demolition stage 1

We started demolition a little too early, when we thought we'd get the permit right after New Year's. I posted the pictures up on my flickr pages under the 712 Linden collection, and I'll keep a running photo update as we move along, and as I have time to be at the house.

It was very interesting to see the structure of the house. Most of the lathe & plaster walls have what looks like a 2x3 framing, and there's R-11 insulation everywhere. We thought we'd keep the insulation but finally decided to trash it in favor of eco- and health-friendly insulation that works better. So far we have been removing all the insulation under the assumption that we'll replace it, plus it'll be easier to run the new electrical and plumbing without the insulation in place.

The kitchen walls are all interlocked and support the roof and skylight, so we couldn't demo these walls like we originally thought.

Unfortunately G seems to have been a bit zealous in demo'ing; he cut 2 studs in the master bedroom which I think was a waste of time, in addition to ripping the drywall off the wall that borders the hallway. So that will have to be fixed.

Josh demo'd the family room chimney; the brick floor took some time but then we discovered that was the only brick - the rest of the chimney is insulation and wood framing! easy work.

The good thing is everybody's been working hard, so we've gotten a lot accomplished. G and Josh's crew have stripped all the lathe & plaster from the walls we're changing, and removed all the interior materials possible - electrical hardware, appliances, plumbing fixtures and cabinets.

We've also gone through a lot of debris boxes. We've had a 15 yard box, a 20 yard box, and an 8 yard box so far.