Aaaaack!! Demo. What was your reaction to your demo? How did you cope?
We’ve been so excited about our renovation; planning and imagining how much easier, nicer, and NEWER everything would be, but in the back of our minds “the process” loomed always before us. DH and I will be ‘doing it ourselves’ for all the demo and a good part of the reno, hiring out only what we are totally incapable of doing. You’d think demo would be exciting! Instead, it’s just hard, dirty, and laborious. I’m seeing the destruction and removal of what I’ve lived in and loved (but more recently disliked) for 20 years… I’m finding it bittersweet. I’m also finding an inordinate amount of nails.
(And so it begins… )
Knowing we will be living in this ‘mess’ for some time is already bothering me (I’m guessing a year+ as most our subs are backed up with new construction after the massive fires our area suffered last year, and all work DH and I do must be weekends only as we both work full time). I’m sure if we rented a place to stay it’d be far easier, but we are attempting to save money so we can afford to do more and prefer to stay on premise to keep an eye on the work. Even our yard is now a desolate wasteland of dirt and half-grown sickly-pale patchy grass as we also are re-landscaping and prepping for a new patio. Just digging holes for 10-12 new trees seems unbearably daunting. Perhaps we bit off a bit more than we could chew?
(DH with leaf blower… ok, not DH…)
One room will remain untouched – the bedroom. {Well, not entirely untouched, but let’s not go there, wink wink}. All other rooms not renovated in this first leg have boxes/furniture in them. At some point we’ll move the fridge into the bedroom. Ugh. The bathrooms remain untouched for this round, and by that I mean they are filthy as I am too exhausted to clean them just now. They haven’t been cleaned in… {I’m type-mumbling, that’s why you can’t read it}.
DH and I are finding unpleasant surprises… After ripping ancient carpeting up to the tiled areas, we see tile (which we will also remove) installed over old linoleum in a strange layer-cake affect (and there is underlayment under the linoleum that also must come up). Whaaaa???
(I know you see a resemblance)
There are other issues, but we are attempting to remain positive, knowing all will be amended.
As I pack up the last of the kitchen (oh-$#!%-we-still-have-the-kitchen-to-demo!), I’m still in the process of putting together a movable temp-kitchen. The plastic chairs we sit in seem like tiny torture devices and leaky paper plates and cups are the norm now, which is fitting as meals now also taste like paper plates.
(again, I know you see the resemblance)
Oddly, I’ve only got 2 storage containers filled: paper and plastic, and liquor/wine. At least my priorities are intact ; )
(Not Me, but could be at this point)
Sore, bruised, blisters forming, and sleep-deprived, it’s rather depressing. My new constant companions and bestest friends are the broom and shop vac. Social life consists of watching our dog to make sure she doesn’t swoop down and devour a stray nail or staple when we let her out of her play area, and picking unidentifiables from her fur like a family of monkeys. Even listening to music on our little bluetooth speaker is torturous, the echoes deafening against the bare walls and floors. And I want to shower every hour. Last night I begged DH to shower, feeling a pang of guilt as I watched him slump-shouldered and barefooted - too weary to put on his shoes - walk across splintery, forever-filthy plywood subfloors.
Sweeping the floors for the 3rd time yesterday– and perhaps in a state of dust-induced delirium- I started humming phrases from innocuous but now seemingly sinister songs: The Carpenters’ (how apropos!) “We’ve only just begun…” The Talking Heads’ “And you may tell yourself, this is not my beautiful house!”. This morning, vacuuming plywood at 6:00am (not kidding) I found myself humming The Animals’ House of the Rising Sun… “There is a house in New Orleans (insert my town) they call the rising sun… And it’s been the ruin of many a poor boy (except I was thinking girl) and god I know I’m one…”
(Me, with shop vac this morning… What, you don’t believe me? I’m also holding my fancy ‘integrated’ nail gun)
And mistakes. None yet, but the probabilities now plague my dreams. I know these feelings will change as work progresses, but for now… Aaaaack!!
How did you react when you first began your demo, and in what ways did you cope?
OT: If you aren’t doing demo, can you think of any songs relating to renovations that are somehow fitting which we can sing whilst working (much like Snow White’s little friends did – I’m feeling very grumpy-like)?
…and For Those About To Rock! (start you own demo), oh, don’t worry! It gets better {she mutters, unconvincingly}…
Comments (32)
2ManyDiversions
6 years agoRelated Discussions
When do you make the call to demo tile?
Comments (10)The master shower has black what I am assuming is mold that will NOT go away no matter how much bleach I throw at it. There's a real good reason for that. In spite of conventional wisdom, bleach does NOT kill mold. Us an anti bacterial soap (even antibacterial handsoap or dish soap will work). I'd consider replacing the grout to be a facelift. Note that I didn't say "grouting over the nastiness." Even that won't help. If grout's cracking out, good chance something's going on behind the wall. Put new grout in there, even with the antimicrobial agents in the new grouts, and if you don't get the mold at its source, it'll keep coming back. I've heard vodka works That makes sense, because of the alcohol. Why waste it though? Use the soap, and if that doesn't work DRINK the vodka! :-)...See Moreinduction- did you buy w/o demo?
Comments (14)I believe the degree of "hum" varies with the type of cookware. My cast iron stuff never hums, but my All-Clad Stainless hums -- the smaller fry pans even vibrate and start to move on their own! I had a scare a few days ago with my unit. In the middle of cooking it started beeping and these two strange symbols appeared on the display of every burner. It was like the letter "O" and the symbol to the right was just the top half of the "O". I freaked out, I thought something horrible happened. I turned off the circuit breaker for about a minute and the unit came back to life. It happened again when my partner was cooking, but this time the circuit breaker had no effect... I did some online research and discovered it is a child lock! This feature isn't even covered in my De Dietrich 308X manual. I'm so glad there was nothing wrong with my unit. My heart completely sank when I saw that strange code blinking. This actually brings me to another point. With any electric cooktop, you can only cook as long as it has electricity. With gas, you can cook even if your power goes out. There is something to be said for not being dependent on electricity for the most basic tasks, such as cooking....See MoreHow did you finalize your contract with your GC for remodel?
Comments (9)"Are GC's hesitant to give firm numbers for remodels? I understand that unlike building a new home, remodeling projects can have surprises discovered after demo, but would a 15-30% contingency cover us in such cases?" As a GC, I'll step in. Depends on the GC and how well they research the job prior. When I first started in this business, I felt pressure from customers to hurry and a get a number. That usually led to overlooking major problems, or not giving ourselves enough of a margin for an 'oops' factor. We learned the hard way and had a few very patient customers allow us the time to fix mistakes. As a contractor, I'd make sure the timeline penalties allowed for extra time incurred due to change orders or unforeseen circumstances. That being said, at this point I am done trying to please people who are completely focused on price with unrealistic expectations of what they can get done. So think that, yes, all contractors are scared to death of having a major setback during a job set them back, but those who learn from their mistakes, learn through experience what things can go wrong when, what to look for ahead of time and plan/price accordingly. We stick to our budgeted contract amounts, excluding change orders. I think its a part of doing good business. If we screw up or something doesn't go as planned, we fix it at our expense. Poorly capitalized businesses fail everyday because they cannot afford to fix their errors or better yet, avoid them. I have a problem with someone mentioning a change order over $500. I always put in my contracts that change orders will come with anything and a 50% deposit with a signed agreement is required for anything over $100.00. Change orders can kill a job if all parties involved aren't watching the total dollar amount. If we cannot continue the project because an issue has come up (structural for instance) that has arisen due to existing conditions, we will not continue the project until the customer is given notice, a decision made and either approval or sign-off of a change occurs. I'd suggest making sure also that all installed fixtures are spelled out in the contract in detail. Also, who is responsible for purchasing what and during what phase should also be spelled out....See Moredemo starts tomorrow - any advise on how to keep it stress free?
Comments (11)Lots of plastic up, and be ok with the dust! I'm still finishing my kitchen and still finding dust in spots I didn't think it could get into. Don't only pack up the kitchen, but try to pack most of the knick knacks, and things that are 'out' so you have less to dust. Try to dust frequently if you can. I found the dirt and clutter were the things most stressful. Know that this is temporary and remind yourself of that daily, even if it's more like 6 weeks! Set up a small kitchen area with a bookshelf to hold everything you'll need, if you haven't already; a spot for microwave, and a spot for doing the dishes either in your laundry room or bathroom. Think only of the lovely, functional kitchen you will have when this is done. :) I'm still finishing mine, but so far it is so much more amazing than what I tore out. Hang in there, it will be great!...See More
thetzone
6 years ago
Completely feel your pain and also feel your happiness and excitement as well. It’s very daunting to look at an “empty mess” as I like to call it. But there is NOTHING more gratifying than stepping back after it’s all done (even if it takes 10 years) and saying “We did that by ourselves”. It really makes it worth it! I promise you’ll make it through and you will be so proud in the end!! Good luck! Pictures of our mess in progress for posterity <32ManyDiversions thanked thetzone2ManyDiversions
6 years ago2ManyDiversions
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Toronto Veterinarian
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6 years ago
PROJoseph Corlett, LLC
6 years ago2ManyDiversions
6 years ago
oldbat2be
6 years agolast modified: 6 years ago2Many - Hooray! The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step (Lao Tzu). Demo was a year and a half for us. My advice is get the plastic up and keep it up as much as possible. Knowing you, you already have researched [numerous threads[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/getting-ready-for-major-kitchen-reno-with-2-young-children-any-tips-dsvw-vd~4616173) on how to survive the demo.
One of my favorite tips was to swap out a bathroom sink faucet with one with a tall faucet - see left sink - SO much easier to wash dishes! This was back in 2011 and is still in place (awaiting bathroom remodel).
I came across the next picture just today while searching for pictures of our mudroom wall studs / electrical wiring. (I cannot emphasize how important it is to take not only before pictures but also pictures when the walls are open and before they are closed up).
Very dorky of all of us but as you can see I did transition our old family room into a kitchen / dining room for the duration. Function, organization, everything but water :) Dry goods storage on the left, saran wraps mounted to the wall, coffee pot at the ready, and spices in bins.
Ooh I think that's Marcella's ham and peas pasta. It does take FOREVER to boil water on a camping gas stove.... (not a lot of fresh corn that summer).
You'll make it through! Take lots of pictures and please share with us along the way.
2ManyDiversions thanked oldbat2be2ManyDiversions
6 years ago2ManyDiversions
6 years agoUPDATE: We are moving along, but ever so slowly it seems! I think that is the way it might feel for some time : ) Working on other areas of the house, inside and out, has taken us temporarily away from the kitchen, but we are getting back to it now!
I've been in the process of setting up our temporary-temporary kitchen in the breakfast nook, which is in the current kitchen. DH informed me it'd have to be moved soon so he and I could begin demo of the kitchen... I am clearly too tired to think straight - he's right! He suggested we move it to the dining room-to-be TV room for now... but first we had to remove his widescreen TV, which he seemed unable to live without (sports fan that he is). This was a sacrifice for DH.
Bless his heart!
Our Remodel Journal · More InfoYesterday we began to set up the temp-temp kitchen (2 temps) because eventually it will be taken down to remove and rebuild a wall between the future tv room and kitchen...
My prep space, and only a few of many storage units... The water source is all the way across the house... I'll be keeping a jug nearby!
Our Remodel Journal · More InfoThe only problem? We removed the only light in that room... this is the scene from early this morning... making DH's lunch using an emergency light! Felt a bit like camping days from the past! We'll be adding a cheap light pronto!
Our Remodel Journal · More Infocoffee stations are all the rage now... and we have one!
Our Remodel Journal · More InfoLiving the life! I have double ovens! (ancient toaster oven sitting on top of old microwave). I'll sure miss that "feature" as our new kitchen will only have a slide in range. ; ) The microwave came from DH's bachelor pad, and to my dismay still had 'gunk' in it, after it'd been sitting for 2 years! I used a flame torch to sterilize it.
Our Remodel Journal · More InfoWe put an old rug on the plywood subfloor for now... it adds a certain je ne sais quoi to our formal dining area, don't you think?
Our Remodel Journal · More InfoThings I've learned thus far:
- 1) When vacuuming plywood sub-flooring, always vacuum with the grain. That way you'll get up half the dirt as opposed to none.
2) Those plastic drawer storage containers won't open if you put anything heavier than 15 paper napkins and a single plastic fork.
3) Keep a plastic drop cloth over everything when not in use... demo dust can find it's way into anything!
4) Maintain a sense of humor, maintain some semblance of order amidst the chaos, and always, always, have a hot pad ready for hot casserole dishes!
Best wishes to those going through the process - or preparing to!
worthy
6 years agoI was young once!
Then I grew older and learned to go big:
Mr. Komatsu clears the way.
2ManyDiversions
6 years ago
crowfarm