Demo Day Discoveries (Photo Notes)

On demo day, we wear plaid. (And a respirator, and safety glasses.)

I was going to write a post about all of our discoveries over the last few days, as we've dug deep into the process of demolition, but really, you have to see it to understand. So all I have for you tonight is a set of annotated photos.

My best attempt at a panoramic of the kitchen in its current state - almost gutted (floor tile, some wall plaster, and possibly a few more pieces need to come off the ceiling)

We were shocked to learn that they insulated the kitchen at some point!

From the bottom up: subfloor, original hardwood floor, plywood, concrete, tile. Yep, all piled onto the kitchen floor. At least we know the basement ceiling is strong.

Original phone nook? Rosary or crucifix display? Candle nook? We're not sure, but we found this in the kitchen.

That honey gold oak floor? Pretty sure that's original. Since the current budget doesn't allow for redoing floors, we're keeping the laminate you see on the right until the money is available, but this gives us hope.

Pewabic tile? Yes. Most houses built in Detroit in the 1920s feature it somewhere. Ours is in the entry. Welcome home!

The original galvanized iron sewer lines were still running from the second floor through the kitchen to the basement. My father-in-law deemed that unacceptable and removed them. A friend with a recycling business is going to take care of them so we don't have to landfill them.

A new lavatory is going in this location, since there currently isn't an entry-level bathroom.

Yep, that's shiplap! Joanna Gaines would be so excited.

Pretty sure the original hardwood is still on these stairs, but it's in rough shape, especially given the number of staples previous owners have put in to hold two different sets of carpet.

This is the awesome ceiling we uncovered above a popcorned ceiling and a bunch of insulation.

This is the same ceiling, but water-damaged. So we're into a salvage job that will involve patching.

Our dumpster is approaching 2/3 full. Most of my job on this demo has been to move pieces into it.

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