Phase 3: Masonry Mayhem

The masonry work began this last week. They started two weeks early, which is great news, but Brett and I hadn't finalized all our window and doors so we had to scramble to confirm our preferences.

They started with our first floor, removing the window and patching up the hole with bricks. This is the inside and outside view midway through. 

Days later, they have filled the hole completely.

In addition to eliminating some windows and adding new ones, the back of the building needed to be sandblasted, as well as the front of the adjacent coach house. In order to contain the dust and debris, the team installed a tarp over the entire back deck.

This tarp was massive. It engulfed four floors of decking and a 500+ square foot patio. While it prevented dirt from going into our neighbors' yards, the tarp did not keep the coach house from harm. Our first major snafu has occurred.

There are two apartments in the coach house. Each was covered with dust.

I dragged my finger across the top of a dresser to show the dust.

I moved a rug on the hardwood floor to show the clean floor below. The film was throughout both units. Needless to say, this has been extremely disruptive to our tenants. I contacted my general contractor immediately and he arranged for a cleaning crew to arrive the next morning. While the cleaning crew did a great job, more improvements need to be made. My last two days have been consumed by this problem. It's been upsetting for everyone involved. Our general contractor understands his team made an error and is going to great lengths to rectify it. The saga continues.

In the meantime, the masonry guys are furiously working on our building.

Here's a view from inside the third floor looking out onto the back deck. They've removed the door that used to be in our bedroom and the window in the second bedroom.

They closed the backdoor opening with some plywood on the third floor.

The brick coloring changes drastically with sandblasting. The upper grey color is before the sandblasting. Below, the natural orange brick coloring comes through afterwards.

This view is from the first floor courtyard, after the sandblasting was complete. We are thrilled with the condition of the brick. 

Brett took this photo of the entranceway. The uncovered brick is in excellent condition. The drama and beauty appropriately represent the work done this week. 

Phase 2: Disintegration and Rebirth

Spring officially arrived this week. With temperatures in the 80s this last week, it has felt more like summer. I tidied up our little garden; the purple and white hyacinth are already in bloom.

While the flowers are flourishing, the destruction inside our building continues. The team is working furiously on the first floor.

The stairs from the second floor to the third are completely blocked by the plaster that was removed from the wall. Love the brick.

The sunlight pours in through the front door and windows, illuminating the space for the men to work.

The home of our future kitchen. 

The ugly lime wall will soon be a faint memory. I wait with bated breath.

Phase 2: Floors One + Two In Transition

Floor 2 is nearly completely cleared out. The only thing left are the studs and some plumbing.

This is where the kitchen used to be. One of the guys bikes to our job site. I love the vintage wallpaper behind the bike and the leftover nails caring for his backpack and shirt for the day. 

The stairs from floor 1 to 2 are full of rubble and dust, warning me of the upheaval. The exposed brick looks great! We are relieved as we want to incorporate that into the future space. 

The dust is so great it creates bubbles in the photos. At one point, I could not even enter the unit without coughing. Thankfully, my worker friends all wear masks. Where I am standing was once a wall dividing the foyer from the first floor apartment. Now, you can see all the way through to the courtyard. 

This view is from the back of the unit towards the front. At the top of the photo, there are two small pieces of stained glass; we are keeping those where they are. We want to feature a few original accents of the building.

All the kitchen appliances, countertops and cabinets are long gone. And no, the chartreuse walls will not be staying either.

Back in the former bedroom, all the walls are exposed. My friend here is hard at work.

With only about a week left of demolition, the masonry is up next!

Phase 2: Third Floor Transformation

With only one week of demolition, our former apartment has changed dramatically.

Early on in demolition, looking into the kitchen.

Our bedroom ceiling.

The exposed wall of our living room.

They expect to fill 23 dumpsters.

I always wondered what the inside of the fireplace looked like.

Despite the chaos, the tub and the floor are determined to stay.

Adios tub!

And then there were none. The pipes and handles hint at the bathroom that once was.

That's a lot of hardwood flooring.

My honey perusing the shell of our former home.

And so, in just a handful of days, four guys have completely gutted our apartment. Onto floor two, fellas.

Phase 2: The Demo Begins

On March 1, we did a final walkthrough with our contractor to assess the property. With the permit in hand, the demo team began their work the next day. They went to town.

This is the first of many dumpsters.

They started on the 3rd floor, my former apartment. Oh bedroom, I did love you so!

Look at the fancy wallpaper hiding in my closet/exercise room/workspace.

Man at work.

The inside of our front wall overlooking the street.

Bathroom, how you've changed.

I'm trapped between my old world (the kitchen to my left) and my future (the destruction to my right.) I especially like the hints of blue that are still detected from my former bathroom walls.

The horror, the horror!!

So much for the ceiling. Even that has been touched.

They have removed all the drywall from the north wall.

Home in transition.

From Living-room to Bathroom to Bedroom.