Our home tour, Jenny and Marc's Sunny Victorian Gut Job got such a great response, we wanted to follow up and answer some of the most common questions. The three main concerns were about the exposed beams:
- You will lose sound insulation
- Exposed wiring is unavoidable
- Debris will rain down on your dining table
Homeowner and architect Jenny Francis has graciously responded, dispelling some concerns and explaining others, making this a project that — if you're up for it — is hard to turn down.
Jenny's response:
I'm glad people are interested! I love having the exposed wood — during demolition we were very happy to see how gorgeous the original joists and decking were — it would have been a shame to just cover them up again with drywall. I think it adds warmth, character and texture. To respond to the concerns:
- Sound transmission hasn't been an issue for us — we do have a couple of squeaky boards on the second floor, but as a small century-old house for two people, that is just fine, and is to be expected in an older house. The loft-like quality of the ceiling is also part of the open concept - we didn't expect completely isolated acoustics.
- For wiring, we were strategic with the placement of the pendant lights and fan, and sheathed the wiring in pipe — it looks very clean. It's the same approach one would take in a loft with exposed ceilings. I actually like that you can see one of the century-old gas-light pipes; there is a sense of history. You just have to be mindful and consider what you want to see when designing the lighting layout.
- Debris and dust falling has never been an issue for us — the sub-floor above is sturdy and tight, and the decking above the joists is in great shape and attractive. No dust!
We did sand each joist lightly during construction, and brushed each one with a wire brush as well, so that they are clean and free of any major splinters. We did choose to leave some of the bark on — it adds real character and you don't find joists like that any more.
This is definitely a modern, somewhat adventurous look. You should only do this if you have nice joists to work with and enjoy a loft-like open space. I find it makes our tiny house feel much higher, and bigger. We did fill adjoining bulkheads with Roxul sound insulation, which is very effective. We did not need to do anything from above but you could lay down another layer of sub-floor to reduce any chance of noise transmission, if you choose. Another tip would be to keep it simple and architectural. You don't want to make fussy shapes, or overwork this concept.
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