Our last post detailed the gorgeous front porch foundation, and now we're pleased to report that we've got some floor joists in place!

The floor joist installation raised a curious issue.  This is definitely our first historic restoration rodeo, but instinct and common sense suggest this latest development is hardly unexpected.  The masons did beautiful work on our new front elevation foundation.  As professional craftsmen, they built a level brick wall.  Guess what?!  Norris House as a whole is decidedly NOT level.  It slopes rather significantly downward when the eye travels from left to right across the front - to the tune of a couple of inches. 

The new bays on the front elevation will include hardwood flooring that continues from the front rooms of Norris House.  Those floors - you guessed it - slope downward slightly from left to right.  This clearly causes some issues when the new floor joists sitting atop a beautifully plumb masonry foundation are also plumb straight.  

The solution?  Our framers are diligently planing the new floor joists to match the slope of Norris House's original structure.  Charm and character for the win!