Hey folks! I hope that all is well with our followers since the last post. The Ellsworths have been busier than a mosquito at a nudist colony this week! 🙂  Between our business, Carolina Coaster Company and our home reno, there hasn’t seemed to be enough hours in a day. But guess what? We wouldn’t have it any other way!

As you can see from the picture above, Sutherly’s  (that’s her name you know) full body makeover continues. If you haven’t already, take a closer look at the photo above. What in the heck is that under the fireplace? I have no idea. You can be certain that I will find out.

The crew told me that such is common in the area. They assured me our contractor, Marc Engelke has the whole scoop. I can’t wait to hear. I will certainly share his explanation with you next time along with additional photographs.

Many of you must feel sadness that we are tearing away so much of the soul of this old girl. We share in that sadness. Please know that it wasn’t decided without much discussion and consideration.

So much of the home had to be removed because of the horrid smell caused by the free access of feral cats to the interior which I have mentioned before. We had hopes of saving at least the flooring  but upon closer inspection that did not seem possible.

According to our contractor, the first layer of the flooring was oak and the second  was heart pine. We had hope that at least some of the boards might be salvageable. But as the crew began to remove the boards, the odor that was stirred made it clear that the damage was too extensive to be saved. Hopes of repurposing the wood seem slim also.

The second reason was poor quality of workmanship on the additions that took place years ago.What once was the back porch on the first floor was enclosed to make a laundry room and a full bath. Let’s just say the improvements were  “not up to code.” That, along with years of neglect, lead us to make the decision to tear the porch area down, rebuilding within the same footprint. (Please refer to the photos from the last post to see the original floor plan as it compare to the new.)

We are repurposing as much as possible of all the materials that are being removed.  The extra windows are going to our dear friend, Beth McConnell at Charleston Views. Beth takes windows that have been removed from some of Charleston’s oldest homes and turns them into beautiful works of art that adorn the walls of homes internationally. You can check out some of her latest work at the new Dewberry Hotel downtown on Meeting Street.

Michael Moyer of Past to Present Decor has been using some of the boards to make beautiful picture frames. I plan to use some of the frames made from said materials to display “before” photographs somewhere in our newly renovated home.  Both Beth and Mike are our fellow vendors at Charleston Farmers Market.

Also, the french doors and bead board are being saved for projects yet to be named. Any and all ideas are welcome. We have had some great suggestions thus far.

Some of the behind the scenes happenings are plans to clear the yard of the bushes and trees that are past their prime. Hopefully that will happen soon. I am looking forward  to see the beautiful live oak take her rightful place as queen of the front yard once all the rubbish is removed.

We also have a meeting at Moluf’s Kitchen & Bath to pick out plumbing fixtures. We hope to  visit tile and lighting stores very soon also.(If you’d like to check out some of our ideas for  the design, feel free to follow us on Pinterest)

It is that  time in the project when we have to check out the cost for the finishes we “want” to see if they line up with our budget. As our granddaughter Kaitlyn once said, “Money! It’s always about the money.” Kids say the darndest things, don’t they? 🙂 After having built 3 homes in the past, I am certain it will all work out.

I have some additional photographs of the demolition below for your review. Hopefully Sutherly will start to look a little happier in the very near future.

I cannot count how many tours we have given over the last few weeks. If you are interested, just give us a call. We’d love to give you an up close and personal view if you like.

Again, thank you so much for your interest in our journey. It means the world to us.

Until next time, y’all take care!