Update on my cape house:
We finally got some trees taken down - 18 out of the 68 on our half-acre lot.
How do I know there are 68 trees? Because as part of the process of getting permission to cut down a tree, we had to have a tree plan done (basically someone identifies every tree on the lot on a plot plan), file a request with the local Conservation Commission and the state showing what we wanted to take down, pay a $116 filing fee, have the Conservation Commission agent walk the property (along with the certified arborist we have to use for the tree work, can’t just use a regular tree guy, no no no) telling us which trees we are allowed to remove of the ones we requested, have a public hearing, and then finally get the work down. All this because we are on the water within 100 feet of the flood line, so our entire property is subject to their jurisdiction. Oy.
Oh, and as part of getting permission, they are requiring us to plant two trees, with a trunk diameter of at least 2" ($$$), and they told us what kind of trees we have to plant. Sheesh.
The architect is working on the final set of plans for the changes we want to make. As soon as it’s done I’ll post the plans.
The big excitement right now is with the basement wall, seen under the deck in this picture:
https://www.■■■■■■■■■■/photos/32532343@N00/34817140240/in/dateposted-public/
We knew there were water damage problems in this wall that needed addressing, but we had no idea how bad it was. That part of the basement is finished, and I tore out some drywall to take a look. It turns out that virtually every piece of wood in that wall is gone, to the extent that when my contractor saw it, he was worried that the house was in imminent danger of collapse. He came back that afternoon and put up temporary bracing. I’ve posted a few pictures:
https://www.■■■■■■■■■■/photos/32532343@N00/39452187971/in/dateposted-public/
https://www.■■■■■■■■■■/photos/32532343@N00/39421162142/in/dateposted-public/
https://www.■■■■■■■■■■/photos/32532343@N00/25581922598/in/dateposted-public/
Notice there’s no wall studs… they literally fell out and crumbled as the drywall was coming off (the pressure-treated wood you can see in the pictures is the temporary bracing they put up). The sheathing was just gone in some areas. The sliding door down there was very hard to open, clearly it was being pressed on from above.
The portion I took pictures of was accessible from the inside, which made fixing it relatively easy. But a good chunk is not accessible from the inside without gutting out a bathroom and the laundry room, so they are going to tackle that from the outside. With temperatures in the single digits here, they have postponed it for a little while. At least the bulk of it is shored up now.