The client’s goals for this project were:
1. To reuse as much of the existing structure as possible while upgrading the structure to meet current seismic codes. Make the house feel as spacious as possible.
a. No additions. Reconfigure existing interior spaces to make the house feel larger but reuse existing walls and ceilings where ever possible.
b. Remove the lean-to/carport structure at the rear of the house to let more natural light into the kitchen
c. Maintain the 8′ ceiling height throughout the house but add a 4″ deep soffit around the edge of the kitchen to break up the ceiling plane
2. To have a small traditional front porch with space for a few chairs looking over the new vineyard they were intending to plant.
Existing tub room was converted into a new front porch
3. To upgrade the interior finishes by the creative use of mid-priced materials. The client wanted a fireplace in their living room.
a. Use of plastic laminate countertops in kitchen with a white subway tile backsplash, but with a custom milled walnut cap on the half wall between the kitchen and the dining area.
b. Reface the existing brick fireplace surround and hearth with limestone and install an EPA rated wood burning insert instead of replacing the masonry fireplace.
c. Installing new fir flooring in the kitchen that tied into the existing painted fir flooring in the rest of the house. The entire floor was then sanded and stained a dark color.
4. To improve the performance of the house with regards to energy usage and to prepare for future installation of a solar photovoltaic system.
a. Remove only as much of the heavy coat of interior plaster as was necessary to replumb and rewire the house preserving much of the thermal mass provided by the plaster. The walls and ceilings were then patched or covered with drywall as necessary.
b. The building envelope was carefully air-sealed and insulated.
c. In order to avoid the removal of the interior plaster the exterior walls had to be insulated from the exterior. After removing the existing siding and installing OSB sheeting over the exterior wall framing, we injected dense packed cellulose insulation through holes drilled in the sheeting before installing the new Hardie siding.
d. We designed and installed a high efficiency forced air heat pump system for heating and cooling the house with the ducts insulated to R-8 and buried under the cellulose attic insulation.
e. All lighting was florescent or LED
f. The hot water heater is electric but is set up for a future retrofit of a stand-alone hot water heat pump.
An Unexpected Problem that came up:
The original plan was to remove the existing horizontal wood siding, install OSB sheeting over the existing studs for lateral bracing, and after blowing in dense-packed cellulose insulation, install new Hardie siding over a well sealed vapor barrier and a sheet style drain plane. On the first day of demolition, however, we discovered that there was a layer of stucco under the existing wood siding. After testing, it was confirmed that the stucco contained asbestos that had to be removed by a licensed asbestos abatement company. This added an unanticipated cost to the project and added a week to the schedule but did explain why the house remained so cool during the hot summer months, despite the lack of insulation in the walls.
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Before attempting to remove any stucco it is important to have a sample analyzed to asbestos. There are several labs through out the country that can test samples for asbestos. To collect a sample, just take a few very small chips from the material you wish to remove and send them to a lab. If the samples come back positive I would suggest hiring someone that specializes in stucco removal in PA as asbestos can lead to a variety of health problems and it is something that someone with experience should be dealing with.