Two Big Holes in the Floor

The latest project at the house has been taking down the chimney. We decided that the chimney was unnecessary to the house. The furnace will be vented elsewhere and removing the chimney will give us more room in the kitchen and the girls' bedroom. Josh took down the external section first and had to attempt to match shingles to the rest of the roof. They are a gray-green, not very easy to match, but he did his best. Then Josh worked from the top down, knocking each section of chimney apart and dropping the bricks on down the chimney. They formed a pile on the basement floor. Then he and a couple of friends bucketed the bricks out of the house. Definitely a labor-intensive project. Now we are left with two good size holes in the floor. As a result, the girls enjoy dropping things down the hole and can't play in the house alone until they are patched!
One highlight of the chimney removal was the excitement of a raccoon who was stuck in the chimney. He was stuck about halfway down and had to stay there until Josh could work down to his level and remove him. I wish I could have watched him try to get that really big coon out without being attacked!!!
BEFORE
Left: Girls' Bedroom Right: Basement

Left: Girls' Room minus Chimney Right: Kitchen minus Chimney

From Briggs House Remodel

Josh has also removed the interior walls in the basement. This opens up the area in one large space. He plans to use steel support beams along the ceiling for support to the main floor. Removing these walls will help level out some high spots in the floor; they were pushing up in the dining room and kitchen.
Later, many years down the road, we will create a better layout in the basement and make some rooms