miss scarlet, in the dining room, with a crow bar

this was my mask after about 30 minutes of ripping down the ceiling in the future dining room!

you should've seen my face- but there was no way i was going to take a picture of that mess!

but- i was so excited to see the new space, that i didnt care what was in that dust!

we are going with a cathedral ceiling in this space

first we need to remove the 2x4's that were supporting the plaster ceiling.

then, because the roof rafters are only 2x6's and we need 10" of space for the R-30 insulation, we will need to install new 2x6's below the existing.

and then, we will need to wall off the opening to the garage attic beyond- as seen in this pic 

flashback:

meanwhile, scott has just about finished rough framing the basement walls and running the new electrical circuits there.

the basement never looked better!

all the basement walls have been removed!

the debris pile needs to stay put for now because there is a mountain of snow between the basement and the dumpster...and i just heard that we will be getting a "significant amount of snow" in two days! snow is evil.

the little bit of reframing that needed to be done at the second floor bathroom is now complete

and we installed the tile backerboard on the floor so the plumber can do his thang.

we have been using hardiboard instead of durock tile backerboard because it is SO much easier to work with.

and last but not least, the first floor bathroom got a tub!

this is very exciting...it marks the first 'finish' item to be installed and it just means that the end is in sight!

state of the interior...more demo

the interior is almost ready for the installation of the new beams and removal of the old walls...

just needs one more day of picking the framing clean of nails and removing any plaster remnants.

but we are still hoping to get the new deck framed before we start the interior framing...if the weather holds out for one more week!


this is why i always wear a dust mask during demo:

i cant photograph the interior with a flash, it picks up all of the dust (that you cant see with the naked eye)!

bad idea: the little slot in the back of the medicine cabinet where you deposit used razor blades!

so where do all those used razor blades go?...

in the bottom of the wall!  and they wait there until some poor future remodeler decides to rip the wall down. gross.

it was way too cold to work outside today- the wind chill made it feel like 10 degrees, and it actually snowed.  so we decided to work on more interior demo.

no more toilet in the entry foyer:

bye bye!

sorry about the bad picture quality...i forgot my camera and had to use my phone

 

old kitchen/ future bath: 

making progress!

water water everywhere and not a drop to drink...

even a mildly germophobic person like myself should be more careful swinging a sledge hammer near a porcelain toilet...note crack- and water on floor!!!

 

oops. 

so i immediately shut off the water supply...but then i had to drain the toilet-one nasty cupful at a time.  i suppose it's as good a time as any to remove the toilet (good thing there is another one upstairs!) 

The space is really starting to OPEN up!

Metal Door Frames:

poopies from heaven

The absolute WORST part of demo is removing ceilings! Every ceiling that I have ever had to remove has been laden with mouse droppings- and this one was no different! Imagine spending your day pulling down plaster and being showered with dust, poopies and the occasional mouse skeleton...not fun! but someone has to do it- and right now, I am the only one here!

I wasn't going to post this picture, but why not? This is what the floor looks like during the ceiling removal!

I came across a couple of rodent nests along the way

I'm no expert, but this one looks like a fire hazard!

getting there:

And then- all work came to a SCREECHING halt!
when I drove myself to the hospital after my pinky attemped suicide.

not broken- the official diagnosis is a "crush injury"... but I now refer to my pinky as my purpley!

on the bright side, at least I get to spend the next few days mouse-poopie-free!

_____________________________________________________________________
okay...here is an update-4 days later.  is it just me, or does it actually look like it has gotten worse?

oh well, i have to try to get some work done today...

i can't help but wonder...

if fashion is cyclical, will green toilets be popular again one day?


future foyer space



more demo- stripping the heavy plaster

if you set small goals you are never disappointed!

The goal today was simple: remove all finishes from this wall and confirm that it is a bearing wall.

Remove finishes: check

cut hole in ceiling to confirm the wall is bearing: check

so the wall is definitely a bearing wall (through the hole in the ceiling i could see the ends of the floor joists that bear on the wall)- before we remove it, we will need to install a beam to support those second floor joists.

those ducts supply the second floor rooms- since the wall will be removed, those will be relocated.