The One With Demolition

Today was a BIG day! The demolition went great. So many people came to help, and I can't believe everything we accomplished.

BEFORE:


AFTER:


Actually, we ended up taking out the whole wall on both sides, but I don't have a picture of that. But you get the idea of what it will be like. That single change makes all the difference in that house! The basement looks amazing, too. You wouldn't believe how much stuff came out of there, for a seemingly unfinished basement.

Betsy and Jojo were animals tearing down the basement ceiling and bathroom with Scott. Sarah Larson came over for a couple of hours of work before she had to get to the bakery. She did a great job of filling the dumpster! Sara Vulgan took the mantle down and we found more brick behind the paneling! She also took all the "tiles" down in the main bathroom and got the cabinets out with Heath, who also disconnected the toilet and got that bad boy outta there! Caleb was the professional of the day with his very official tool belt. He completely dismantled the wall between the living room and kitchen - and it looks AMAZING! I took down all of the window coverings (and folded the curtains and stashed them in the garage for Mom and Betsy to sift through the fabric later!) and Caleb let me take the first swing at the wall! Then Sarah Gregory and I spent a good portion of the morning hauling the destroyed lath and plaster around the house to the dumpster. Then we went to town scraping the tile adhesive off the wall in the main bath. Matt stopped in for a few hours of labor, mostly in the basement and putting his muscles to use hauling out big, heavy items. Benjamin came by later in the afternoon to help out after he finished building with Habitat all day! He helped Caleb frame in the new wall. And the guys pulled up the kitchen countertop and they just so happened to discover the oak floors in the kitchen. Oak floors! Oh, and they are in the bathroom, too! Molly pulled up the nasty tiles to discover hardwood. Such great surprises! Even Pete and Katie stopped by to lend a hand for a little bit between work and shows and showers. The generosity of my community is incredible.

Molly made us a huge taco lunch complete with margaritas! And we picnicked in the backyard sunshine. It was hard to get moving again after that, but it had to be done. Everyone worked so hard. It was even harder to work after dinner, but the guys pulled through. I still can't believe we accomplished so much! There were definitely some overwhelming moments and a whole lot of noise that made me cringe, but I kept thinking to myself that these were the sounds of love. Friends loving me and giving up their day off to help build this house into something beautiful. I am so grateful.

Up tomorrow: sanding and sealing the basement walls.