Kitchen Stripping part 2

If you remember the previous post "Naked Kitchen" , we want to lower the kitchen to ground level and have polished concrete or tile flooring.

This time I used the second pair of hands to move the kitchen sink out temporarily. Tomo checked the beam structure holding up the bathroom and toilet, and advised which could be cut.



So first we ripped out remaining floor boards and wooden wall frames, then I attacked the beams with the Chainsaw.



One beam extended far into the room and held up the bathroom. So before sawing it off, I supported it with the jack from the rental car, then slipped in a piece of wood that I cut to 16.5 cm. After lowering the thus supported beam again, it was safe to remove the protruding bit. On the very right of this photo you can see the new piece of wood.



Did I mention rubbish? Yes I did. I removed another two large bags of rubbish and polluted soil together with Mori-san.



Job well done. All beams and posts removed, we can now contemplate working on the kitchen for real. The sliding doors at the back will be replaced with a structural wall. The window at the rear of the room may be removed, and all walls need fixing. For the moment we put the sink back so that we can use indoors water during the construction period. The fireplace can also be left for a while, maybe we can use it for warming our fingers during winter reconstruction.

Naked kitchen

Tackling the kitchen required some of the same skills and techniques used on the other rooms to remove the ceiling. Because it was relatively low, I had no problem getting it out.



However, in this room walls were wood paneled and covered with disgusting layers of cooking fat, oil and grease. There was no other way, they had to go too. Because the kitchen had a very low ceiling, we want to put it down onto ground level, and just finish the floor with concrete, like the entrance area. So I also had to remove the (ugly) wooden flooring.

The kitchen stripped (nearly) naked:



It appeared that the walls to the outside were made up of the the thinnest possible material, then an empty space, then the paneling. Because the outside is riddled with many cracks and holes, those cavities provide excellent habitats for bees and wasps... definetly have to do something about them! An internal wall was made with a gypsum plate.

Removing the floor paneling revealed another fire place. A second layer of weight carrying boards was revealed. Below those, a collection of old beams and provided a fixing place. I couldn't move the sink on my own, so it has to go some other time. In the mean time I used the CHAINSAW, to reveal the ground just in front of it. Getting the floor boards up is quite a job because so many nails are used.

The previous owner left a surprise for me: Below the floor boards - a load of rubbish!


As I took this photo I already filled two garbage bags with the thrash. I found some evidence of small mamal habitation, but judging by tiny skelletons and absence of food, they are long gone.





There is still some rubbish to be cleared next time: