Wednesday, January 4, 2012

phase 1

So,  before I go back to last summer and write down what we did before it gets lost forever in the abyss of my mind, I thought I'd do a marking for posterity of the first project that Roger and I are actually working on FOR OURSELVES!  Here is what the front of our house looked like BEFORE the magic started to happen.

We took out the brick wall in front of the house with a minimum of effort.  A little air hammer and some elbow grease and the bricks popped right off.  Taking apart brick work doesn't seem so hard after all . . .
We found some pretty huge wasp nests tucked away in there.




Here is what the basement looked like right after the tenants moved out.  Please enjoy that mammoth stone non-functional fireplace while you can, because it's not going to be around much longer!  Please notice the kitchen sink in the middle of the island.  In case you've assumed that it drained directly below, you'd be wrong.  Nastiest drainage pipe with more 90 degree bends EVER.



Christmas came early for Alex.  Hello excavator, good bye tiny windows.


And hello mud.




Best work crew ever. Just think of what they'll be able to accomplish when I don't have to watch them all the time to make sure they're not going to hit each other in the head with their hammers!  They're all great at taking the nails out of the walls, and Max is a pro at removing screws with the cordless drill.  They don't each have their own tools yet . . . but they're earning them quickly!