Wall Demo: Day One

We have moved everything out of the kitchen and it is now ready for the guys to come in and take out the cabinets and walls.

They warned us of dust so we decided to move as much out of the dust area as we could. They put up some plastic that is supposed to help us keep the dust at bay but I’m not holding my breath – things are going to get dusty in here and I am going to need to invest in a good Swiffer or something.

The crew showed up in the morning and within an hour everything was taped up furniture and all objects moved out the way and the cabinets just started coming out. I thought I would just stay upstairs and out of everyone’s way but the noises had me really concerned so of course I decided to be in the middle of it all asking questions.

I apparently made friends because they asked me if I wanted to take the first swing at the wall they were taking down. I was SO excited that they let me take the first swing. Like a dream come true. It has been difficult for me to accept this house with all its flaws and taking a swing at the wall was quite therapeutic for me.

I took down a good portion of the wall and then decided that it was a good time to leave and let them get to work.

Upon our return at the end of the day they had made quite some progress! They had the temporary wall up and were ready to install the beam that would be going in soon.

Over the next 2 hours they made room for the beam so we headed out again to stay out of everyone’s way – plus they told us it would be pretty loud.

When we returned home that evening I was beyond shocked when I walked in the door. They had cleaned up all the dust that I had seen all day and had even pulled out our microwave so we could heat up dinner. Attention contractors out there: cleaning up after your projects goes a LONG way with your clients. I didn’t feel like I was totally in a construction zone even though we didn’t have a wall up and plastic everywhere.

The only surprise of the day was lighting. Our lighting is dated and we decided we were okay with living with our fixtures until we decided what we wanted. The crew highly suggested that we have them install recessed lighting in while they had the walls and ceilings open. The hefty price tag and surprise didn’t sit well with me so we decided not to add on the lighting at this time. I hope we made the right decision.