Extreme Makeover ... Next Door

Less than three weeks after purchansing the property I have fought city hall, discovered that the house indeed is not repairable, interviewed four contractors and chooosen one who stood out.   And now, the Pre demo is done.  Here are a few more photos. 

It has taken about 7 days of hard work with family help.  The list of things saved for reuse include but are not limited to:  insulation, wood, doorbell, windows, front door, door wall, fireplace, stove, furnace, dishwasher, skylights, window treatments, outdoor lighting, indoor lighting, toilet, sink, mirrors, garbage disposal, pavers, retaining wall bricks, Gas BBQ, shrubs and the proverbial kitchen sink :-).

The guy from the electric company is coming back to take the kitchen cabinents and the neighbor will take the hot tub tub (missing motor).  It has been a lot of work but the positives are that I will save money, have managed to recycle a whole heck of a lot and the demo company will also sell the scrap or recycle and of course I have gained new skills with sledge hammers and crowbars! 

It is always good to collect skills!

Tomorrow the firemen are coming to use the house for a trainng session to show all of the 'not good' things they may find in older home construction when on a call.  I'll be watching the firemen but just for fun. Friday when I am in Denver at the US SAILING meeting and in Naples speaking the final demo will happen so when I return there should be a foundation left and nothing else.