As I think I mentioned, the wall between the kitchen and living room was a load-bearing wall. Therefore, we couldn’t just knock it down. Brian figured out all about floating some giant beam in the attic and attaching it to something up there. Don’t really know the specifics – all I cared about was that he actually did get engineering approval for all this.
So on Thursday, he put up two bracing “walls” on either side of the wall being removed. Then he could take down that wall, cutting all the old supports out of the ceiling and prepping it for the new beam.
Having that in the middle of the room was the only thing that was a bit inconvenient, as it made getting into our space rooms difficult. (Had a 2×4 in the middle of the doorway.) It was a good excuse to go out for dinner.
Friday, I was home for most of the morning’s entertainment. Only a little cursing was invoved with them raising the 450 pound beam into place. Once the beam was securely in place, the temporary walls could come down. Then before leaving for the weekend, they closed off the gap in the ceiling.
So for the weekend, we’ve had one giant room.
Grilled Stuffed Pork Chops, Grilled Vegetables, and Caprese Salad
Not wanting to deprive ourselves of good dinners despite the lack of a kitchen, this was dinner Saturday night. I took to center cut pork chops and stuffed them with chorizo (made at our local market). The vegetables got a quick marinade in a vinaigrette before grilling. And then on the side was fresh tomatoes from my garden with fresh mozzarella and basil (and a little vinegar).
Filed under: dinner, gluten free, grilling, kitchen remodel
