Demo

What I really wanted to write about today was not remodeling, but demolition. I had to finish the remodel blog entry, because I can’t get in the habit of leaving blogs hanging, and yet here I am much more interested in something else at the moment. Demolition.


See this house? It’s a nice duplex, built 1903, great hard wood, relatively level floors, good floor plans with a cute pantry (with a window!). Maybe you didn't notice that giant yellow machine idling next to it in the alley...
But maybe the litte guy will get your attention. That cute, sound house has a bad mortgage and no one paying its taxes, and, well, you all know what is coming.

This is all we've been talking about at architecture-work. It's an absolute waste. It's an offense to the universe, to tear down this perfectly sound, well-designed house and put it in a landfill. Why? All because some big lending companies and the real estate lobbyists drop-kicked the economy.

My Mentor Architect (we will call him AM) spent a good part of yesterday and some of today prying the birch trim and removing brass fixtures from the house. Once he showed interest, suddenly the Demo Man saw $'s and then he took off the big booty: two built-in birch buffets, two birch ice boxes. The demo man got tired though, so he sold the birch archways and balustrades to AM. Our side garden at the office is now a refuse lumberyard, but we already have one project in which the homeowner wants to use the birch baseboards.

We should start advertising how hip & sustainable we are, eh?