If you are a local, you may have noticed that something is afoot at Slum and Blight! Greg and I worked like dogs on Monday to finish up bathroom tear out, and get rid of the old steel stink pipe that traversed the building under the second floor, then went straight up through the third floor and the roof. Our favorite bartender turned construction guy, Dan Waldron, spent the day taking the old furnace chimney down. He said it was so full of creosote that he wonders how the building never caught on fire. Evidence of that is the three layers of wall behind the chimney that were stuck together by creosote!
Here is the action shot....Dan, four stories up!
and me safely on the ground. Dan said he wouldn't step on the roof, so he is doing this from the safety of a cherry picker
The blackened Dan made it down to the first floor, look at that creosote streaked wallboard....gross
Our dear departed chimney, along with some bricks from the crumbling foundation!
Together Greg and I worked from about 6am to 10am on Monday morning filling the dumpster and packing it as tightly as we could. Some of you early morning walkers may have seen me out jumping up and down on the top of the demo heap attempting to get one more piece of wall on top! We think this is dumpster #9
The steel stink pipe was really heavy and we were worried that it would come crashing down through a floor if we weren't careful. We were very careful! Each section of pipe must have weighed 100 lbs... I must caution everyone, the weight is not the only bad part about this...the dried debris inside the pipes was what gave me the heebies....ewwwwwww!
When we got the pipe out from between the floor joists, we were able to cut through the "temporary" joists under the old elevator doors to open up an interior shaft and gain access to the upper floors from inside the building. That was a big accomplishment!
A happy Greg on the second floor
"'Ole Creosote Dan"
We now have a good sturdy ladder strapped in place for stairs.
All this before 9am when the building jackers got there.. Scott Richards of Northport and his team arrived to put their equipment in place. Great and honest group of people, thanks guys! Scott told me he was amazed that the building was only out of whack 3" with 7 steel I-beams, jacks, and wooden cribs, they jacked the building just enough to level her out and take the weight off the walls.
The first hole they put in the side of the building!
After they raised the building, Scott said I could take down all the wooden walls and supports...most just came off with one tug!
The log on the ground was one of four original cedar posts holding up the Northern side of the building, When I went to try and pick up the 5 foot log, I almost tossed it right over my shoulder it was so light! All four of these cedar posts were dry as bones...How this ole girl stayed upright and only 3" out of straight, I will never know!
Look how straight she is!
See the brick foundation wall at the lower left in the photo below? Scott said "oh yea, I should push some of this over so it isn't so dangerous, so he just pushed and the whole wall came crashing down. the pressure of the building was keeping it together.
Greg told me they had to replace that beam at the left in the photo below because it was sticking into the space the excavator needs to work. I didn't go down today because I didn't want to have to see them lower the building back down, replace, and relift. Ugghhh.
I think the old girl likes it. The floors are straighter and the door at the back of the first floor won't open anymore.
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