Under the Floor Boards

As work continues on the Yeaton House, we learn more about how the house looked when it was built.  Today, as John was lifting up floorboards to see about running the electrical, he discovered that the floor boards and joist were once visible from the first floor.  When Thales Yeaton built his home around 1795, he built a shop space on the first floor.  It's this space that is under the exposed floor/ceiling system.  

Preservation carpenter John Schnitzler lifts floor boards up to examine the space below.

John discovered that the finish boards were ship-lapped and planed smooth, as were the joist.  The builder planned to have the wood exposed.   

To the right of the board is the planed edge that would fit into a corresponding mate.  The surface has been planed smooth.  This upper chamber's sub-floor is the room below's ceiling.

The interior of the floor cavity shows that same planed surface on the joist.