Power

Jack* and I began deconstruction in the Summer of 2008. We spent the fourth of July listening to the neighbor’s party, while we sat covered in dust eating peanut butter out of a jar. The power had been shut off and so we were limited to the daylight hours (which in July last until 9pm).

GIF Courtesy of Jacks collection

 

The first month was high energy, lots got done and we bonded over common work and common dirt. Ripping out the chimneys was easier than expected. The mortar crumbled between the bricks and we needed little more than our hands to pull them from each other.

Once the skeleton was exposed it was easy to see the target areas, primarily the living room floor and the mock bay window in the original kitchen. In addition to these projects we had to figure out how to dispose of all the waste material and get the utilities on. What seemed logical (rent a dumpster and hire city licensed contractors) ended up creating a festering problem between us.

To add to the confusion, one of our neighbors had been showing up every time we were working trying to get cash for labor, lawn mowers, you name it. The day he learned our electric meter had been shut off and he offered to get it turned on for us, (this coming from the guy responsible for filling everyones pool with freely liberated water each summer.) Before we could protest, he busted open the meter while we watched on nervously. He had rubber dishwashing gloves which I supposed offered a bit of insulation so we did not see him blow up instead we got power.

 

Power only matters if you use it. Jack never wanted to take advantage of anyone even electric companies so we stayed in the dark and cut up lumber with handsaws, used braces to drill holes and became dependent on the leverage of wrecking bars. 

*Names have been changed to protect the innocent