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← Paulinskill Lake House Real Project

Rebuilding Around the Steel Beam

13 photos · demo and renovation

With the place gutted, I planned the rebuild around the steel I-beam I'd uncovered. Added wood nailers to the beam so I could attach drywall later. Opened up a wide doorway between the two main rooms to make the whole downstairs feel connected, and put in new sliding glass doors on the lake side. Once framing and a mini-split were in, I started hanging rock.

  1. Turnbuckle tension cables were already in the joists. Left them alone — they were doing their job. During

    Turnbuckle tension cables were already in the joists. Left them alone — they were doing their job.

    demo and renovation
  2. Bolted wood nailers onto the steel I-beam so I'd have something to screw drywall into later. During

    Bolted wood nailers onto the steel I-beam so I'd have something to screw drywall into later.

    demo and renovation
  3. Widened the doorway between the two rooms so the downstairs would actually feel like one space. During

    Widened the doorway between the two rooms so the downstairs would actually feel like one space.

    demo and renovation
  4. Pulled the old wall on the lake side and dropped in a new slider with a side window. Light changed everything. During

    Pulled the old wall on the lake side and dropped in a new slider with a side window. Light changed everything.

    demo and renovation
  5. Built a new partition wall against the original cinder block to give the hallway some shape. During

    Built a new partition wall against the original cinder block to give the hallway some shape.

    demo and renovation
  6. Foam board against the block, fiberglass in the framed walls. Different jobs, different materials. During

    Foam board against the block, fiberglass in the framed walls. Different jobs, different materials.

    demo and renovation
  8. Drywall going up against the new framing. Steel beam and stairs gave me the spine to work off of. During

    Drywall going up against the new framing. Steel beam and stairs gave me the spine to work off of.

    demo and renovation
  9. Set up the miter saw in the bedroom and used the stacked chairs as a worktable. Kept the cuts close to the work. During

    Set up the miter saw in the bedroom and used the stacked chairs as a worktable. Kept the cuts close to the work.

    demo and renovation
  10. Got the mini-split head mounted before I closed up the ceiling so the line set could run clean above the joists. During

    Got the mini-split head mounted before I closed up the ceiling so the line set could run clean above the joists.

    demo and renovation
  11. Drywall sheets staged on the slab. I hung the ceilings first so the wall sheets could tuck under clean. During

    Drywall sheets staged on the slab. I hung the ceilings first so the wall sheets could tuck under clean.

    demo and renovation
  12. Walls rocked, mini-split running, taping buckets staged. From here it was mud, sand, prime, paint. During

    Walls rocked, mini-split running, taping buckets staged. From here it was mud, sand, prime, paint.

    demo and renovation
  13. Dropped a grid ceiling in the utility area so I could still get at the plumbing and wiring without cutting drywall. During

    Dropped a grid ceiling in the utility area so I could still get at the plumbing and wiring without cutting drywall.

    demo and renovation
  14. Painted the steel beam black and left it exposed instead of boxing it in. Cheaper, and it looks intentional. During

    Painted the steel beam black and left it exposed instead of boxing it in. Cheaper, and it looks intentional.

    demo and renovation

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