Progress Update: Week 2

This week revolved around of more demolition.  The lath and plaster were torn down on most walls, allowing access to the wall cavities for the new electrical, gas, and plumbing lines.  In addition, the water heater was taken out and the closet in the back bedroom came down.

The drywall removed reveals some of the original plaster walls.

After all the plaster and lath came down we found the original kitchen chimney.  It's shocking to me that the chimney didn't go all the way down to the floor, but it was definitely built like this in 1924.

It was equally fun to discover all the secrets of the home hiding inside the walls.

Window weights still on the pulleys.

Wall paper samples from the 1960's (above) and 1920's (below).

A plaster wall with the 1920's wallpaper still intact.

This is also unfortunately the week my heath took a dive for the worse.  With all the fine plaster, dust, mold, mouse poop, and everything else hiding in the wall churned up into the air, I developed an acute sinus infection.  It was so bad that I developed tinnitus, vertigo, and nausea.  I lost my appetite, couldn't hear out of my left ear, and couldn't walk straight.   I couldn't read, watch TV, or drive.  I was completely debilitated for days.  My poor husband had to do everything.  Just getting out of bed to get to the bathroom was a challenge.  While we hadn't done any of the demolition ourselves (something that I had initially wanted to help with), we did poke our heads in the back 1/2 of the house in the evenings to see the progress that had been made during the day.  I would have never guessed that just a few minutes of breathing in that air over consecutive days would be enough to incapacitate me in the way it did.  I thought staying on the second floor, where there is a separate ventilation system, and only going in after the air had settled would be enough, but it wasn't.  Fortunately, all the crew and my husband remained healthy.  It's possible I just have a more fragile respiratory system than them. Thankfully, after sealing off the house with plastic, investing in a hepa filter, and getting lots of medical help, I can report that I am on the road to recovery.  But I've got a ways to go.  Hopefully my cautionary tale will prevent the same from happening to someone else.  Don't underestimate the measures you should take to preserve your health if you're going to live through a renovation.  Maybe this is the reason the plumber had initially suggested we move out.