The demolition is almost complete! In my opinion, the demolition phase moves the slowest and it is during this time that I find myself getting the most discouraged about ever finishing this project. In our situation, it seems like every time a wall, floor, bathroom, etc. is demolished, we find *something* under, behind, or in that needs to be replaced or repaired - which usually requires more time and/or more money. Sometimes both. In addition, everything is so dirty, dusty and ugly that it is a real struggle for me to imagine how it will all look when finished and "pretty".
Under the ugly carpet in the family room, we found even uglier linoleum. The funny thing is that I have had 2-3 friends over to see the house and they have all commented that they had similar linoleum in their homes while growing up.
The original plan was for Mimmo and Dan to repair and re-paint the paneling on the walls in the bedroom; however, we found that the paneling had been installed without any drywall behind it (the paneling was installed directly to the studs and over the insulation) so we removed the paneling and will install drywall before painting.
After the removal of the paneling.
And, after the installation of the drywall.
We also found some issues with the support (there wasn't any) of the duct work in the ceiling and the duct was sagging so they built a bulkhead around the duct in order to stabilize it.
The duct before.
And after...
If you thought the linoleum in the family room was bad, take a look at this loveliness...
It was under the carpet in the guest room and we had a brief scare that it might contain asbestos. Asbestos removal = lots of $$$ and, fortunately for us, it was asbestos-free.
I didn't think this bathroom could look much worse than it already did but its demolition proved me wrong. In addition to two leaks, we found more ugly linoleum in the area under where the bathtub/shower had been. I am telling you, this house has the monopoly on ugly floor coverings!
We were so lucky that this bathroom had not been used much because the water pipe to the bathtub/shower was literally hanging by a thread and there was another leak from a pipe under the sink.
We were so lucky that this bathroom had not been used much because the water pipe to the bathtub/shower was literally hanging by a thread and there was another leak from a pipe under the sink.
The toilet had not been installed correctly (one reason for the jack-hammering yesterday) and we found there were TWO layers of drywall on the walls in the bathroom (maybe to make up for the lack of drywall behind the paneling in the bedroom ???). Things that make you go, "hmm".
So, about that jack-hammering yesterday...
The photos below show the bathroom as it looks this morning. A knowledgeable person would know exactly what was incorrect about the original toilet installation (apparently, the toilet was perched on the pipe in the photo below and anchored to the floor with just two bolts) but all I have is this photo.
Sonder had to get his nose in there to see exactly what all that noise was about!
Why was it necessary for us to jack-hammer this area? Well, in the photo below, you can see a "step" up into the bathtub/shower...
That step was an accident waiting to happen - stepping out of a shower at that height and on to tile with wet feet?!? Yikes! In order to allow for easier and safer access, I wanted to replace the bathtub/shower with a walk-in shower and remove that raised platform/step. Mimmo, Dan and I were very curious as to what we would find "hidden" under that platform. There had been some chatter of finding Jimmy Hoffa's body and I think we were all a little disappointed to see that it was only built to accommodate the plumbing. I was just glad to see that there weren't any issues under there that would require more time or money! The area is jack-hammered and ready to go and they will lay the new plumbing in that area and install a new shower to be flush with the floor.
Have a great Thursday!
No comments:
Post a Comment