Garage Demolition!

In preparation for my man cave and electrical upgrades, the garage walls had to go. It was part of the plan to fix up, but not this soon. In the end, it makes sense to do it sooner than later for the electrical work and it makes sense to get it done before we move in so we dont have to move stuff in and out of it when the time came to fix it. So....in the end, benefit for me and a requirement for our electrical anyways....well...not a requirement, but would make things waaaay easier for them and would allow us to hide some wires that were exposed in the garage anyways. These things are the things that you really have to think about before doing it to make sure it makes sense at this point in time....and it does/did. Many things relied on our electrical being completed properly and this was the best time to do it...even with a slightly added expense. Saves time and headache in the long term (and short). 

Quickly - glad we ended up doing this because we noticed during the demolition that a lot of the existing dry wall was not so dry. A lot of things can lead to why...but by discovering it anyways while we were doing it...I felt even more strongly about getting this done sooner. As you know, moisture can lead to mold and thats what you dont want as it can be potentially hazardous.

In short, we found a little mold on the drywall....good thing is it was not on wood or anything like that. Likely because its been raining, we have crawl space, so it stays damp...a few other reasons too, but nothing too worrying. Basically when we're done, we would be changing the moisture content in the room and it would be less likely to penetrate when we're done with what we are doing. I am also working with our contractor to ensure we do whats best for the garage to eliminate possible issues in the future. We got it covered - expect a cleaner, warmer garage in the end.

Following the build out of the garage and some time after we move in and all the intense construction is done, we will eventually Moisture Barrier the crawl space as an added level of moisture resistance (virtually eliminate any moisture in the crawl space) which would also serve as a insulation mechanism as it would separate earth from the living space. For more info and samples of what a Moisture Barrier is and does - go HERE.

Thats the short story today - the rest will be pictures and captions. Enjoy.

*Yes, the garage was ugly...we knew it, we tore it out...lets get to work! 

Seriously jumped in mid air with full force and still no luck.

Ron trying to remove a part of the wall

Front part of the garage (right side) - nasty

Another part of the front (left side) - holes from removing asbestos pipes (under the blue tape and on the ceiling).

After 45 min or so - moving right along.

Entire front part basically gone (notice the crawl space I talk about behind the walls (or framing rather).

Left side of the garage - door is an entrance to the basement then up to the house. Both doors are getting replaced with Fire Rated Doors. Currently they are not - those are basically interior paper thin old school doors. Light as a feather.

Still at work...

Starting to pull out the ceiling. Its ripping easily because its very slightly damp. 

Drywall out and clean! Notice the rigged wires - yes, we NEED electrical outlets. Currently all the power is coming from a light bulb with an electrical outlet, split by a power strip running off of one old school knob and tube wire. Fire hazard!!!!!

These wires that feed from the outside and sort of go up through the ceiling are part of what I  am having removed and rewired so it is hidden under the new drywall. This wall when completed will not have any of what you currently see. Everything will be hidden behind the wall - SAFELY at that.

Front left corner cleaned!

Wall from garage to the people under the stairs. Yes, thats under the front stairs - those need to be replaced and that entire area will eventually be rebuilt and we will make that space behind the framing  a true storage area. Currently it gets damp and is no place to look at if you are ever here.

Ceiling in garage removed! Allows for better wiring for the new garage door opener  as well as better mounting.

Garage BEFORE demolition...

....Garage AFTER demolition! 

Behind this is the chimney. It is brick, covered with concrete. Since I cant tear it out, what Im going to do is have some artist do some work on it. I was thinking a simple brick pattern painted on (sort of graffiti style...but then again Im thinking of something artsy. It could add some character to the man cave. Pending ideas.

This completes this segment. Tomorrow the plumbers, next day electricians....then we may be able to cover the walls again...but with PROPER Drywall and Insulation!!! Yes.