Another long weekend gave me time to do a bit of everything which was nice. Managed to hit the farmers market Saturday morning to load up on croissants from Ca Croustille who make THE BEST croissants in Vancouver, then went for a bike ride and visit a brewery with friends. Sunday i did a training hike with my pack up Lynn Peak which was brutal. I had planned on doing a bit of work when i got back but i was done. I don’t even remember what we did in the afternoon. I am starting to freak out a little bit about my hike in a few weeks. It seemed like a good idea when Don and Maddy invited me back in March but now it is in a few weeks and i don’t think i will ever be ready. 135 km. What was i thinking?!
Monday i got started on taking apart the basement bedroom. We are having friends stay on the Labour Day weekend so i don’t want to totally trash the basement, but i figure i can close off and start on the bedroom without too much mess. I have hung a shower curtain and a big piece of plastic and have a piece of plywood across the base pinning it in place.
I actually got a bit melancholy as i was trying to protect the floors i refinished a few years ago, but then i realized i am tearing it all out! I had always hoped to be able to do this reno, but in the meantime we had to make it liveable for students and friends so i put a lot of work into the basement over the years. We replaced the windows, insulated, pulled up carpet, put down tiles.. I learned a lot and now it is all going. Oh well, that is what life is about.
I am being pretty cautious taking it all apart. The drywall is dated 1977 and the manufacture of products containing asbestos stopped in 1972, but because of issues with the taping compound (drywall mud) they let them keep using it for a few years until they found a decent substitute. Then they let the industry use up it’s inventory so drywall mud through to 1990 might still contain asbestos. The other reason i am being careful is that i want to salvage some of the drywall to add additional sound absorption to the ceiling. Rather than laying waste with a crowbar i am trying to get as many of the sheets off whole as i can. This is not fast but it serves to keep the dust down as much as possible. I try and track down where the seams are then use my scraper to pop the drywall off the nails or screws. I cut along the seams which also reduces the amount of dust. I am still wearing my asbestos respirator, strip off in the basement, and shower when i come up, and i am not saying it is dust free, but it is low dust.
I did discover that there had been a fire downstairs at some point. It would have been before 1977 based on the drywall and for the most part it looks like it burned some wallpaper but up near the ceiling the wood is charred like it has been in a bonfire. We had noticed some scorching to the joists when we were re-wiring but just assumed that was from the knob and tube wiring since the insulation was burned off a wire. Now it looks like the fire started somewhere else and crept up the wall.
All in all i am not sure what is going to kill me first downstairs. There are so many choices! Tetanus is a real possibility with rusty nails and drywall screws everywhere. I have to take time to take them out of the ceiling joists because the ceiling is low and i could easily get gouged instead of just clunking my head. The amount of mouse shit coming out of the ceiling and walls is phenomenal so i could get hantavirus which is the last thing i need to get in the middle of a pandemic. And of course the risk of mesothelioma isn’t a lot of fun either.
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