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May 25, 2007

Kicking Ass and Labeling Moldings

There was a great post earlier this week on the Crown Heights Reno Blog. While you're getting a voyeuristic kick out of all the mess and destruction, keep in mind that the process hasn't been so easy for the owners. "In a word it's awful," n writes. "While some might relish the fact that progress is being made, i found it terribly disturbing. Even though i love the plans we have for the house, I hated watching parts of it be destroyed." Have others had similarly gut-wrenching reactions to watching their beloved homes torn apart?
Tons of Kick-Ass Demo Pics [CH Reno]

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Yes. I bought a four bedroom apartment, and decided to upgrade the electric, which meant drilling canals through plaster walls and ceilings in 6 rooms. It was a complete gut job, and I almost had a nervous breakdown in the middle of it. The electric guys drilled while I followed with fresh plaster patching. Absolute hell!

My only thing to tell the owners is, have faith. It's always darkest before the light. Just keep telling yourself all will be well.

Posted by: ocean ave guy at May 25, 2007 10:34 AM

I always find it hard to undo the work that others have done, even if what they did was (IMO) mistaken or hideous. I always think that whoever did the previous work went through exactly what I am going through in doing the new work -- the planning, the choosing, the spending, the sweat -- and here I am ripping it all apart -- and some day, no doubt, someone else will come along and undo everything I've done. It makes me kind of sad. And it does kind of hurt to see holes being made in the walls of a house you love. It's like watching a child get a vaccination -- even though you know it's all for the best, it's hard to watch.

Posted by: sentimental at May 25, 2007 10:37 AM

It gets better, and dramatically so at certain points. It will seem dirty and disorganized for a while, then you'll have a major step forward in contruction and feel a lot better.

Posted by: lp at May 25, 2007 11:16 AM

My heart still stops when I see this stuff. What i remember is how much our house shook, both during demo and much of the construction phase (please stop hurting my house!!!). I had such mixed feelings about the house going in (long story I won't go into now), but nearly cried with the beating the house took in the early phases. Nothing really feels like progress until the walls go back up. It was particularly weird to see the house with no sub floor (hi, boiler, I can see you from way up here) and no rear wall, not to mention all the contractor tools, buckets of weird accessories, etc. strewn all over. It wasn't that long ago but feels like another lifetime. The other thing I found was that the bad surprises made themselves known before the good surprises, but there will be good surprises.

For a while, it will be hard to take all the "but it will all be worth it in the end" comments from people who haven't been through it. I think it's great CH Reno is blogging because he will have a community that understands what he is going through. I wish I had blogged and gotten that benefit.

I do think no one is going to do to CH Reno's house what CH Reno is doing now for a long time, however (although I respect his Buddhist reflection on impermanence). That house will bear his imprint for a long time. For most of these 100+ year old houses, the current reno is teh first in a lon g, long time, as it has only been recently that the homes have enough value to support this great an investment of time and materials. I can say CH, your house will be great when it's done. However, I can't look within your soul or into the future and tell you it will all be worth it. Like Mao said about whether the French Revolution was a success, "it's too early to tell."

Good luck and it will get better.

Posted by: Anonymous at May 25, 2007 11:25 AM

Yes, when we got to demolishing certain things we actually changed the plans. to save them.

Posted by: Anonymous at May 25, 2007 11:52 AM

I'm a contractor and I love making a big mess in other peoples homes. ( I 'm joking..... well, just a little ) . But yes, it is hard to live with a mess and I feel the preasure. If the owners are living in the space it can't be finished soon enough. It's always such a mess until you start building the space back. I'm always surprised by how much construction garbage previous contractors leave in walls. Most of it is trash but sometimes I'll find fun stuff, like an old doll or a tool like a pocket knife or a screwdriver. Recently I found an old English quarter cent 1865 that was being used as a shim. That was really cool. So sometimes opening up walls can be an adventure. I've become more aware that my new renovation will be an old renovation someday. Often I'll make a time capsual for some future contractors to find behind a wall just for the fun of it. I'll leave notes of what I did, tell them who I am, some photos, what the day was like. Just for the fun of imagining long after I'm gone, someone will find my note or package and will be thrilled by the experience.

Posted by: Rick at May 25, 2007 12:09 PM

That's so great, Rick. We've all heard about things workers left behind 100 years ago building houses, but I hadn't thought about the idea of leaving things ourselves. Maybe the homeowners could add some things as well, if they wanted, into the walls of the house.

Posted by: Anonymous at May 25, 2007 12:30 PM

does anyone know if the plaster walls used in these house were mixed with Asbestos? also when taking down the plaster how did you prevent the lead from getting everywhere? and what was the best method for exposing the brick. thanks

Posted by: ron at May 25, 2007 1:50 PM

I'm so happy this phase is behind us, but it was all worth it in the end. As we headed for the home stretch, the dust was everywhere, mainly from skim-coating. We didn't have a proper closet yet, so our clothes were on a garment rack covered with plastic. Let's just say this wasn't highly effective.

Then, even if my outfit of the day wasn't dusty, it would get get dusty by the time I left the house for work. Invariably, someone would say--"hey, you have a big white stripe across your... (backside, arm, pantleg, etc)"

After a few weeks, I started to say, Yeah? And? So?

It was just the way it was gonna be for awhile and I decided to embrace it!

Posted by: tinarina at May 25, 2007 2:05 PM

Waht's really awful is if you do floors in phases like we're doing. Besides the unbelievable mess, you have to relive the horror of losing details over and over again. We're done with floors #3 and #4, now we're onto our living space (floors 1 and 2). Hope we live thru it.

Posted by: North Sleeper at May 25, 2007 2:48 PM

NO, it was glorious to rip it apart. Out with the old, in with the new! Well in my house at least where the only details that remained were 2 window casings and a crumbling staircase. It was a chance to undo 50 years worth of bad renovation. Ok i must admit it was bittersweet to see 40yd dumpsters one after another going to the landfill. So much trash. But to turn around and look at the empty slate was euphoric - such possibilty ahead.

Posted by: 635Stuy at May 25, 2007 3:15 PM

I experienced the opposite at least in the beginning. I had a feeling of glee and exhilaration to to watch the guys start demo on the house whose decor was straight out of a Gothic horror flick. Nobody touched any of the good stuff; I hovered. But the guys were having so much fun with their leather belts and sledge hammers, how could it not be fun. Also I was amazed at the mountains of trash and the bags and wood etc. I loved the beginning phases of construction which moved so quickly.
But then the real work started which was just plain hard. The detective work as crummy sheetrock was pulled off revealed things like unvented sinks (peeeuuuwwww) and all sorts of messy workmanship and we began the often painfully slow work of dealing with decisions, problems which came up and we peeled the old off. I tried to live in the house before it was done and I almost went into respiratory arrest, breathing dust for a month until I moved out. I'll fast forward past the part where my contractor and I were trying not to kill one another to the part where it all worked out in the end. It does end and if you are patient and have fortitude you get a great place. Hang in there and Good luck to you!!

Posted by: donatella at May 25, 2007 3:35 PM

Ah, living through demolition...the good ol' days! We found it useful to clap the cats together like erasers out an open window at the end of each day.

Posted by: Brenda from Flatbush at May 25, 2007 10:26 PM

good point, ron. do you worry about lead dust with demo like this? asbestos? curious how people deal with these concerns. very costly if you do, i imagine.

Posted by: anon at May 26, 2007 4:36 AM

i must confess, we aren't living in the house at this moment and (gasp) we didn't take any precautions about lead dust

@rick i love the story about things left in the walls and making a time capsule. we did find a mirror in the basement wall and our contractor was really touched by a crumbling note with the provenance of the wood used for paneling that he found when he removed it.

the one thing that i do feel good about is that we uncovered structural weaknesses that would never have otherwise been repaired: crumbling beams from leaks, bricks that had absolutely no mortar, joists that had been severely compromised. I am glad this stuff is being taken care of.

Posted by: ms crown heights reno at May 28, 2007 8:31 PM

and thanks for all the responses confirming that i am not alone in my reaction to this phase

Posted by: ms. crown heights reno at May 28, 2007 8:35 PM

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May 25, 2007

Kicking Ass and Labeling Moldings

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