First Look - 3rd Floor

The third floor is interesting because it doesn't use space very well. This is more or less how it looked upon purchase. It should be noted that the vertical wall and the horizontal wall on the left side are the only two 'load bearing' walls in the whole place. The rest of the load is held up on 4x8 oak beams that run north south. These beams are supported on each floor by one massive 6x12 rough-hewn beam that runs down the middle. On this floor all of those ar obscured not only by the walls, but by probably 3,000 pounds of ceiling plaster. That will come out.

In this picture, which would be the bottom right corner on the map above, you can see not only a crack in the plaster exposing the cross-hatch wood and horsehair mortar insulation (most commonly called Tudor-style here in the US), but also the rough hewn wood planks of the flooring, which is in fairly good condition, at least on this floor. I intend to retain the flooring, which is in thick one-foot planking, and sand and gap it. I will probably use tung oil for staining, if I stain at all. This flooring has worked exceptionally well for 300 years, and it would be retarded to tear it up now.

This room is top right on the map. The wall on the right is NOT load bearing and it will come out. Eventually a bathroom may go here, but for the time being I'm hoping to maximize light in this room. I also need to get all that plaster out. It's useless weight on the house and all it does by essentially lowering the ceiling a foot, is give the feeling of a choked space bending under its own weight, which is what it's actually kind of done over the past 200 years.

The plaster ceiling:

-L'H