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