Master Dave-part 6 Demolition complete

The Rock: Demolition final 

We left off last installment getting ready to clear out the drywall and framing in the bathroom, and the detective work continued. There were the now-familiar wiring glitches leading us to wonder if the vision statement for the previous remodelers was “What you can’t see won’t hurt…much.” Buried wires and connections, wires pulled between framing members instead of through them—just a host of little things that left us scratching our heads and wondering why that would ever be okay. As my partner in crime, Bruce, constantly reminds me, “Don’t ask. You’ll never figure it out.”
The framing gave us a few clues as to what the bed and bath floor plan may have looked like in it’s original configuration—the original framing consisted of a double top plate (two 2 x 4’s), and the drywall was butted to the framing. The newer walls were framed with a single top plate and then installed over the existing drywall. We’ve noted a number of instances where the double top plates have been cut and removed, and leaving us wondering just how many structural issues this may have created.
The plumbing drains were exposed in the floor beneath the old spa tub, and they were predictably messy. The house is old enough to have originally used copper drain and vent lines, but these have been cobbled together with two different types of “plastic” pipe—ABS (black) and PVC (white)—with hose and pipe clamps of varying sizes to the various drain locations.
The shower was a “how-to” in what not to do in pouring a pan. Note that to pour a shower pan takes some effort, so why they didn’t do it right the first time boggles the mind. Typically, a pan requires two separate concrete or mortar pours sandwiching a waterproof membrane. The first pour establishes a slope toward the drain; the membrane goes next, usually with a coat of roofing tar under it both as a glue for the membrane and also a redundant water proofing characteristic; then the final pour as the tile underlayment. The thought is that if any water gets under the tile and the underlayment, it then hits the membrane and drains into “weep holes” in the drain. This one? Membrane stapled to the plywood floor, sloped pour and tile. Water got under the tile, under the sloped pour and just sat on the membrane. And festered. Eww!
As our final planned demolition events, we are removing the bearing walls and replacing them with beams and, as we cut down the kitchen wall, we again saw evidence of framing that was removed without regard to the structural intent of the original building. We topped off our second demolition dumpster with a shake of the head and acknowledged a new meaning to Thanksgiving!!