The House Project :: Underneath it All

As you can see, construction practices were a matter of personal opinion. Depending on who was swinging the hammer, studs were anywhere from 12" to 32" apart. I know! Right? AND the house is still standing strong after 70 years! Responsibility for this miracle lies squarely on the shoulders of the material used: Wormy Chestnut


Yes, that's right, my little old house is built entirely of Wormy Chestnut. If I were a horrible, bad person, I would have torn the house down, and sold it off piece by piece for a tidy profit. But I am not a horrible, bad person, and so I chose to salvage and save, instead of demolish and profit. Silly, sentimental me...

The entire porch (10' x20') is supported by 6 Chestnut logs, still with their bark. Yup. 6.

Wormy is a bit of a misnomer. Worms were not the cause of the American Chestnut blight at the turn of the 20th century. It was a fungus from China that found its way here when Asian Chestnuts were imported. The fungus infected the wood, leaving tiny little 'wormholes.' Hence the name Wormy Chestnut. In an effort to protect the few remaining stands of uninfected trees, an overabundance of American Chestnut was cut down back in the day, and used for all sorts of ordinary tasks, including the building of old hunting cabins like mine. American Chestnut can still be found in large pockets west of the Mississippi, but here in the east, it is considered very, very rare.

Add a little white insulation and you got yerself  a Tudor!

Not wanting to send the wormy chestnut boards that my house was sided in to the landfill, I found a wood dude to come and take it away. I made adeal with him to strip the entire exterior of my house (including the porch and non-valuable wood) and in exchange, he gets the chestnut. He is a reclaimed wood specialist and was eager to get the chestnut for flooring, cabinetry, furniture and other niceties. The deal saved me money and the beautiful Wormy Chestnut goes on to live again where its beauty and history can be appreciated.

Pretty, huh? You can still see the old saw marks. The side against the house hasn't seen the light of day in 70 years.  Proves the point about sunscreen.....