Let's Start Some Demolition!

About the same time I started finishing off the drawings, I had the hankerin' to do some demolition. It's just something quite fun to do sometimes.

I had hired someone to clean out the majority of the existing debris. So when I started, it was nice and clean. Only to get dirty again. You pretty much figure this cycle's going to occur about a million times. So I started out with the built-ins and the front room and moved as far as I could over a couple weekends.

This is the work that was completed long before I purchased the house. Originally, the bathtub (a clawfoot) was connected to the house plumbing by garden hose. I really hope to provide better better installed plumbing than that down the road. I'm sure it worked just fine. This is the ceiling / floor of the bathroom upstairs.

Downstairs, the basement is relatively clean and water free. It is a bit tighter that my current basement, but will serve as wonderful storage in the future. Don't worry about that pool of water. I'm going to power was the walls and fix the main drain sometime soon.

Moving on to the basement entrance: the basement door, along with the windows, had been boarded up previously. My simple goal was to open it up and let the basement breathe. I had some help from my little brother (www.bbbsci.org), Charles too. He rather enjoyed weilding the sledge and pry-bar.

It is truly amazing how little crap it takes to fill a dumpster. I haven't even really begun demolition yet and I've already filled up our 20 yarder. I had to order another. AND it was 6.3 tons (which is 1.3 over the limit for which I have to pay extra). Didn't seem like it was 6.3 tons when i tried to lift it. Ha ha.

Starting with the built-ins, I removed them (in one piece each thankfully) and put them aside. Next was to clean off only as much plaster as was needed. This whole place is being covered with gyp. brd. (drywall) anyway. I also hired a laborer to pull trim and remove nails from the existing trim. I want to keep it for a number of reasons. Possible re-use is one, saving dumpster space is another. It comes in handy as spacers is a third. You just never know when it will come in handy to have some original trim lying around. That and lathe.

Here's the same room about 2 weeks later. Seems like it continues to fill up with crap, too. Such as my doors from previous salvage expeditions, duct board and other components that seem necessary to keep for future use:

Charles and I got up into the attic through the 20 x 20 hole in one of the closet ceilings (what were they thinking back then?). We found a cool, old, preserved newspaper from 1927. I guess the house was probably built just before or right around there. It was so brittle that it cracked if you tried to move it, but still neat nonetheless.

Oh. What's this? This is one of our latest home brews! I think actually these 2 beers are our "Stolen Goods Honey Porter" and "Big Buck Oatmeal Stout." The Porter was named appropriately because the day after we brewed, the garage...errr, brewer....was broken into and stuff was stolen. Thankfully not brewery stuff, but all stuff = $$, right! This is some good stuff though.

Next up will be the attic door demolition and installation. Stay tuned.