Bob the Builder Demolition Begins
This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share a commission.We spent Thursday and Friday starting the demolition of the rooms on the main floor of our new home. I think Bob and I both forgot that it has been about 12 years since we did the last major remodel, and our bodies don’t seem to recover from the aches and pains as fast.
We are still really enjoying it with lots of laughter and giggles as you never know what you will find when you start pulling down walls and ceilings. We work well together!
Remember the living room?
This will end up being our master bedroom. Notice we brought the doggie beds for the kids. We thought removing the shadow box on the wall would be a piece of cake but we were wrong!
Poor little Mickey can’t figure out what is going on and where he actually lives but he is adjusting.
In my last post I showed photos of the room after I removed the carpet and the drop ceiling tiles. Bob the Builder asked me not to remove the grid work because he wanted to save it and use it in the garage.
What do you think of that fluorescent light? I also wondered what that piece of paneling was doing on the ceiling.
Bob the Builder Demolition Begins
Bob the Builder Demolition BeginsThursday morning the first thing Bob did was measure all of the rooms that had grid work to see if there was enough for the garage. He would end up being 200 square feet short so it was okay to just pull down the grid work and not try and save any of it.
That made our job a lot easier.
Next up we removed the paneling from the wall with the shadow box so he could figure out what was going on. Whoever built that shadow box planned on it staying there forever! Bob finally had to use a saw to remove it.
He was able to get it out in one piece and we carried it to the garage. Bob has plans to use it in his man cave.
It would be so neat to see old photos of this house when it was first built. Bob thinks this may have been the original kitchen as you can see the brick chimney and the hole where the pipe would have gone upstairs.
We removed another layer of ceiling tiles and finally got to the lath and plaster. Bob figures we will only have to remove sections of it so he can do the wiring. We were afraid we would have to do the whole thing and boy is that a messy job! Removing a couple of rows will be bad enough.
Remember that hole in the ceiling with the piece of paneling over it? Originally that was an opening so the heat could go up to the bedroom. There would have been a metal grid in the floor upstairs. My bedroom in the first farmhouse I lived in was heated this way. It was always cold. Look how much higher our ceiling will be!
I am standing in what was the downstairs bedroom looking at Builder Bob after we removed the shadow box. This will be our closet and master bathroom.
Bob the Builder
Are you wondering where Bob got the name “Bob the Builder”? About six years ago he was doing a remodel and someone stopped by with their little boy. The little boy was introduced to Bob and while watching Bob work he decided that this was Bob the Builder from the cartoon!
First night in the new house
Our daughter and the grandkids stopped by in the evening and we had our first meal in the new house. No cooking yet so it was carry-out pizza.
The first thing we had done when we got to the house on Thursday was set up the beds upstairs. I’m sure glad we did that right away because by eight o’clock we were so exhausted that we went to bed. I don’t think I have ever gone to bed that early! We slept like babies and I don’t think I moved at all. Even the dogs were tired after the drive and watching us do the demolition.
River Levels
When we drove back home Friday we found the highway closed due to flooding which meant we had to do a detour. The river came up quite a bit. Ours is the last driveway without water in front of it. I took this photo early this morning.
We shouldn’t have to sandbag unless things change up north or we get a lot of rain. I’m hoping it will be okay so we can head back to the new house for some more demolition tomorrow!
There was a lot more that we worked on but I thought it would be fun to just share what we did so far in this room.
We ended up taking two loads to the Transfer Station and I had over 17,000 steps both days on my FitBit!
Wow you are really making progress. I totally understand the exhausted part. I no longer do that kind of work. I would gladly pay to have someone else do it. Praying the river recedes and you don’t have to sandbag. You have enough on your plates. Do you have a date in mind when you will be able to totally move Into your new home. I know it will be so nice to be close yo the grandkids
Oh I simply must tell you how excited I am for you and your Bob the builder ! Me and my Bob the builder (who has now gone from single and childless to married , step father and Poppop in one great leap ) are also upgrading! It’s amazing how much work it is , he jokes and says he can’t wait to go to “work” to get a break from the house “work renovations” . I know my bones ache 😖 can’t wait till we finally are there . The homes here are all small and high , old mining towns usually are . We are turning two into one , and including business office. Happy to see your progress , thank the Lord for landfills ! Building a mother in law suite attached because of corse family matters most . My mom is thrilled so there will always be a sewing machine running now woohoo ! Two seamstresses , what joy ! How wonderful to be so close to the water , such inspiration . Please keep us updated as I enjoy reading how your doing !
Oh boy, are you making progress!! everything looks GREAT! I LOOOOVE demo! I guess because I know it will be so much better when it’s all done. We just moved into our new camper, and our poor pup is finding lots of new spaces to explore. She, too, got a little confused. But, once she found “her” quilt in the windowsill behind the couch, she KNEW she was still home!
Keep those pics a-coming – they’re so much fun!
Hi Connie,
How on earth are you going to find time to quilt? By the way, the Kenmore you recently purchased is almost identical to the machine I currently use. Still love it but need an upgrade. Suggestions, anyone?
We are too old now to take on a project like you and Builder Bob are doing but can’t wait to see the end result. Hope the water level stays down so you don’t have to sandbag. You have enough to do in the new home Thanks for sharing this experience with us. This is going to be fun to watch
Hi Connie I have got behind reading my favourite blogs but have an afternoon free so am catching up. Good luck with your new home, it must be exciting to make it yours. We did this with our current home and it looks nothing like how it did when we first moved in. It must have been a hard thing to leave your quilting studio behind which wasn’t that old!!! Will you be glad though to leave the threat of flooding behind? We live on a hill so do not have that problem but some friends live near the river and I know they always worry during the winter. Can’t wait to see your progress on the new home and just love your new fur baby Mickey! Hugs, Susie xx
This is just like watching all the fun DIY shows on t.v. It looks like you made a lot of progress already. I remember those nasty heating grates. I burned my feet on one when I was young. They got so hot. Too bad the grate is missing. It would be a nice collectible. Hoping that river stays right where it is!!!
I was gone over the weekend and am now just catching up. I was wondering how things had gone for you two. You certainly aren’t letting any grass grow under your feet. I love that quilt on the twin bed that has the flying geese border. It’s going to be fun to follow your renovation adventures.
It’s always a nice to imagine a house in its hay day while you work. My home was built in ’93 and we are the 2nd owners.So our thing is “what were they thinking”? In this house paneling or wainscoting was applied to cover holes in the drywall. Can’t wait to see what that room looks like when you are done. 17000 steps? Wow !
Great to see pictures of the progress!
Is your old house up for sale yet or coming soon?
Hi Connie, I have a “Bob the Builder” too. Our kids even got him a stuffed Bob for Christmas many years ago. We really enjoy working together too. Our friends and family think it’s crazy that we love shopping together at Home Depot. Date Night! And I hear ya on how much harder it is now that we are older. We’ve done 3 houses and a restaurant, but this last remodel had me thinking it’s time to think twice.
I can’t wait to see what you do with this house. How fun and exciting!
I am too old to take on a job like this but will enjoy your progress. Hope the river stays down and your remodeling progresses in a fast and orderly way.
My goodness Connie and Builder Bob!!! What a challenge you two have taken on. This home will be exactly what you need and want once all your hard work is completed. You two make an amazing team! 17,000 steps is more than I get in an entire week…well done dear!!
Demolition is a lot of work, but the end result will definitely be worth it! How did Mickey do with the drive to the new house and back home again? I hope he is adjusting to that quickly. Hope the river recedes soon so you don’t have to worry about sandbagging!!
WOW you guys have your work cut out for you! Love seeing what you’re doing. How long of a drive is it from your other home to the new home? Nice to be near your daughter and grandkids.
Work is going well,a lot of ladder steps as well for Bob maybe, and to get a head start without any furniture in is so much easier. Our builder willcome this week to start the work he can do before council consent for the plumbing parts . So I will have this huge storage room with shelves.Hope the water level stays good.
Hello Connie, It is really nice reading about how much you and Builder Bob are enjoying all that you are doing together with the renovations at your new home. I do hope that the river does not rise any higher and cause you and Builder Bob to have to deal with sand bags and protecting your home there. Thank you for sharing and have a great day!
I love the story how Bob got his name. This is looking like a lot of hard work and fun. So cool to see what was at one time. Thanks for sharing
You and Builder Bob are moving along at a fast clip, but what a big job. I hope the river does not rise any more but quickly lowers. You guys have too much on your plate to worry about. I hadn’t caught that you are also a FitBit user Good for you for 17k steps. I bet you were sore at the end of the day. I would be.
So much to do, but you’ve made a great start. I hope the river doesn’t flood because you don’t need the extra work of sandbagging right now. We had some heavy rain last night here which won’t help the flooding any.
Wow, you have some work ahead of you, but what a labor of love. Glad you work together so well. That’s not the case here, so we have learned to contract it out and save both of our sanity! LOL!! Going to love keeping up with you on this project.
That makes me tired just thinking of all that work. Love watching a remodel.