Adventures in Basement Demo Part 1

Three months since my last post...Wow! I am not a blogger at all. However, I think remodeling the basement is blog worthy, especially after the last 18 hours...

I can't find the before pics on the computer right now and Craig has the camera while he's away, so I can't post current pics either, but those will be up shortly. This weekend Craig and I started talking seriously about starting demo on the basement, something we've been talking about since we moved in. Since we can't afford to remodel the kitchen, get new windows or siding, and the basement project is (hopefully) the cheapest project we can conquer for the time being. We have a layout planned out that we're really excited about. When it's done we'll have a family room with an adjoining computer/storage area, a 16'x10' master bedroom (huge compared to our current 10'x11' bedroom which only fits one dresser and our bed) with a walk in closet (we currently each have a closet in our two upstairs bedrooms since they're so small), a laundry room, and eventually a second bathroom down the line when we have extra cash. Right now we only use our basement for Craig's office and for storage. Having all this space to use in daily life will make our house feel so much bigger that I can't wait!

So I decided to start demo all by myself while Craig is away. I can take down 70's wood paneling and ceiling tiles right? After today, maybe not! First, let's start with what I found last night...I started pulling down the ceiling tiles which are stapled up, so you can't just move them around quickly, when a VHS tape fell down on my head! Weird! Then a second one fell out with a handwritten label saying "Special." Gross! We bought our house from the 80 year old original owners who had lived here for 50 years! The husband did crack some sex jokes at the closing table, but I never thought I would stumble upon his "stash"! Today hasn't been as exciting, but it almost was. I was hitting off wood paneling sheets that are about 4 feet long up high above my head when one flew off at me and hit me square in the nose. I don't think it's broken, but it's a bit swollen and I have a headache. I'm starting to wonder if I should give up on the demo and leave it to Craig...