The doorway from the dining room into the kitchen was entirely too low for anyone of average height. It would need to be raised by at least 6 inches.
When the house was built, the door frames were made from solid oak hardwood, two upright side posts, and an arched header across the top fitted by mortise and tenon. The bottom of each pillar was initially buried in the dirt. Although now, those bases were rotted and needed replacing before we went much further.
The dining room has an enormous fireplace next to the carved Soapstone counter and a small sink on the east wall. The family's meals were cooked in the fireplace. It was in use until a modern kitchen with running water was added across the back of the house, perhaps Mid-Century. The doorway was constructed through the north exterior wall, which was fully 1 meter deep.
There is a tell-tale sign of the original arch's slight curve. Look closely to see the stacked tile edges in the corners. Long nails were pounded into the oak and then bent to create a surface that held the plaster in place for several decades.
The frame was exposed to reveal the underlying structure. How much of the header to remove and still maintain the wall/ceiling's integrity became the primary concern.
Here Barry measures how much of the side pillar must be replaced. About 1/3 of that side was merely non-existent! The right side faired only slightly better.
Initial vertical cuts on both sides were carefully calculated... slow and steady... cutting more is always an option. But UN cutting was not!
Crafting an arch into the doorframe rather than a straight horizontal top would allow safer passage without compromising the entire doorway.
The first cut is on the conservative side. Cutting out a flatter curve allowed us to create the perfect arch.
The second cut is perfect!
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Lots of exploring and advance planning. At one time, this area had been an exterior wall, so it had been built for strength rather than beauty. The void after all the loose stones and cement fell out was about 14-15 inches deep!
Bits of the remaining rubble that hadn't fallen out had to be removed, but the structure still needed to be braced while the deep voids were filled. Those areas were reinforced beginning from each side then rebuilding slowly toward the middle.
Each layer needed time to dry, so we used a Tunnel Jack or Screw Jack and a few wood pieces to hold the rock and cement in place while it dried.
Now, filling the empty spaces could begin, and we worked from the sides toward the center. The large gap was reinforced and filled with stones and cement, then allowed to cure or dry. After about four days, the cement was thoroughly dry, and the ceiling seemed to be stable now; it was time to remove the jack!
This view is from the kitchen into the dining room.
This photo shows one of the mortar and tenon joints near the top of the side. The newly rebuilt door frame and the ceiling were ready for plaster. During the summer months, the weather is hot, so the plaster will dry quickly.
No more head bumps walking into the kitchen. But that kitchen... oh, my! Stay tuned for perhaps the most significant renovation so far!
