Let's Call a Plumber

Upon the removal of the soffits, I discovered an offending galvanized vent pipe snaking in front of the wall studs. It is clearly in the way and needs to be relocated. Rebuilding the soffit I just destroyed to hid it wouldn't make sense, would it?

Before

After: Nice white PVC.

Demolition Therapy - Part 3

Finally done! The plaster walls and soffits are gone. What's left are hundreds (or maybe thousands) of nails to pry off. I know my wife is around... Honey?

Nails, nails everywhere!

Dumpster update...

Demolition Therapy - Part 2

Who said: "They don't build home like this anymore"? Because it's true! See this: The 1955 drywall job is overbuilt and reminds me of a transition era in many regards. Second World War to cold war, steam locomotives to diesel, and lath & plaster to Sheetrock. Well, not quite that easy! Unexpectedly, the walls and ceiling combine both to form a heavy duty 3/8" layer of plaster over a primitive 3/8" Sheetrock. Needless to say that it didn't come off in large chucks. It actually didn't want to come off at all!

Demolition Therapy - Part 1

Everything has to go. Cabinets first. The tools: Sledgehammer, crowbar, sawzall, goggles. No injuries yet!

Finally the fridge is gone and the room sealed

Uppers and some tiles are gone

Thinking the tiles would have been installed over plywood and 1/4" cement board of some sort? Not at all. The countertop is made of a full one inch thick reinforced concrete slab. I had to call the neighbor for some help...

Dumpster-Day

I wasn't there when they dropped the 20 cubic-yard dumpster. Let's see how much I can fill it...

This is just the wall that was removed

The Big-Beam Job - Part 2

The load-bearing beam is in place and needs to be permanently supported with a couple of trimmer studs on each sides. Toe-nailing everything securely and the beam job is done. The nail-gun is a fun toy and it's hard to not nail everything more than needed.
Moment of truth: Removing the temporary wall to see if the floor above stays flat. Tada!

What is the fridge still doing here?

Trimmer studs