200 lbs of WHAT?

To feel like I was still doing something in the rest of the house while the kitchen was being torn apart, I called a chimney sweep.

YES, they exist! Sadly he had no Cockney accent, but he did tell me that he removed 200lbs of dead animals and composted leaves from EACH chimney in the house. And that I was lucky that he doesn't charge by the hour. When he left he looked like a real chimney sweep- covered in soot up to both elbows.

It's a good thing too, because we'll need those fires blazing if we can't afford to clean out the heating ducts.

It was just cold enough to turn them on the other day and a large amount of moldy smelling air wafted up out of the registers. I called the heating and AC company and they said they had a record of our house under a different name, but that although they had been called to do the service in 1991 the appointment was canceled.

How much slack do you think is appropriate to cut the people who lived here before? They had four teenage kids. Okay, maybe some slack.

Top Ten Reasons to Totally Gut My Kitchen

A lot has happened since the last post, which I'm posting about only now partly because I have started work and therefore have less time for DIY. The great thing about work is that I have more money for DIbyhiringotherpeople!

The biggest project is the kitchen. Which was gutted totally on the first of the month. For a while it looked truly surreal, then for a long time nothing appeared to happen but workmen (and workwomen!) were making lots of loud noises.

Then there were cabinets. Soon, maybe, there will be countertops? I live in hope.

It was necessary to do something about the kitchen for the following top ten reasons:
10. The appliances were state of the art...for 1959. Also broken.
9. The door out onto the deck was being locked with a broken hockey stick.
8. Turning on the vent hood produced smells from the same era as the appliances.
7. The bottom oven made lots of smoke but no heat.
6. The top oven had two settings- off and broil. If you wanted the bottom of your food warm you were SOL.
5. The fridge was full of mold.
4. The ceiling was popcorn (yes, in this house!)
3. The floor had water damage.
2. The garbage disposal made a sound like a Red Hot Chili Peppers drum solo.
and the number one reason to redo the kitchen.....
1. Everyone who started a tour of the house in the kitchen did a double take when the door to the living room opened. Every time.

Here are some pics:

Freezer mold:


Totally gutted:


And then there were cabinets!