- Dan Schumacher
Nothing But Wood
The insulation has been removed from the attic space. I was going to attempt to suck it out with my shop vac but after calculating the volume of insulation and the capacity of the vacuum cleaner I thought it would be best to call in a professional. It took a team of two people two days to complete the task. They were able to suck the old insulation from the attic into a two cubic yard bag in the back of their truck. It took them 12 bags for a total of 24 cubic yards or 216 cubic feet. The capacity of my vacuum is about one half cubic foot. I'd still be up there sucking. Literally.
Once the insulation was gone I was able to get back to my favorite task of removing rock lath and plaster. I've become so experienced it didn't take long. It is just such a dirty, nasty, dusty job. At the end of the work day I would get undressed outside under the patio roof and put my clothes directly into a laundry bag. No sense contaminating our living area and the rest of our wardrobe.
After several text message exchanges I was able to get my old friend the plumber to come by and take a look at the progress of demolition. I wanted to assure him I was ready and make sure I got on his schedule. He was satisfied with the progress and only asked that I remove all of the finished flooring in the vicinity of any plumbing fixtures. We will have to cut the subfloor to access the drain and water lines we had previously roughed in. Unfortunately I don't think I will see him again until mid-April.
Lucky for me there is probably enough work to keep me busy until the plumber comes back. I started by putting the doorways in for the office and master bedroom.
In addition to tearing out the ceiling I also demolished the chimney for the old oil furnace. Taking it out and removing the wall between the old kitchen and dining room really opened up the house.
In case you were wondering that it is not the permanent location for the toilet. I haven't found a temporary home for it yet so it gets moved every few days. I was thinking about putting it on the front porch but didn't think that would go over to well with the neighbors, or Trish.
The coat closet is gone. I had to reinforce the load bearing wall with a five and half inch LVL beam to open up the vestibule to the rest of the house.
I have now finished all of the framing required in the living room, dining room, and kitchen. I need to do some miscellaneous blocking but have to wait on the plumber before I can build the walls for the powder room, master bedroom and master bath.
With everything going on I have been thinking about what I can do to maintain a continuous flow of work. I am concerned the home improvement stores and lumber yards might get shut down soon. With that in mind I have started stock piling select building materials. Last week I got 500 feet of electrical cable and 50 rough in boxes. Next week I will get some more lumber and probably the recessed light fixtures. I only wish I had a place to store everything. Maybe next to the toilet.
