Reaping the Benifits of a Simple Prayer

You may be wondering why we would work so hard to save this old Farmhouse.  Well let me tell you... When we first started removing the layers of paneling, we found a prayer written on the old fireplace wall. ( I would love to show you a photo of it but, I forgot to take one.) There were also notes left by the former owners. Kind of like a time capsule. It was nice to get to know a little about the former owners in this way. The one thing I can say about the family is that they loved God and loved each other. And the love that made this house a home is still keeping it safe today.

As we removed the slat wall-boards we discovered that in some areas, they were the only thing holding up the roof. Other areas were so damaged by termites and rot that the floor sagged in the center of the house like a old soup bowl. So, we had to install new supports and leveled the house.

In other areas, the electrical wiring was so damaged you could see burn marks on the wood near it from the arcing. It is a miracle no one was electrocuted because one of the wires connected to the breaker panel was actually partially embedded in the panel. This was causing even the water- pipes to have an electric charge. Now, that's a scary thought. All of the wiring is being removed and replaced. 

Those slat wall-boards hid a myriad of dangers that should have destroyed the home. Removing them was like removing a band-aid and discovering gangrene. In this case the gangrene was not terminal. It only needed to be removed.

As we worked our way around the house to the box we discovered that some of the walls were not properly supported. This made the removal of the second floor even more scary. What if we had removed the floor joists and the exterior walls buckle outward causing the whole thing to collapse. A good gust of wind could have caused the whole thing to collapse. Lots of things could have happened  that did not happen.

I am not telling you these things to complain about how the house was built or previously remodeled. I am not complaining about how it was maintained. It is my firm belief that the Prayer written on the fireplace wall has covered the house all these years and kept it safe for those who lived there.

The Prayer which was written on the wall included the following:
 Psalm 127 A song of ascents. Of Solomon. 1 Unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labor in vain.

Update

It has been a while since I last posted. I will try to get better at posting weekly.

So, for the last month we have been very busy and house is beginning to take shape.

The two-story section which we called the "Box", (Because it is just a square box addition to the original house) has been one of the most worrisome part of the project.

To begin with, we wanted to remove the stairs and make them wider. Also, the second floor was actually two different levels. One level was much taller than the other. We had raise one side and lower the other to make it work.

We utilized my father's 50 plus years of experience in construction to make this happen. Actually, with out my father help this house would be a big pile of kindling at this point. Thanks Dad!! I can not forget to thank my husband and son for all their hard work.

Anyhow, below you will see the progression of this part of the renovation adventure.

We have not quite finished stabilizing the second floor but it is much better than it was to begin with.