Two weeks in... mid-demolition

We've had a great two weeks peeling back the layers and trying to figure out the original configuration of our house! Let me rephrase that- I've had a great two weeks getting text pictures of things Levi has discovered while I was at work. Levi has been working nonstop tearing things out and this house is a big mess. We hired some guys from the River City Mission to help him work and things have been going faster than I expected!!!

We first arrived to town on a Friday after sleeping about 4 hours in a Walmart parking lot outside of St. Louis. Levi had broken his favorite flip flops so we headed to the mall to get some new ones. This was a terrible idea in our vulnerable "holy crap we just moved to Paducah" sleep deprived state. They did not have Havianas at KY Oaks Mall. We decided to get some snacks and have happy hour on our porch and decompress.

We also tore down our fireplace. It was hanging by a thread. And apparently some squatters had attemped to start a fire with a closed flue. Awesome.

The next day, we attacked the inside wall where the front door used to be with an axe. We had no idea a door would be there. I mean, its a 1980s hollow core door  that we will replace, but whatever. And there was a painted transom above it. SCORE! This doorway is HUGE!



These pictures below are from the downstairs bathroom that I didn't include on the before pics. There was a refrigerator hose upstairs that came loose and leaked water for years, creating the current situation. This bathroom is on the back left of the house, beside the kitchen.

This is an awesome skirted cast iron tub that we will use upstairs. 

Walls coming down revealing the mold grows in trees

Mold and more mold

This is the door between the former foyer and the living room. This really opens up the living room!

Here it is farther along.

Old wall paper, should we keep it? ha. 

Masks required, this is my brother in law Kyle. He loves to demolish

Mold on bricks. EWWWWWWW

Discovery of the day, 3 days in: a double wide brick arch!!!!!
We plan to have exposed brick in the kitchen, perhaps the stove will go under this?

Kyle showing off the brick arch

We covered the upstairs floors in ram board so they wouldn't get damaged with the demolition. 

Taping!! My biggest contribution....