Goodbye Scary Old Wiring

there is beauty in chaos

Final Critter Count

Dead Rats: 25

Dead Mice: 24

Dead Bat: 1

Picture of dessicated rat: priceless

Spiders

Here's the spider colony that we've been nurturing under the front porch

Still Life Art Project

Ti Ammo

Using the information on the cartridge's headstamp we were able to identify it as .303 calibre shell produced by Dominion Arsenal in Montreal in 1941.

Live Ammunition

Yes we have found live ammunition in the basement - just one item (rifle cartridge from the year dot) thank goodness not a whole stash

and also we have officially broken the contractor's record as the house with the most rat and mice carcasses

Yay!

Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH

Number of dead rats found: 12

Number of rat nests found: 1

Out Out Damned Spot

Last week we did our last laundry at home (until November) and so now are at the mercy of laundromats and sympathetic friends. This week's laundress was our glam Aunt Pat (aka Ursula Laundress) who also provided sushi. Beat that Main Street Laundromat. Next time, however, I'll be more precise regarding creases in pants and how much starch is too much.

the demo has begun

The demo has started and sputtered along due to the mysterious "north van" job that the contractors are also working on and one of our angelic demo boys getting sick.

We have now said goodbye to: all the gyproc, the lemon yellow bathroom suite, the 40 year old washer and dryer, the old stove, the ooky beige carpets and underlay, the fibreboard from the teen rec room. next up will be the removal of all the old framing, the old ducts, the floors, the furnace and the water heater and the back porch.

Now that we have figured out this is not so much a renovation as performing brain surgery on the house, we can expect several of the touchwood's major functions to fail just when we need them. Over the past few days the following ceased functioning but are now back online: the TV, the alarm, the tap for our hoses.

Boom Bang a Bang Bang

In the words of Karen Carpenter, "We've only just begun...." and in the words of Lulu, "Boom Bang a Bang Bang..."

Another dumpster was delivered this morning for the gyproc so wall removal has begun in earnest. The plumbers also came to start "capping off" - switching off the gas and water in the basement to make it safe for all and sundry to be drilling and waving sledgehammers.

We have now moved our basement lives upstairs. The basement office is now in the main floor library and its much more pleasant than being in the basement.. why didnt we do this earlier?

The dining room on the main floor is now the board room/filing room but could still be used for the next dinner party as long as peeps weren't too fussy

top floor bedrooms now act as storage rooms....
and even Reggie has to suck it up.... he cohabits with all the garden tools

In the words of the Spice Girls: 2 (floors) become 1

The banging has begun

The dumpster is here, the banging has begun and our contractor has delivered a vase of sunflowers to our door!

Demolition

Demo Day is here, just waiting for the dumpster to arrive. The demo team of Brian, Austin and Rob have arrived. House not under attack yet.

The boys need access to the carport for storing their stuff so Reggie moved into the garage and FAB1 is on the street

Yesterday we did our final laundry wash (until November!) in our trusty 40 years old Inglis Liberator

We have also been moving plants out of the demolition zone. Some look sad as no plant wants to be moved in the height of summer. Not sure how many, if any, will survive

The window guy came round this morning and we are biting the bullet and getting all the windows in the house replaced.

We did some pre-demo demo over the past week that did not require brute strength. It was very cathartic to take down the yukky walls in the teen rec room and take up the revolting carpet in the office. No treasures or hibernating monsters with more than 4 legs have been found yet.

We love our new Makita drill.

Part of the blog is sharing the joy of renovating, part is therapy for us and part is to document what goes on.

hazmat team

We hired a hazmat team but all they did was empty the basement of liquor rather than vermin

Planning and preparation

Attacking the basement has been the last big item on our renovation to do list here at Touchwood Towers.

Since updating the kitchen and library in 2005, we've been thinking about what to do with the basement, the engine of the house and the seat of our economic empire - it's also the laundry room. We've decided we want to keep the same functionality: work space, hanging out space, laundry, bar kitchen, storage, etc., but reorganize how the space flows, add more natural light and provide access to the back garden.

We toyed with plans to raise the house or lower the foundation but decided this would not be worth the hassle. We don't mind our english-cottage low ceilings - we call it cosy even if our tall friends call it "ouch".

After two years of planning and thinking, we've finally worked out a rough plan with Jim-the-Designer, and we've hired Brian-the Contractor. This is the week. We are ready to start. Bring it on!

Why renovate the basement

We've lived and worked in our basement for the past 15 years. Finally its time to say goodbye gloom, goodbye mice, goodbye basement vibe, goodbye "Silence of the Lambs" room layout and hello light, hello warmth, hello new ground floor where we want to be