is called appropriately, Corona.
It never bores
Base cabinets in place
Because the original cieling sits above the dopped cieling, I had to suspend the upper cabinets from the floor joists above
Had to make some fancy arrangements to get around that beam
My cats like it
Deck
Black locust. moved it into the garage to dry out some. It sat beside the studio for a winter.
it took me a month or two to profile the edges, epoxy putty and sand and carry this stuff around back.
Another couple of months to put it down
Looks good with an oil finish
Used the old deck boards to make a teepee in the pasture
Basement/Shop
This part of the shop doubles as laundry room
cut through a concrete wall to put in this wood stove