Operation Garage Removal

Hey all! We've got some major progress going on over here! The first step in our long renovation process was to remove the old junk catcher garage. I initially thought that we would be tearing down the garage and the concrete driveway with a back hoe. My contractor decided it was a better use of money to use his crew to take down the garage by hand and save to the back hoe for taking up the concrete and digging the footer for the new garage. It took them about six hours to get 95% percent of it down and just a about three hours the second day to finish the rest and clean up. And when I say them, I mean three guys. That's it! On the second day, they also removed the fence where the addition will sit and cut down a large lilac bush that will eventually be in the way. I was feeling a little stressed the first day after seeing the complete mess that was created, but I know this is progress and this is what needs to happen. And now, needless to say, I have new, never before seen views from my kitchen table! With that; on to the pictures!

I had several things being stored in the garage that I was not able to put out with the trash. Most were metal items that could be taken to the scrap yard.  Well, ain't nobody got time for that! So I told the guys they could have whatever they wanted that I no longer needed.

Here's a lovely shot of some of the things I needed to keep. The rest is in the back yard, behind the garage. It seriously looks like the Clampetts are putting on a yard sale. I mean, these are the some of most random items you could put together, and most of it isn't worth ten cents combined. So I'm basically the prize of the neighborhood right about now.

Here's the inside of the garage with the plywood walls taken down. 

This is the back of the garage. I had forgotten to include a picture of this in the before pictures from this post.

That's right. That's a sawzall blade cutting through my garage roof. No big deal.

All you need is a rope, a truck, and a sawzall to get things done. 'Merica!

And this is after the first piece of the roof came down. The second half didn't come down quite so neatly. They employed the same method the second time, and this is what we got.

The crew had anticipated this and put thick sections of plywood against my neighbors house to protect it from falling debris. They also braced the sidewalls with 2x4's. And I made sure to give my neighbor living in the house next door a heads up a couple days beforehand.

This my view from inside the house. 

Understand my stress level a little better now? ;)

And this is the end of day one. That caution tape pretty much sums it up!

And this is the end of day two! It is so strange to have this view out my windows now. From speaking with my neighbor that lives in the gray house (pictured directly above), the garage had been there for over 25 years. And again, all this concrete is coming up and this will all be yard. We will also be adding a deck out the back door in the spring. 

One more time, before and after:

Next time, I'll be back to show you some dirt and a big hole in the ground!

*Linking to Thrifty Decor Chick Before and After party