Amazing, huh? That's bona fide, 1.5" red oak wood flooring, circa 1953. We were excited, let me tell you. The carpet, however, did hide some dark knowledge about the floor's sketchy past.
What's that in the corner?!?! That's not red oak! That's...some sort of out-of-date kitchen flooring! How can this be? That wasn't all...
Check that out! Why did they even install a floor furnace in the first place, if they were just going to remove it and cover the whole with unsightly plywood? But the most revealing detail about this floor is right here:
Oh, noes! Is that a Wall?! Upon further contemplation, the three of us agreed that this was a major load-bearing wall that ran down the center of the original structure. The piers in the crawlspace all run along this line, and the ceiling also shows signs that a wall used to be here. The house used to have three tiny bedrooms, two of which survive, a tiny bathroom (still got that), and a tiny kitchen (now grown to about twice its original size). The central wall had been moved about two feet to the west, opening up the living room and causing our flooring problem.
So, what's our solution? We're thinking about replacing the old floor so it looks like the rest, with 1.5" red oak strips. We'll keep you posted on the progress, as always.
1 Cor 4:5 - Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one's praise will come from God.
So is your house going to stay standing if that was a load bearing wall that was taken out? Congrats on the hardwood floors, though. That's a pretty awesome blessing under the carpet!
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