Pre-Demolition

Usually when people move out of a house, they pack up their personal belongings and leave the house behind. In this case, we had started down the road of remodeling in 2005 when we bought the house, and so there were many things worth re-using in the new house … light fixtures, ceiling fans, doors, vanities, toilets, shower door, hot water heater … and things at least worth selling to someone else … Buck Stove, dishwasher, cast iron sink, stove

~used to be my kitchen~

… and most importantly things worth stocking in my husband’s Home Depot Annex… electrical wire, electrical switches, plugs and cover plates … yes, even the box that is in the wall that holds the switch was removed with a quick sledge hammer smash to the drywall. They took out both furnaces (yes, 2 … the pre-1900 construction of the walls didn’t allow duct work to be run to the 2^nd floor), all 3 (yes, 3) electrical panels, anything made of steel, aluminum or copper (scrap metal prices are an all-time high).

And when the demolition crew still hadn’t shown up, the guys took out all the new (from 2005) walls on the 2^nd floor, the 2x4’s, batts of insulation, lots of wiring and a newer window. We also took up the original oak floors on the second floor. And I mentioned the fiberglass shower insert and the bead board/peg walls in the laundry room that became my new shower. I took out all kinds of trim to reuse in the kitchenette and ½ bath that hasn’t been finished in our current living quarters. We also took out the 1x6 trim I put around both living rooms for re-use.

But sometimes you find things you don’t expect to find… I was in the laundry room pulling out some trim and cousin T was on a ladder in the hallway around the corner. He was smashing the ceiling drywall to retrieve the 6 gauge wire that ran from the dryer to the electrical panel when I hear him scream like a girl and jump off the ladder. In the ceiling was the shedded skin of our pet snake, Frank, I have written about in past posts. We pulled the skin out in tact head to toe and it was at least 7 feet long. Right next to the skin was a bird’s nest. (Are you still wondering why we demolished the house? More reasons later.) So we are truly hoping Frank moved out before the demolition… and he doesn’t move back into the new house.

Do we still need to pay the demolition crew? There’s not much left, guys!