It Begins

It is strange to be living in another house now - and confusing. It's also amazing how much stuff we have that is used once per year or so. It fills an entire room in the basement of our current quarters. Speaking of that, Carrie and I have also decided to name each house to minimize the confusion. We will not use the term "our house" any longer. Each one will now be called either the Riverside house or the Westover house.

The last of the personal items were moved out of the living area of our Riverside house on Sunday - through a constant downpour all weekend. There is still much to organize/throw away in the Riverside basement, but that can be done this week. As long as the stuff is pushed against the outside wall, it shouldn't impede their work down there anytime soon.

With as much demolition that will be done, I have made an effort to see that it is recycled. Here are the ways that this will be accomplished:

• The three dead/dying (36") oaks were sent to be milled.
• One set of washer/dryers was sold.
• Granite cobbles/stone walkway will be reused in future landscaping.
• The older set of washer/dryers was donated to Good Samaritan Industries along with our refrigerator and other items.
• Habitat will be coming to remove the interior trim, remaining appliances, light fixtures, solid wood doors, and anything else of immediate salvage value inside.
• Ace Waste will have a dumpster on site and take all remaining demolished items (wood rafters and joists, flooring, copper gutters, plaster, alum windows, and brick.) Their experience is that 80% of material can be reused or recycled into other products. They pay for the material based on the market value of the materials.

It will be a bit shocking to see the house as a shell, but it won't stay that way long. If the weather is normal for this time of year, we should be under roof by December 1.