SEPTEMBER 2003
Now is when things start to get crazy. Don is working 2-3 full days a week doing demo
with Diana helping on the weekends. Nearly all of the interior walls are coming down,
old electrical is removed and all the debris carted away. And then the professionals get
to work! Carlos the Architect is hard at work on the plans and details. John the Sandblaster
spends nearly 4 days stripping all the exterior paint and a good portion of the interior too.
Bob the Window Guy, Paul the Contractor, Steve the Concrete Floor Dude, Dave the Door
Man, Wayne the Electrician, Ray the Plumber, and Bill the Guy Who Cuts Concrete Walls
are all consulted.
09.07.03—The wall with the reception window is now gone, opening up to the
future master bedroom. The second window (right) will be walled over. With all the
debris, and the dust and fibers in the air, and it being September and all, Don
starts to call this place Ground Zero.
Searching for an inexpensive and unique ceiling material, we've chosen this
low-shine galvanized metal sheet. It has a triangular corrogated shape and
a perfect cloudy-reflective quality. And, it's really cheap!
09.12.03—What was two side-by-side half bathrooms will become the main bathroom.
The wall has been removed and one of the toilets will be replaced by a shower.
09.19.03—John Jr. starts the sandblasting to find the perfect texture. The shot on
the right was taken through the eyehole on the back door as john was blasting the
wall above. The sand and water mix made a huge mess and the eyehole was covered
with mud seconds afterword.
The result was far better than we imagined. The blocks had more colorful agregate
than expected and the lighter grout created an excellent contrast.
09.21.03—The East exterior wall looks awesome! The wall sticking into the future
master bedroom has been torn down to frame and will be removed completely.
09.21.03—The front of the house during the last day of sandblasting. The ground
around the house has 1–2 inches of sand and it's an absolute dust storm inside.
What a frickin mess!
09.24.03—The sandblasting is done for now. Next comes the wall cutting. Where
there is still paint, the concrete block will be cut out and removed, making way for
bigger window (commercial-style anodized aluminum with tinted glass) and two
rolling doors.
09.24.03—Julian looking cool sitting on top of the dumpster, as only Julian can.
The sandblasting aftermath. Sand and mud cake the floor, a thin layer of dirt coats
the walls, and sand continues to sprinkle down from the insulation.
View from the future master bath toward the future master bedroom. The dirt and
debris covering the floor after the sandblasting is bitch to clean up.
I could really use a industrial-strength ventilator mask, but all I had was a dust mask.
As dirt was shoveled into the can, it seemed like half of it rose out as dust.
Looking toward the future kitchen. Note the painted areas that will be covered with
base and wall cabinets. Saved a little money by carefully planning where sandblasting
wasn't needed.
Also visit Don's portfolio site: www.designbutton.com
