“I found some rotted wood.”
“We’re going to have to take off the drywall.”
Two sentences I did not want to hear today, but I did.
The theme of this renovation is SAVE THE DRYWALL! The more we can keep the drywall in tact, the less work we have to do.
However, when rotted wood comes falling through the wall, it’s time to get out the saw and start taking it off.
Thankfully the damage was not as bad as it could have been.
My dad and oldest son were able to build a new piece to go under the window from pressure treated lumber. It should last a long time and after we repair the outside we should be leak/ water free.
The wood issue was definitely a set back today, although we thought we might have to do it when we purchased the house. It took up most of my dad’s day and the kids took turns helping.
I continued with the wallpaper removal (seriously someone save me from this fate!) and the girls were big helpers as well. We were able to remove all the wallpaper from the entry hall and went back to work on the master bedroom.
We had abandoned the MBR after our little fire, but since the only rooms left are bathrooms, I thought one big wall was easier than a bunch of small walls with obstacles.
I’m not sure if you can see from this photo, but there is still a bunch of wallpaper glue on the wall. I’ve begun my google search for “how to remove wallpaper paste” but I’m open to suggestions if you have them.
Most of the DIY projects I’ve done in my life have been learned on YouTube or from my dad, so I expect this to be no different.
In the kitchen there was a built in desk and mirror. When I say built in… what I really mean is clinging to the wall for dear life! It took a sledge hammer and arms of steel to get this piece out of the alcove.
Everyone was negotiating to keep it, but since I’d already ordered cabinets for that spot it needed to go.
After about an hour of demo DH finally removed the desk and mirror.
The other huge task for the day was to remove what my kids called the Steak N’ Shake wall.
My kids really wanted to keep this wall, and I have to admit it had started to grow on me over the week. But, it really doesn’t work with our new kitchen layout.
The wall is/ was attached to a metal frame, which is welded into the floor.
The glass was everywhere….
It took about two hours to remove it, and another hour to clean up all the glass. Since we have the kids in the house I wanted to make sure there wasn’t any glass on the floor.
The metal frame is still there, welded to the floor. Since we have to rent a machine to get up the tile, we’ll probably wait until then to figure out how to get the metal rod out of the ground.
The kids worked hard again today. I have to keep reminding myself they are kids because they work as hard as most adults. They’ve never had a project like this before, so I wasn’t quite sure how they would do. I know they’d rather be doing something else, but I’m thankful they are able and willing to help.
If you are ever renovating a house and have little helpers, one “safe” job for them is to remove all nails/ screws in the walls. This can be a big time consuming job and my boys think it is fun.
We are making progress, although each day brings a new set of challenges. Today we found out that the built-ins in the living room were actually built over carpet, several carpets ago. Since we are putting wood down in that room, we need to figure out a way to get the carpet out from under the built-in where it is close to the edge.
We also have to figure out how to get the custom built in oven cabinet out. Since the oven is in good condition, we’d like to sell it on Craig’s List so taking a sledgehammer to it isn’t an option.
We have help coming this weekend so hopefully we can speed up the schedule a little bit. The longer we are without our “stuff” the more I realize we forgot to bring with us.
Apparently DH didn’t bring any long pants with him and the girls didn’t either. Thankfully it doesn’t get below 80 in Florida until January, and we better be done by then.
See you tomorrow!
Allie O. says
Steak-n-shake! Steak-n-shake!
Red walls in the kitchen again? 😉 It’s coming along!!!
Christine says
In regards to the built ins, could you just build out the trim around them on top of the wood floor after you cut the carpet as close as possible?
Toni Anderson says
Great idea! Thanks for suggesting.
Joanne says
A professional painter told me years ago that he uses white vinegar to remove wallpaper paste.
Mary says
My parents used diluted fabric softener to remove the wallpaper gunk, I believe. Worth a google search, at least. Good luck! I’ve never had to deal with that much wallpaper, thankfully!
Jenny says
Instead of selling the stove, you could offer it for free to anyone who wants to remove it themselves. Depending on how much you were going to sell it for and how much work it would be to remove, this might end up being a better deal.
Tara says
I did a lot of wallpaper removing in my childhood…lolol….my mamma bought an older home and I got to help her with that job!!! TRI SODIUM PHOSPHATE takes the wallpaper glue off the walls. Still available at hardware stores and I think at big box stores like Menard’s or Lowe’s. You just use it like soap in a bucket with warm water and scrub brushes and sponges. My hubby just used it recently for a kitchen remodel that involved removing old wall paper. It also works well for scrubbing off old nasty tar from cigarette smoke. Good luck! Not envying the wallpaper removal but having a bit of new house envy! :3
Toni Anderson says
thanks for the tips!