Bathroom Demolished, Revealing Original Features

Demolition of the bathroom has been completed. Seeing the space as a completely empty space has given us a good idea of what the final bathroom size will be once the walls are up.  It seems as if it will meet our expectations, and fulfill our needs if we employ good design and planning.

Tearing out the sheet rock and original walls has exposed some original elements of the structure. What we thought was a forty year old wall, ended up being a 140 year old wall. (seen below) It was removed in one piece to preserve it for future use. The original pieces we have removed from the house are very different dimensions than lumber that can be purchased now. The 2x4s were more like 3x5s, as opposed to modern 2x4s which don't even measure two or four inches. The nails used are wrought iron hand made nails. They are pretty neat.

Remnants of a 19th century tongue and groove wall,
 removed as a whole

Instead of an easy demolition, it became a lot more complicated with the discovery of the 19th century wall. That wall was covered with horizontal tongue and groove wood that did not have a decorative bead cut into it. It was simply flat boards applied horizontally and it was painted gray. We believe it was the inside of a pantry or storage room, and as a result was not plastered.

remnants of a niche exposed during demolition

Another revelation was the discovery of remnants of a small niche in the wall that we believe must have been either kitchen shelves or a small cabinet. Whatever it was, its construction was certainly questionable. To create the sides of the cabinet they cut out the upright stud that holds up the floor and roof above it. Considering this is a balloon framed house, that was a bad idea.

bathroom wall with wall board removed and 1960s fiberglass insulation

Ripping out the 1960s remodeling exposed a lot of poorly done insulation application, and the poor choices of the inexperienced do it yourself homeowners who's inexperience is demonstrated in the unique construction. It seems as if they couldn't find their way out of a hardware store, let alone rebuild a historic building. What do you think? Comments welcomed below.