Epic Demo Day

Demolition is so much fun. I actually may be sad once demo stops and it's time to put all of the pieces back together again.  There is so much to tear, break, smash, etc. that I should be busy for a while.  Today the demo was the garage. Yeah, we aren't messing around with any little kitchen cabinets, or drywall - that's for amateurs. We are talking about disconnecting an attached garage, and bringing that sucker to the ground!  It was an adrenaline rush like no other . . . I may not sleep tonight!

Garage Front                       Garage Back

This is the front of the garage. I had already begun to knock out the old wooden siding. I used a sledgehammer to knock it out from the inside, and was able to salvage most of it.  I'm not sure what we will do with it. The kids came along to watch, and were really excited to see it all come down.  It makes it a bit easier to smash stuff when you've got a crowd of little cheerleaders jumping up and down saying "so cool! Dad, you're amazing!" I've raised them well.

   

 Before knocking the structure down, I wanted to salvage the slate roof.  The roof on the house has some tiles that need repaired/replaced, and rather than try to find ones that matched and purchase them, I am reusing.  Tools needed: hammer, flat bar. Optional accessories that make the job go better: testosterone, a working back.

I had my little helpers today. They caught the tiles as they slide down the roof, stacked them, and then helped me get them off the roof and store them.  We homeschool the kids, so we can do things that are totally safe for little kids, like this. Editor's note - the children in this photo were never in danger, and reported having the best day of their lives.  These kiddos woke up early to get their school work done so that they could come with me.  I literally could not have done what I did today without them.

They managed to have some fun not working as well.

The next part involved cutting the awning that connects the garage and the kitchen, the breezeway roof, removing a couple of old doors, disconnecting the electrical, and removing a garage door.  Tools needed: Circular saw, sledge hammer, impact driver, crescent wrench, steel rods for the garage door, current tester to make sure the power is off, and a reciprocating saw.  Non-optional additional stuff: a brother-in-law with the tools you don't have, a truck, and a ridiculously heavy chain.

The garage really didn't want to fall.  We smashed out most of the studs with a sledge, and then hooked up the truck to the top.  The first place we anchored significantly tipped the garage, but then pulled free. So we decided to try the other side.

Pulling free of the main house

We gave it a good pull on the right side, and then re-centered the chains, and gave a yank and BOOM. Down it came.  To watch that epic moment, click here. We promptly celebrated with cheeseburgers and wings from the Okolona Tavern. I don't know if it was the best food I've ever eaten because it really was that good, or because of the awesomeness I had just witnessed. Either way, I'm going back there again, and I'm going to demo more stuff.

Stay tuned for more adventures.

Chris