the aftermath
Friday, April 2nd
Kyle and I took some time off work to prep for the big event.
Our friend Dustin came over and we finished moving out furniture and pulled the “temporary” trim around the new windows.
A few finals shots of the kitchen, before its demise.
(The greenboard above the sink was a temporary patch job from when we removed the old window last summer.)
Before we could tear out the ceilings, we needed to get up in the attic and move all the loose fill insulation over to one side of the attic.
Kyle and Dustin quickly got to business…
…but were more than happy to be done.
On Friday evening we installed temporary collar ties in the attic. We didn’t anticipate any issues with removing the joists that span parallel to the ridge beam, but it couldn’t hurt to take a few precautionary measures.
One of the rare times I handed the camera to Kyle…
Saturday, April 3rd
We woke up bright and early and took care of a few last-minute items. Masks, gloves, glasses, crowbars…time to go! (We covered our dining room table with a sheet up plywood so we could continue to use it to store things on during construction.)
First of all, a HUGE thank you to our awesome demo crew! You really brought your a-game.
After a safety briefing and a soundtrack of heavy metal pumping from the bedroom, a cloud of dust quickly filled the house.
We discovered that, like the bedroom, plaster walls were not original to the kitchen. Under the lath and plaster we found about 4-5 layers of wallpaper and then the 3/4″ ship lap.
Since the dining room ceiling was just lath and plaster over the joists, we knew the easiest way to take it down would be to attack it from above. So Kyle and Dustin went back up into the attic and stomped it out.
And it worked!
These are the joists that will be exposed (we’ll install sheets of MDO over the top) in the future living room.
One of the joists had the word “Carkeek” written on it. It’s a local name (i.e. Carkeek Park) but we’re curious if there was maybe a lumber yard with the same name a hundred years ago.
Around noon we took a much-needed break in the basement for pizza.
After lunch, we attacked the kitchen ceiling. Unfortunately, this area was lath and plaster over 3/4″ ship lap which meant we couldn’t stomp it out. We also need to remove the joists since this is the section that will be vaulted. So the architects of the group put their heads together and decided the best strategy would be to cut the ceiling out in sections from above…
Boom! It worked! (Mostly, besides the section that swung into the backside of the bedroom wall and left a small puncture right by Kyle’s nightstand.)
We should pause to say that Bailey was safe in the backyard (tied to the tree) during all this. At least he got to keep an eye on the dumpster action.
Phew, done for the day!
And this is what was created:
Sunday, April 4th
After a good nine hours of sleep, we were up and it again. Kyle started by pulling all the old electrical from the panel.
We also made sure to uncover all the registers and reconnect the thermostat.
A few glimpses of our new space. It feels a lot like a barn right now, with our bedroom and bathroom as a smaller box that sits inside. It’s very cool.
Once we saw this vantage point, we couldn’t help but think “LOFT!”. (More on that later!)
We were also really pleased with our plastic zipper doors (bedroom on the left, bathroom on the right). We simply cut sheets of plastic, stapled them to the wall, covered the edges with tape and then applied the zipper (it has a sticky backing). After the zipper is on, you just unzip and cut the plastic behind.
And they keep Bailey safe inside the bedroom!
Unfortunately, we didn’t get any action shots of the wheelbarrow process, but it worked out really well. We added another small ramp up to the dumpster (the doors in the back swing open) and were able to wheel all the debris straight in, dump and then head back into the house for a refill. And yes, we completely filled the dumpster!
So there you have it! We are completely exhausted but really happy with how everything went and the work that lies ahead. Our next step is to redo the framing around the stair to the basement (which Kyle started yesterday). So far, the strategy is to just take it day by day and not follow a schedule too closely. We realize that some days we’ll come home from work and plug away till 9 or 10 and other nights we’ll just want to relax. The ultimate completion date is mid-September.
So we have plenty of time, right?
2 days till demo
This Saturday we are having a party…a demolition party. It will be like a barn raising, except the opposite.
And when you’re demolishing the main habitable spaces of your home (while living in said home), there’s a lot of preparation involved. In fact, we have spent the last couple of months getting ready for this epic project and we’re optimistic that Saturday will go smoothly!
The living/dining room is nearly empty. The couch and lamp will go to the basement and we’ll move the piano to the center of the room and cover it with plastic. (Unless someone is in the market for a piano…and will move it.) Monday night we moved the TV and media components to…
…oh yes we did. Typically we’re anti-TV-in-the-bedroom, but sacrifices were made. We figured that with the [fill in the blank] months of remodeling ahead, it would be nice to balance the craziness with some movies in bed (which sounds way more appealing than watching movies in the basement). Despite my initial reluctance, Kyle insisted on installing the surround sound as well. Netflix, you’re welcome.
We’ve also been collecting materials! When you’re in the depths of remodeling, having the necessary materials on hand is a time and sanity saver. After compiling our master list, Kyle purchased most of the construction goods from the nearby big box store and ordered the framing package from a local lumber yard.
MDO for the new living room “ceiling” and insulation for the vaulted ceiling over the kitchen.
Tonight, Kyle is building a ramp! The majority of demo will be lath and plaster. It usually comes off the wall/ceiling with surprising ease, but it’s ridiculously heavy. The ramp will be part of a system that involves loading contractor bags into a wheelbarrow and then out the door, down the ramp and then up another ramp and into the dumpster. Did I mention we’re getting a dumpster? Things are about to get real.
Stay tuned for more details in the coming days, including a demo party recap and a tour of our new “basement apartment”. Kyle and I are downright giddy about diving into this project and we can’t wait to see how the space will instantly transform post-demo! To see past posts about our big plans, click here, here or here.
the final days
It’s been a quiet week on the blog, but only because we have been very busy! In addition to hectic work schedules, we have been finalizing details, ordering materials, tweaking budgets and making large quantities of granola.
Friends, demo day is coming.
chezerbey bathroom on apartment therapy!
A big thank you to Apartment Therapy for featuring our bathroom remodel on Friday! You can see the post here.
ode to billy
Goodbye billy. You served us well, but it’s time to move on…time to abandon the beech veneer, the verticality, the chipped particle board from nearly 6 years of carrying too many architecture books. For this next phase of life, we’re going low slung and horizontal. And maybe real wood. You understand, right?
But as a tribute, let’s reflect on the good times.
Our first Seattle apartment, our first billy composition. How excited we were to have an IKEA 20 miles away instead of 700! And I really think you loved your bright blue accent wall.
And then in our rental house, we split you across a framed opening and high-fived at our juxtaposition between old and new.
For your final appearance, you graciously flanked the piano and gave some warmth to a rather blah space. You didn’t even mind the shims that we had to put under you or all the drilling, banging, jacking and hammering that made you wish you were fastened to the wall.
Billy, you were a trooper and we had some great times together. We wish you a long life that is free of teenage boys rooms or encyclopedia collections.
