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Framing Begins in this 1920s Colonial

With our designers aiming for an open-concept floor plan and our clients eager for the change, framing became less about creating new interior walls and more about responding to functional and aesthetic challenges. In this case, framers worked on areas that were damaged by water, where newly proposed window locations affected exterior walls, and where an old tub impacted flooring.

 

Towards the back wall of the kitchen, notice completed framing for new windows with new headers to support additional openings.

Satisfying New Design Goals & Fixing Existing Damage

In the kitchen, framing impacted 3 primary areas:

  • The Jacuzzi Removal: Having demolished the sunken sub above the kitchen, our framers had to completely reframe the floor with new 2×10 lvl beams, 2×8 floor joists, and additional framing in the exterior walls to carry the load to the foundation below.
  • Rebuilding After Rot: Some of the subfloor and joists below the kitchen were rotten and needed to be replaced due to a leaky bathroom shower above. Though unexpected, reframing this area added substantial value to the remodel, as it created a healthier home while increasing the longevity of the property.
  • New Kitchen, New Windows: A radically different kitchen layout meant that windows in their existing locations would not serve the space very well, resulting in their removal. Our framing crew framed for new windows to flank the range and another to be placed at the centerline of the sink.

 

The orange 2x10 LVLs (Laminated veneer lumber) pictured here are part of the additional structural system framers installed to support the bathroom floor above, along with the adjacent 2x8 floor joists.
We reframed part of the kitchen floor to adjust for rotting joists and subfloor that would have caused major issues later on.

Let’s talk about Privacy

We all love a good bathroom, a place where a person can unwind in a sudsy tub or steam-filled shower after a long day. But nothing really intrudes on a spa-like experience quite as much as a lack of privacy. This is why a few notable framing changes to the toilet and window locations in our clients’ spa-inspired bathroom will provide no less of a calming experience.

  • New Windows: We patched the exterior wall framing where we removed a window sitting at the back of the new shower. To keep some natural lighting in the tub and shower area, we’ll keep one window with modesty/frosted treatment.
  • New Pocket Door: While previously the toilet awkwardly jutted into the center of the bathroom, we’ve framed an all new lavatory space within the bathroom to house the toilet, complete with a pocket door for total separation.

Additionally, we worked through several exercises to make sure we had a level floor for tile installation later. We also created a flat ceiling above part of the shower to house plumbing needed for the shower head.

Here, we're framing for the pocket door that provides access to the lavatory inside the upper level bathroom.
Above the shower, we're using standard 2x4 lumber to create a flat ceiling area to house plumbing required for the shower head.

Up Next…Look inside this Tangletown kitchen & bathroom just as rough-ins begin.

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Demolition