Dirty Job

Last weekend, during the freak snowstorm, the hubby and I demo'ed our garage ceiling.  Earlier in our reno, our plumbers removed a couple parts of the ceiling so they could run pipes to our new master suite area.  When they did this, our contractor took one look into the ceiling and said it was clear we did not have proper insulation in that area.  That wasn't a surprise to us...after all, our house is an old 1950's ranch...and insulation back then isn't really what insulation is today.  At that point, Pete and I knew we'd have to get our hands dirty and rip down the ceiling and remove all the nails so our contractor could easily insulate and drywall the space {our labor = less $$ to be paid to our contractor...especially since this item was not included in our loan}.

We also knew we wanted to remove the ceiling in our basement.  It was made up of sheets of plywood, trimmed out with different types of wood.  In short...it was not pretty, and it also created a lot of work for anyone who needed to access the wiring, plumbing or duct work.  With a little a lot more dirty work we could have everything exposed, ensuring that what wasn't done right, could be fixed...what wasn't needed, could be removed...and what was missing, could be added.

{For a reminder of what our basement looked like before the demo, take a look at my old post Putting the "Retro" in Retro Ranch Reno.}

Never would I have guessed that this job would have been more dirty than doing the garage ceiling...but it was.  I can't even explain the piles of acorn shells, mouse poop, dirt, light fixtures, cigarette boxes, rolled up screening for doors, batteries and scrap wood that were stored in the ceiling.  We are lucky that we didn't get hit in the head with some of the heavier stuff as we ripped the plywood down!

{Like usual, I apologize for my poor picture quality.  It was so dark in the basement, especially after we removed the plywood and the lights were dangling.  Plus, it was so dusty, that when I used the flash, it looked cloudy in the pictures.  Soooo sorry!!}


Hubby ripping down a sheet of plywood.

The pile of junk that falls on us as we remove the sheets of plywood.

Close up of the gross debris.  I think the mice are acorn hoarders.

One section done.

Another section partially done...all while stepping over the plumbers left over pipes.

Lights hanging from the ceiling.







Rolled up screen for a door that was stored up on the ceiling.

 

Old cigarette boxes that fell from the ceiling.

Florescent light and glass light cover that were up in the ceiling.

 

All done and exposed.

And again.

View back towards the laundry area.

Other side of the basement.

Back of the basement, towards the utility area.

All I have to say is, thank gosh that is over!