I should warn you: most of the photos (and the video!) don’t look like “rebuilding” so much as “what happened to that house?!” But there has actually been a lot of progress at the duplex. Here’s an update on the flurry of activity from the past few weeks, along with the floor plan changes and a few curveballs that cropped up.
We discussed on this week’s podcast why the duplex currently feels so stripped-down. Short version: when you need to rebuild much of the interior because of rot, mold, termite damage and failing framing, and you also need to rebuild the exterior to make siding and roofing do their jobs again, the house ends up looking very raw. That extensive demo makes it easier and more affordable to install fully updated, safe systems later—new electrical, plumbing, and HVAC—because the walls are open and accessible.
Many historic downtown homes are taken this far back after decades of hidden moisture damage. You might wonder if it would be cheaper to knock the building down and start over. In most cases it isn’t. Laying a new foundation and framing a house are two of the largest construction expenses, so preserving the existing structure avoids those huge line items. Also, the duplex sits in a historic district where demolition for replacement wouldn’t be allowed, and keeping original charm is a big part of the appeal.
We went through a similar “skeleton-ization” at the nearby pink beach house, where the same framing crew worked on both projects. That house was actually in worse condition in some ways, so we’re grateful to have avoided more extreme issues here. Still, the duplex demo looks dramatic because we had to remove the entire roof. At the pink house we were able to reshine after leaving the original roof framing intact, but here we gained approval to slightly increase the roof pitch to improve water shedding, which required reframing the whole roof.
During demo people pointed out the house was built with balloon framing—meaning studs run continuously from foundation to roof—common in homes constructed between about 1880 and 1930. That explains some of the unusual structural details we encountered.
The photo above was taken just before the windows were removed. We are preserving the original diamond muntins in the center upstairs windows and the decorative corbels under the roofline, but many other windows had been replaced over the years with poor-quality vinyl units. Those will be swapped for energy-efficient, properly functioning windows that match the historic character better.
One surprise during demo: the porch framing was in far worse shape than expected and will need a full rebuild. Fortunately, the foundation turned out to be in better condition than anticipated, so money set aside for foundation reinforcement could be reallocated to repair the porch. That kind of budget pivot is a welcome break during renovations.
Compared with the pink beach house, the duplex has fewer original features worth saving. Aside from the diamond window grills and the corbels, much was lost to years of rental use—broken vinyl windows, sheet vinyl flooring, and wood paneling that had been used to hide moisture and damage. Still, we expect to be able to restore the original hardwood floors, which were at one point covered with vinyl tile and carpet.
Refinishing existing hardwoods is a substantial savings compared with installing all-new floors. You might worry about exposing original floors during demo, but the usual approach here is to leave them uncovered. They may get a little wet over a few days but then dry in the sun; covering them with tarps can trap moisture and cause more harm. Our experience at the pink house supports this—once sanded and sealed the old floors looked beautiful.
Below is the living room on the left side of the duplex as it looked when we first bought it, followed by the same space after demo. The diagonal lumber you see now acts as temporary bracing while the roof goes back on and the interior is reframed. Stripping back the walls let us find unstable areas that needed attention, and though it looks chaotic—like a giant game of pick-up sticks—those temporary supports are protecting the structure while permanent repairs are completed.
The most dramatic vantage point was the second floor when it was open to the sky; seeing the roof removed felt like someone had lifted the house’s hat. The roof framing is now back in place and sheathed, though it still needs shingles. While much of the recent progress is less visually glamorous—new support beams and re-framing—these are the steps that ensure the home will be safe and durable for decades to come.
Removing the old siding confirmed some known problem areas and revealed a few new ones. The back portion of the house had been a side porch that was later enclosed and converted into a cramped galley kitchen; its studs were installed facing the wrong way and the framing was unstable. That section will be completely reframed and rebuilt to be secure and code-compliant. Other issues included some sagging on the second floor that proved to be framing rather than foundation problems, and an interior floor that had been built on top of an old porch floor—essentially two layers that needed to be stripped back and reframed properly.
Our contractor has also started laying out the new upstairs floor plan. We walked the house together, made a few tweaks, and adjusted layouts like the laundry/mudroom to improve flow and function. We plan to share renderings or another walk-through when those details are finalized. For now, we’re heading back this weekend and will post quick updates as work continues.
To close, here are the before and current photos of the left side of the duplex: the house we bought last fall, and how it looked a few weeks into demo. It’s a nerve-wracking transformation, but a hopeful one—there’s a lot of work to do, and it’s already on the way to becoming something much healthier and more beautiful. Also: the satellite dishes are finally gone. Small victories.
P.S. If you want more context about how we bought this duplex, our plans for it, and previous walkthroughs, search the duplex project posts to see the full timeline and past updates.