Raze the Roof

I stopped by the house on the way to the library yesterday, and the roof was mostly gone! Thanks to the spray foam insulation we had installed a few years ago, the house did not feel completely open to the elements, but there were several places where you could look up and see the sky (or at least a tarp).
I didn't venture too far into the house as there were still guys walking around on the roof -- and the occasional chunk of debris falling to the floor. Here's the view from just inside the front door looking straight back through the arch into the dining room and family room.

The sound of jackhammers could be heard from the basement. Paul (the guy in the photo above) told me they were digging up the basement floor to do the foundation work and waterproofing. I did not think it would be a good idea to wander downstairs to take photos of that. So far, no other artifacts (or dead bodies) have turned up, but I wouldn't be surprised if something was unearthed during the foundation work, since they'll also be digging around the exterior of the house. One other interesting thing we discovered was this strange metal tank above the closet in my office (next to the bathroom).
There were pipes running down to the basement from the other side, so our builder thinks it might have been an auxiliary hot water tank for the bathroom. It appears to say "Electric Hild" on it, but I haven't found any information about that name.

Anyway, my subsequent trip to the library's Virginia Room was not all that fruitful. Even though I called first to ask, it turns out they do not have archival property records there. I'll have to make a trip to the Land Records Division of the county offices later this week to get that information. The lady who managed the Virginia Room was fascinated by all the stuff that was found in the house (I brought it along) and encouraged me to come back once I had done my research with the county records. She even suggested creating an exhibit at the library if I was able to learn anything interesting about the items. We'll see...

We had a meeting with our builders and architect this morning to discuss all the items they need us to make decisions on ASAP. They are interconnected, so each decision will affect the others -- which doesn't make it any easier. I think we've got a handle on the windows, but we'll need to educate ourselves a little more about some of the other issues, including mold abatement and stucco options. I thought I learned a lot of esoteric information working for Discovery, but it pales in comparison to all the things I need to know about now...