Old House My House

 
 

One of our daughters asked, “Can I be there when they blow the house up?” We had to explain to her that demolition doesn’t mean “blow up,” and that our house would be taken apart piece by piece so  every usable part could be salvaged for re-use in other homes. 

We were able to stop by periodically during the week as the deconstruction crew worked. We couldn’t go in the house because of hazardous dust, but we were able to watch as materials that couldn’t be re-used were sent down the long yellow tubes into the dumpster. It was fun to be able to check in on the progress through the webcams when they went live, too. Even more interesting for our whole family was watching the piles of salvaged materials accumulate in the yard—bookshelves, light fixtures, toilets, a stove, pine floors, interior doors, and even the outlet covers.

Now that the deconstruction is complete we've finally been able to go inside. With the entire structure empty, we can better visualize what the new space will look like, since we’re going to have an open floor plan. In a way, it's actually kind of beautiful (in some places, the light shines through the cracks in the exterior siding). Finally, the process of constructing our new home begins!