Thursday, September 25, 2008

Crash, Bang, Boom

Jonah and I came home from Story Time at the library this morning and saw the pickup parked in the front yard, backed up to the porch. Now what is that all about??

Hey... What's going on here, anyway?




What is he DOING?? Aaaaack!




It's another project. Yes. ANOTHER project. There truly is no end.

Excuse me while I cry and bewail my fate in life. And cry. I'm gonna... cry.



A'right. I'm better. SO. Nathan decided that today is a good day to knock out the old brick chimney that has stood from the basement to the roof, passing through the downstairs, upstairs and attic. It was royally ugly. And useless. The people who lived here before we did were deluded enough to actually use it and guess what? They had a chimney fire. So we've had this eyesore here, but have not used it. So today, it came out. The plan is that we will run the double-wall insulted pipe through this area and put the woodstove there, but without the old chimney.

Nathan started from the roof, and knocked it down, brick by sooty, old brick, and dropped them all down through the opening into the wheelbarrow parked in the livingroom. Ever seen how fast and hard a brick falls from the roof into your living room? No? It's quite something. I was feeling a little shell-shocked.

I hung around near the wheelbarrow to clear brick-blockages and such. I made Jonah stay far away because I was having nightmares of him getting clocked by a flying brick.

And slowly... the chimney got smaller.




Nathan had help from an Amish neighbor toward the end.








And... The chimney is gone!



See? Disappeared.

And! I have a skylight!



As well as a fine layer of soot and mortar dust coating everything in the entire house, upstairs and down.



P.S. Look at the pretty horses! In my yard! Horses!




3 comments:

  1. HEY THERE!
    What are you doing with that there load of brick???
    Don't take it away!
    It would make a lovely walk, or patio ! Don't you know how hard and expensive it is to get brick? If you don't want it I'll take it! Edging for my flower beds!

    ReplyDelete
  2. It's all piled behind the barn.

    And I already thought of using it. Problem is, every brick is covered in layers of mortar. It's pretty ugly stuff. So, to use it, I would have to chip off all the mortar. Also, a lot of the bricks are not whole anymore after being smashed apart and dropped two stories.

    There's also lots of brick around the house in a skirt for the foundation. This will have to come down, too, but the same thing applies, though it's a little cleaner. Also, I think all that is the kind with holes.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Why didn't he start in the bottom and work his way up?

    ReplyDelete