Well, it’s been a while. We hit one of those traumatic remodel moments when you find out you have to take a timeout on the fun stuff and deal with the nitty gritty.  Not going to go into that now.  The trauma is still so fresh.  OK, fine…I’ll tell you.  It was asbestos removal!
image

Don’t let these confetti fun colors fool you-this tile is pure evil!!!!  (Incidentally, this is a new one we found in the barn.  The ones we are pulling up look like they’ve been soaked in tea and grime for 60 years.)

What I won’t tell you is how much it cost to officially remediate it,  BUT I can tell you that I’m 5,000% positive that it’s all gone.  I am, however, glad that I’m not 14,000% positive that it’s gone because that was the initial estimate.  There’s a reason people do this on the down low, cost-wise, but as I’ve been repeating over and over…you can’t put a price on peace of mind. I’ve been repeating that a lot. Sort of like a clinched-teeth mantra.

But, onto the fun stuff. They started doing the house backwards since they couldn’t go in.  The outside is now freshly painted and looking brand spanking new, in an old kind of way.  Still no deck…that’s coming.  (I’ll show you those pics later.  Can’t give it all away at once!)

And the inside….well, take a look at this:

image

Thoughts possibly running through my head at this moment: “What in the heck have I done.  Should have followed brother’s advice to just tear it down and park a double wide on the property.”  Also thinking “If I’m standing at an angle, my butt looks smaller.”

image
image
image

This is not dead coral.  This is an advertisement for termite treatment.

image
image

Just add bath salts and you have a luxurious retreat!

It’s so strange to see the drywall down; it really feels like a mountain shack…like a nine year old Dolly and her coat of many colors is in the next room.  As interesting as this is (and people who have seen the pics are oohing and aahing over the wood walls), if we kept it this way, it would be utterly depressing. Trust me, it’s dark and small.

So, a couple of walls are coming out, a ceiling is coming down and the fun stuff begins!

Updates on that next week…