After asbestos abatement we were ready to start the demo process. I was keen on keeping as much of the structure as possible to save money and be nice to the environment. We started on the basement wall coverings to determine what the framing looked like and see what the hold-down schedule was (bolts that anchor the house to the foundation). Much to my surprise the framing consisted of 2 x 4’s seemingly randomly placed 32″ on center. As a kicker, the bottom plates were entirely rotten and had mostly turned to powder. We determined that the framing around perimeter of the house had been buried under at least 6″ of soil. It would seem that nothing but the foundation could be saved.
We decided that the best course of action was to bring in a large machine and haul it all away, leaving the foundation in place.Within a couple of weeks we had hired a sub contractor to come in and do the demo. At 6:30 in the morning a large truck and trailer quietly inched down the street and dropped off an orange monster. By 7:30 the arm was extended and taking huge scoops out of the house. The operator of the machine was incredibly skilled. The bucket, like an extension of his hand, would reach out and gingerly grab portions of the house. It was quite a spectacle that brought many neighbors out to see the action.
By noon the house was nothing more than a pile of sticks and by 3pm it had all been carted away to a sorting facility to be recycled and reused. All in all this was an exciting and somewhat bittersweet experience. We wanted to save the house but there was nothing to save. Sometimes you just have to move on.
