See that beam running along up there? The one on the right of the post? It's a long, substantial bit of fir that's been supporting the north half of this house for over 80 years. Because the city dictated it was too low to be allowed when we started the renovation, we replaced it with an I beam raisied up to the same level as the joists, which added several inches of height to our new space.
But what to do with the removed beam?
It's a lovely piece of old wood for one thing, and connected to the house historically and (for us) sentimentally.
So when we decided to have a fireplace with a mantle, it was easy to choose the material for the mantle.
Cut into the right length, and finished appropriately, our beloved beam is now back in its rightful place as a visible element of the house, although this time its allowed to be decorative instead of purely functional. 
We should all be so lucky in our old age.
As my students would say: "Awesome!"
ReplyDeleteGood job. Looking forward to seeing everything in December!