Finally, our ducks are in a row. The engineer has signed off on our shop drawings, the steel has been fabricated for the job and 15 workers are waiting out in front of my house to steward the steel into my backyard. However, as anyone who has ever renovated a brownstone knows, before you can work with the steel IN the backyard, you have to get the steel TO the backyard - which means taking it through the house, through the temporary wall in the temporary kitchen and out the back parlor windows and down to the concrete below.

14 very large and very strong men carried the 3 story beams through my living room.

They pause to pop the beam over the bannister and then onward through the house.

Then onward...

Out through the temporary opening in the rear of the temporary kitchen.

And through the old windows and down to the concrete below.

The tall pieces were bolted to the foundations.

The horizontal pieces were cut into the brick walls.

A little come along was used to maneuver the steel into place where workers put the bolts in.

Though it probably feels like nothing to these skywalkers to me, it still looked like a long way down.

The measure and compare notes as if they are standing on the ground instead of a 8 inch beam.

Bolts were added at all the corners.

I don't live in earthquake country anymore, but this baby is not going anywhere and it is totally square.

Almost there, a few adjustments...

And like magic — six hours later, the erector set has produced this structure.

After all that waiting, it just took one day to frame the entire back of the house. One to the next step, joists, exterior walls and water proofing. — Laurie

2017
- Jun 1, 2017 A place for morning coffee or evening cocktail. Jun 1, 2017
- May 18, 2017 Descending to the Garden May 18, 2017
- May 14, 2017 Every Girl Needs a Little Income Property. May 14, 2017
- May 12, 2017 It's Springtime in Brooklyn May 12, 2017
- May 12, 2017 Barbie's Dream Kitchen Is Revealed May 12, 2017
- Jan 18, 2017 Imagine a Really Big 3D Puzzle That Needs to Be Assembled Jan 18, 2017
- Jan 18, 2017 It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Kitchen! Jan 18, 2017
2016
- Nov 22, 2016 What a Difference a Floor Makes! Nov 22, 2016
- Nov 21, 2016 Bring on the Grout Nov 21, 2016
- Nov 19, 2016 We're Getting Ready for Winter! Nov 19, 2016
- Nov 10, 2016 Sprayfoam is even better than silly string Nov 10, 2016
- Nov 10, 2016 Now, it is now free to snow! Nov 10, 2016
- Oct 17, 2016 Now We're Cooking With Gas! Oct 17, 2016
- Jul 23, 2016 The House is Getting It's Bones Jul 23, 2016
- Jul 23, 2016 New Eyes for The House Jul 23, 2016
- Jul 15, 2016 My BackYard Looks Like an Erector Set Jul 15, 2016
- Jul 11, 2016 The Waiting Game Jul 11, 2016
- Apr 9, 2016 The sweet sound of concrete. Apr 9, 2016
- Mar 25, 2016 The Big Dig Has Begun Mar 25, 2016
- Mar 25, 2016 P.S. My Finished New Doors Mar 25, 2016
- Mar 11, 2016 Every Girl Needs Some Iron In Her Life... Mar 11, 2016
- Mar 7, 2016 Is it wrong to love your front doors so much? Mar 7, 2016
- Feb 1, 2016 Things are looking up! Feb 1, 2016
- Jan 28, 2016 One Pair of Stately Front Doors Coming Up! Jan 28, 2016
- Jan 11, 2016 You know what they say about idle hands? Jan 11, 2016
2015
- Nov 12, 2015 In Defense of the DOB — Well Sort Of... Nov 12, 2015
- Oct 12, 2015 The Master Bath Oct 12, 2015
- Oct 12, 2015 The Master Suite Oct 12, 2015
- Oct 12, 2015 A Master Suite — The Before Pictures Oct 12, 2015
- Oct 12, 2015 Creating the Shell Oct 12, 2015
- Oct 4, 2015 How Hard Was It? Oct 4, 2015
- Oct 3, 2015 The Jewel in the Parlor Oct 3, 2015
- Sep 24, 2015 Heavenly Stairway Sep 24, 2015
- Sep 23, 2015 I'm Deckless Sep 23, 2015
- Sep 18, 2015 How Hard Could it Be? Sep 18, 2015
- Sep 17, 2015 The Making of a Copper Ceiling Sep 17, 2015
- Sep 6, 2015 Putting the Labor into Labor Day Weekend Sep 6, 2015
- Jul 26, 2015 Structural...but not visual progress Jul 26, 2015
- Jul 18, 2015 There will be no roaring fire... Jul 18, 2015
- Jul 15, 2015 Satisfaction Jul 15, 2015
- Jul 13, 2015 The Tyranny of a Temporary Kitchen Jul 13, 2015
- Jul 11, 2015 Let There Be Light Jul 11, 2015
- Jul 6, 2015 The Power of YouTube! Jul 6, 2015
- Jul 1, 2015 Let There Be Art! Jul 1, 2015
- Jun 16, 2015 I'll take it...Progress that is. Jun 16, 2015
- Jun 13, 2015 Houston — We Have Beam! Jun 13, 2015
- Jun 11, 2015 Houston — We're gonna need a beam! Jun 11, 2015
- Jun 4, 2015 An addendum on symmetry and perspective Jun 4, 2015
- Jun 3, 2015 Symmetry, perspective and the eye of the beholder Jun 3, 2015
- May 13, 2015 Human Cranes! May 13, 2015
- May 11, 2015 Company is Coming! May 11, 2015
- May 10, 2015 Let there be closet! and Master Bedroom! May 10, 2015
- May 4, 2015 "No, I am not a victim of domestic violence.... May 4, 2015
- May 2, 2015 How about a little curb appeal? May 2, 2015
- Apr 27, 2015 The DOB — Its all about the Permit Apr 27, 2015
- Apr 20, 2015 It will put hair on your chest. Apr 20, 2015
- Apr 17, 2015 Spring has Sprung! Apr 17, 2015
- Mar 24, 2015 The cavalry has arrived, but the grate is blocked! Mar 24, 2015
- Mar 4, 2015 I thought we were done with Winter! Mar 4, 2015
- Feb 16, 2015 Moving Day Feb 16, 2015
- Feb 13, 2015 I just want to do a load of laundry! Feb 13, 2015
- Feb 11, 2015 Let's See The Floors! Feb 11, 2015
- Feb 10, 2015 A New Closet For Me. Feb 10, 2015
- Feb 9, 2015 Let there be brick! Feb 9, 2015
- Feb 6, 2015 An Ominous Start Feb 6, 2015