Downstairs demolition 5: Dubious R-value

The demolition process revealed random insulation in some areas, no insulation in others and a variety of materials that seemed unlikely to resist the flow of heat or cold.

Some of the insulation was light as cotton candy. This fluffy yellow fiberglass stung like a billion itchy micro needles. The sensation continued for hours after we showered. The cure for such discomfort seems to be spicy vegetarian Indian food.

Other sections of insulation were matted and heavy.

Pulling down the drywall from the dropped ceiling in the walk-out basement revealed four different types of improperly installed insulation, along with mold, hidden junction boxes and beams that had not been tied in with the wall framing.

The bathroom was covered in two layers of drywall. This approach seems to have been taken as a cover-up measure. For example, it covered mold. When Matt pulled down the ceiling, it released a shower of spores, acorn caps, sunflower hulls and insulation repurposed as a nest. All located under where we sleep.

We were glad we picked up an additional pack of dust masks at Lowes, but joked around about contracting the Hantavirus each time we found sedimentary piles of rodent droppings. When Matt started coughing, we had an unfunny moment. The universal symptoms include fatigue and muscle aches—easily chalked up to days and days of manual labor. So we went back to laughing. Until Matt needed a doctor’s appointment and a prescription for TAMIFLU.

When Matt removed a double layer of SHEETROCK® in the bathroom walls, stones came tumbling in. Recounting the story to my boss, he joked: Maybe the previous owners thought the “R” in R-value stood for “Rocks?”

Perhaps less of a surprise was the construction debris between the walls, including broken drywall and sheets of oriented strand board with a May 1998 stamp. Thus, just shy of its tenth birthday, we were dropping this unused but sullied product into a dumpster. What a waste.

Thank goodness for our new washer and dryer to cleanse our work clothes.

Another satisfying step is always the end-of-day clean-up (yes, this is coming from a woman who out-sources such domestic duties under normal circumstances). It takes three steps to decontaminate after a day of demolition:

1. Broom and shovel to remove the big stuff.
2. New 6.5 horsepower shop-vac (we learned that a cheap shop vac with 1.5 horsepower is merely dumpster fodder) for the floor, walls, framing, etc.
3. Old Dyson to vacuum the filter of the shop-vac and then to remove the remaining dust and biohazards from the floor. You know how the ads say it never loses suction? True!

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