Having the bees taken out other day and lining up work, yesterday the odd bathroom outside on the deck was removed. I hired a local guy that has been doing construction here for years and I helped him. It is one of those things that we have wanted to do since we practically bought the property.
The cabana is mostly finished, so it was time to get started on some of the projects for the wood house. We still aren’t exactly sure what we are going to do with the wood house, but even if we tear it down, the bathroom would have to be removed, so it was a good project that we started to refer to as the little wood house project.
There were still bees After
Working with wood is familiar to us as everything we have done in Colorado construction/remodeling wise has been made of wood. Stick built. The difference here is the climate. Colorado is dry, super dry. So moisture isn’t an issue and nor are termites. Wood absorbs moisture and even if it is just sitting at the lumber yard here in Puerto Rico, it already has a lot more water in it than in Colorado.
It was kind of fun throwing everything overboard.
Scrap wood will become our new chicken coop
One of the things I have learned about wood in the tropics however, is that it does last if you do it right. Doing it right means to keep it out of the rain, and make sure it’s treated. The wood under the house looks practically brand new as do the studs that have been kept dry. It isn’t as if wood will simply disintegrate after a few years. The wood house on our property has been standing for 20 years and left without ANY maintenance for the last 15 and it’s still here and in remarkably good shape.
This is why we are still undecided about the path we are going to take with the wood house.
Removing the bathroom has been a good small project as it shows me more of what to expect inside the walls of the house. The bathroom had been left totally open and there were bees, bats, a rat and cockroaches living in it. The wall studs however were in great shape and the nails holding it together were as strong as ever. In other words, its bones were fine.
Shoots and Ladders
The wood house will require us to open up every wall to clean and get all the jungle creatures out. Luckily the house isn’t too big. We want to put glass windows in, every surface will require refinishing and painting. It is going to require quite a bit of work and money, but so does taking it down and starting from scratch. We are trying to visualize the end goal to help us decide. We have even thought about building new and using the wood for new cabanas.
Opening up the view a bit more
We figure we aren’t in a hurry and since we aren’t sure which way we want to go, we will take more time to make a decision. Getting the bathroom down is also still a work in progress as the deck under it needs to come down and all the wood it was made of turned into a chicken coop.
Any other points we should take into consideration when making this decision? We have heard there are no permits required for a remodel but that if we were to build from scratch just the engineer alone would cost $4000-$5000 which would go a long way on the existing house. Hmmm. Lots to decide.
My two cents – I think the wood house should come down. It seems very sad to me – maybe bad juju from the past occupants and their demise. Plus the rats, bats and whatnot really left a lot of ick. Then you guys can build something perfect for you. I’ve been wondering when the chicken coop was going to come about. 🙂
We took a house down to the studs in 2000 and replaced all the insulation, plumbing and electrical — it is called a Santa Barbara remodel around here, as permits and plans for new homes are very expensive. We lived within the footprint, but later thought we should have popped out the house a bit more (only 1500 square feet was a squeeze).
Don’t know about a wood house in the tropics, but you do have a relatively young 20′ structure with nice views and what looks to be placement on the lot. If you are happy with the later (siting) it would seem to make financial sense to remove the drywall, reinsulate, replumb and safely electrify with up to date systems. You can do most of the work yourself if you are interested in learning the trades, and probably can get help (as you did with the bathroom removal) easily.
Would suggest you get a structural engineer to check out the frame and make sure it will withstand any strong winds the area may have during tropical storms, and also have them check your foundation and drainage before reconstruction begins.
Big decisions. I like Annies proposal. If it is structurally sound, why spend all the extra money taking it down. Extra wood, make a tiny home and then rent it out. Wish you luck in your decision.
You have a big decision to make.Personally if it were me I would take it down or if you have the room on your property build a home with concrete. A concrete home built properly will withstand a hurricane.Not sure how your wooden house would hold up on a direct hit. I know it will cost more to build the concrete home than fix up the wooden home you just have to way it out.If you do decide to tear down the existing home do not get rid of any of that material it all can be used for concrete forms. My suggestion to you if you deside to go concrete scout around for a local guy that knows concrete work help him and pay attention you will learn alot besides you will need help concrete is more labor intensive than wood.If you decide to go concrete let me know I have an other mixer back here in Pa. I could ship you. I wish you two were a little closer to me here in Patillas I have the perfect man who could help you out with a concrete home.Good luck on what ever you deside.