May 2024 - Getting Started

I closed on the property in the spring, but the renters' occupancy pushed my access back to the end of May and early June. The state they left the property in dictated my first steps: a major trash clean-out, serious yard work, and essential maintenance. Once those were complete, I turned my attention to a bathroom demolition upstairs.

The upper unit bathroom was ground zero for the renovation. The previous tenant moved out before the bottom one and left the place picked up. In general, this space had clearly been neglected (by landlords mainly) for at least a decade (and in some areas, much longer). The "handyman" work was rough, including this shower situation. Installed with the incorrect adhesive, it was leaking and practically peeled off the wall. At first, I thought the tub was cast iron and tried the sledgehammer method… Nope, steel. The hammer just bounced back and left a dent when I hit the tub harder. Thankfully, my friend came to the rescue with his sawzall and some carbide blades. Cutting it out was surprisingly easy. Then came the floor. Two layers of linoleum/vinyl over particle board screwed into the original oak floor (tears). As you can see, the leaky tub had done its damage, turning the subfloor into a moldy disintegrating mess.

Figuring out the original 1922 layout of this house is like solving a historical mystery, the wall behind the shower framing is a major piece of the puzzle.

The photos above highlight the yard work and trash that were kindly left behind for me to deal with. Around the time I gained access to the property, one of two oak branches cracked and fell. The one that fell was thankfully over the yard. Its twin is over the front half of my house. More on that in a later post…