We are officially halfway through the demolition. wow. I’m beat.
We have a total of 2,200 square feet of plaster and lathe to remove, and we’ve removed 1,248 of it so far. Only 952 square feet more to go!
Today we did a big blitz and forced ourselves to get the entire ceiling of the kitchen and laundry alcove, all 12 x 23 feet of it. I didn’t find any big surprises like I did when we gutted the living room. When I saw the shoddy knob-and-tube wiring installed in between the second story floor joists, I barely shrugged. When I saw the corroded copper plumbing with lead solder, I rolled my eyes in expectation. When I saw that the previous owners had hacked a supporting floor joist into huge holes and pieces to make room for a plumbing pipe, I did gape a little. And the dozen or so mouse nests wedged in between the lathe… very, very gross, but no surprises. It’s amazing how desensitized one becomes when gutting an old home!
I did find a rat skeleton, though. That make me very, um, queasy. As far as I know, we do NOT have rats here. Nor do I want ANY. The skeleton was a bit of a shock. I couldn’t tell how old it was… but it had some…. *stuff* hanging on there… kinda like King Tut unwrapped…. pretty dry but still…. enough to make you retch. Anyway, I was going to snap a photo for you guys (see how I want to involve you?!); I placed the remains outside for later, but it started to rain. And when King Tut is left out in the rain, his dry stuff gets moistened… and, well, you know. It reeked. Into the dumpster Mr. Tut went. You’ll have to use your imagination, now. Bummer, I know.
ANYWAY. I don’t have any photos for you today. I was too durn beat. Plus, we now have the added problem of no water in the house. In order to get my washing machine running, we have to shut off the ENTIRE WATER SUPPLY to divert the piping. I cannot believe the jokers who installed the stuff in this house. It’s unbelievable. How they got away with SO much slop, is beyond me. So we have no water supply because the Hubs couldn’t finish the piping job before he had to go to work. We have some bottled water for emergencies, but we had to take sponge baths out in the rain. And I still have no washing machine. And no working toilets. Nice.
UGH UGH UGH.
Well, my daughter is cooking dinner tonight (and we don’t have to worry about doing the dishes in a big tub tonight *maniacal laughter*) and I am here with my feet up. I have this ache in the back of my shoulders, from pulling plaster and lathe down from the ceiling for 6 hours straight. lol. I am taking the NIGHT OFF! And it feels goooooood.
My new kitchen sink and my new dishwasher are in the mail now. They will be here in a week or so. And I also ordered my PEX plumbing supplies today. I can’t wait until it’s installed. You know, we don’t see what it takes to install the plumbing and electric and insulation, so we don’t really realize how wonderful it is until it’s gone or not working properly. I REALLY miss my electric and I REALLY miss my plumbing.
Only 952 more to go…. only….
20. May 2010 at 2:57 am
Wow, you never know what you’re going to find when you start opening up a house. Frankly, I think you’re sort of lucky you only found one mummified rat carcass. I’m sure you don’t have any living rodents – the cats would have alerted you by now.
One way to look at it all: it’s a finite job. It WILL be over with. You don’t have to do this indefinitely. And yay, you have less than 1000 square feet of plaster to tear out! So far so good.
20. May 2010 at 9:46 am
Exhausting but satisfying work. I’d almost bet it’s a squirrel and not a rat. That helps you in two ways. First, it makes you feel slightly less ‘queasy’, but only slightly because after all, it’s still got some *stuff* hanging on. Second because now you know you don’t have rats in your home, only squirrels, and they’re cute, right?
Good Luck with the reno!
20. May 2010 at 10:09 am
Thanks for the encouragement, Janiss! I cannot WAIT until this finite piece of time has passed…
Mike, you know– I think you’re right! You are amazing! I was thinking more about this last night, because we did also find assorted piles of walnut shells in the same room. I don’t know when this thing must have died, but it must have REEKED something fierce when it did. It’s carcass was in a central location in the home, too. *gag*