RENOVATION321
over the spaces mentioned previously. Because of our insistence
on having a ballroom upstairs where multiple couples
would very well be dancing, the truss system supporting the
floor had to be upgraded. It would mean removing the original
heart pine floor joists but we had plans to repurpose that wood
where it would be seen and appreciated in the form of wall
paneling. The beautiful original floor planks also would be
salvaged and used to restore the downstairs floor in what was
going to be the Victorian parlor and dining room areas.
Next, we needed someone to execute our plans.
At the time there were very few contractors willing to add to
their list of projects. After talking to half-a-dozen builders,
we were steered to Jerry Knerr. He was relatively new, having
started his company, Titan Construction and Consulting LLC,
in January 2019.
He latched onto our ideas and demonstrated a can-do mindset
that we liked. He was willing to build the addition, but first he
had to take apart part of what was there.
DEMOLITION BEGINS
Deconstruction of the decking, flooring and walls began in July
2021. We moved in two months later. With much of the river
side of the house boarded up we could only see the river from
the upstairs master bedroom. Before long we lost that as well
as we retreated into living in the remaining three bedrooms
and the kitchen.
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CHRISTOPHER BROOKS
The new bedroom suite downstairs will replace part of the lanai while the upper
deck will be enclosed to become part of the ballroom.
The frustration was exacerbated by the delays in starting
the framing due to plan changes, permitting, COVID-19 and
product shortages. For example, because the house is in the
historical district, we found we could not build a new wall
closer than 10 feet to the property line. That triggered a twomonth
plan alteration delay and necessitated shifting the
addition over almost 3 feet at the expense of the lanai. Then
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