Looking Behind the Walls of the Kuppersmith House

  

Works is moving fast on our 1920s Kuppersmith Project house renovation. The good news is that after tearing out the old plaster and lathing, we’ve found very little rot or termite damage in the house.

With the plaster gone, you can see the antiquated knob and tube wiring that was used in houses back then, with single strands of wire supported by porcelain insulators.

We’re also in the process of removing the poured mortar beds that were under the tile floors in the house. This is the way they used to lay tile back then to keep them from cracking, but the thick mortar beds add a lot of unnecessary weight to the floors.

While gutting the house, we’re working to save anything that can be recycled or reused. That includes all the old copper pipes and even the metal window weights, which make great boat anchors.

To open the house up and give it a feeling of space, we plan to remove the second floor landing on the staircase to create an open stairwell with an impressive light fixture on the ceiling.

There’s a lot going on here at the Kuppersmith Project, so check back soon to see more of our progress.