Another Ladder and Light Fixtures

With the wood stove finished up it we could now enclose the chase and chimney on the third floor.  Since we knew after the chase was enclosed the stair way would feel darker and less open we also decided to incorporate a decorative beam and some additional lighting at the stair.

More Framing

Jen Preparing to Slide in a
Decorative Wood Beam

The beam dowels into the wall on the left with a piece
of rebar and is attached to the studs on the right.

The Beam and Light Fixtures in Place

Wood Ladder/Jewelry Rack
(Another Thanks to Harold & Vienna Harr)

Close up of Beam and the Steampunk Light Fixtures.  We Found These Beauties on Ebay

Completed Drywall.  The Hole Above the
Ductwork is for an Access Panel

Success!

Wood Stove

With winter and colder temperatures coming our way we were anxious to get our new wood stove fired up.  However, since we did not have a chimney suitable for burning wood we had a lot of work to do to hook it up.

The first step was to install the floor box which makes the transition from the stove pipe to what will become the new chimney.

Cutting the Hole in the Floor

Floor Box in Place

With the floor box in place the next step was to erect the chimney. This part of the project was very daunting because we had to penetrate the roof but we were very lucky to have a friend (thank you, Brian!!) volunteer to help us out with an extra set of hands.

The chimney pieces start from the floor box
and stack on top of each other very easily.  

The hole cut into the roof....
No turning back now!

Finishing Touches

Oh hello there.

With the chimney complete the final step was to connect the wood stove to the chimney with stove pipe.  This was by far the most frustrating part of this project because the parts were ordered the same time as the chimney but it took an extra two months to finally get the pipe.  When it finally did arrive we assumed installing the pipe would be quick and easy but it took us all of a minute to find out we were very wrong.  The parts were very difficult to connect together and it took a long time get the angled section of pipe lined up to where we wanted to stove to be.  It finally did all come together and it looks really great in the space.

The Stove Pipe Installed

The Ceremonial First Lighting
(We Made Sure The Fire Extinguisher Was Close By)

Burn Baby Burn!

Wall Tile

One of the few wall surfaces that isn't tiled on our second floor is the low partition next to the steps.  It really didn't look too good as it was and since we are installing our new wood stove in front of it we decided we might as well tile it too.

Before Photo

For the tile we decided to use a combination of 3x6 slate tile and reclaimed slate roof shingles we got from a friend of ours.  (Thanks Samir!)  After laying out the tile the we wanted it on the floor we found that the roof shingles were all slightly different which made the joints between them look a little odd.  To remedy this problem we decided to use some of the same penny tile that is installed on the floor as an accent band between the roof shingles to hide the variation.

Jen installing the penny tile

Post-Grout, Pre-Cleaning.  We went through a lot of grout because of the texture and uneven tile depth.

Finished!  

The wood stove back in place.  Now we have to get this guy hooked up before winter comes!

Kitchen Shelves

The recessed shelving in the kitchen has been an eye sore ever since we moved in. For the most part we liked what had been finished before we started so instead of ripping it all out and starting over we went about improving on what was already installed.

The shelves that were in place were thin unfinished wooden slats that do not look very good and were not very practical.

Before Shot... Bleh

So away went the slats.  To replace them we decided to put in 1/2" plywood with a birch veneer.  We left the wooden dowels and wood tack strips in place and painted them to give them a more finished look.

New Shelves in,
touching up with paint

Business Casual Attire -
Perfect for standing on a counter and
removing wood tack strips

After we finished painting we installed new wood trim around the perimeter of the shelves.  For the trim we ripped down lengths of reclaimed oak T&G flooring (another thank you to Vienna and Harold Harr!) and applied a polyurethane finish.  With the trim in place we began filling in the areas missing tile with new matching tiles left to us from the previous owners.

Planning ahead

Grout!

Finished!

Ladder Pot Rack

We were lucky enough to get hold of an antique wood ladder (Special thanks to Harold and Vienna Harr for letting us dig through their old barn and take this beautiful piece) and decided the best application for it would be as a hanging pot rack in our kitchen.  

After cleaning and sanding down the ladder a bit we applied a single coat of an off-white Milk Paint to help maintain its aged look.  After the paint dried we then used a fine grit sand paper to expose some of the grain and reinforce the look of wear and tear.

Before....

Milk Paint

First Coat Finished!

To hang the ladder we used a pair of antique pulleys once used on the farm Jen's family owned. (we'll try to find out more details)  We also found a surplus of old meat hooks, also used on the farm, which work perfectly as the actual pot hangers.

We used Steel Wool to knock off old rust and
grime from the  Pulleys and Meat Hooks

Installing Eye Hooks in the Beam

Preparing to Erect

Done and Done!

 

Drywall

Our next project is to make something decent out of our spare bedroom space on the second floor. The existing wall separating the living room from what we are making our spare bedroom was coated in thin set (presumably so it could have been tiled like everything else) and had some cutouts that would make it difficult for us to give guests any privacy.  On top of all this the wall was further carved up during the installation of the ductwork so we ended up deciding to drywall over the old and start fresh.

The existing wall.  Lots of holes...

 In addition to just closing up the wall, our plan is to remove the door to the bathroom and build a pair of barn style sliding doors for the bedroom and bathroom that would share the same track.  We also wanted to add a pair of new outlets and cable hookups for the installation of the television shown in the picture above.  It's hard to tell from the picture, but the existing door to the bathroom was your typical residential style door that was installed in an opening identical to the opening to the adjacent bedroom.  The gap above the door was covered with a piece of canvas.  After we removed the door here is what was left...

Speaking of no privacy...

Progress Pic - Starting to wrap around the duct...

Jen showing off
proper drywalling attire.

One side complete!

New Addition

  A wood stove!  We found this retro looking 1950's stove on craigslist and
thought it fit right in with the craziness that is our second floor.

We're not sure how much heat it will contribute, but we have our fingers crossed because we love the way it fits in the space.

Our plan is to tile (yes, more tile!) the wall behind it and create a hearth with a piece of slate left by the previous owner.  The same tile will be used as a border around the slate.  A sample of the tile is shown below, currently being used a a cat buffet.

3rd Floor Electrical Work

Before we started, there were only 2 ceiling lights and one quad outlet on the entire 3rd floor. To make things worse, the switch for the lights was located at the bottom of the steps which meant before going to bed at night you would have to climb up the steps in the dark after switching off the lights.  Needless to say we decided we were better off removing the old stuff and starting over.  

The existing lights and ceiling conduit

Some shoddy lookin wiring

 Conveniently there is a sub panel on the 3rd floor which makes installing new electrical devices much less complicated.  Since all of the exterior walls are solid masonry and there isn't a plenum space above the existing ceiling, all of the new wiring had to be installed in metal conduit. However, we thought this was just fine because the conduit would would only add to the overall industrial decor of the space already afforded by the exposed duct work and sprinkler pipes.

Jen Installing a Run of Conduit

Greg Installing a Junction Box

  We decided to layout the lighting for the floor with a dedicated control for a ceiling fan, a switch for general lighting, and a switch for a light over our wardrobes.  Additionally, 2 three-way switches would control another run of the same mason jar stair lights we installed on the floor below and a new light at the top of the stairs.

Installing the Ceiling Fan Junction Box

 

The Finished Ceiling Fan

We chose a simple black ceiling fan which was meant to be installed in a large barn or commercial space.  The hardware it shipped with was meant for attaching the fan to a bar joist, and we made it work by attaching a large metal hook attached to one of the rafters instead.

Light Switches and Conduit Bends

Fan Controls and more Conduit Bends

We found this beauty at the Brooklyn Flee Market.  It's just temporary
in this location as we're planning on crafting a light out of old
barbed wire for this location.  Stay tuned...

More Mason Jar Lights!