Basement Devestation
September 29th, 2006 | by Todd W |There is something liberating about taking a reciprocating saw to a wall within your home. Walls are usually things we take care of…we don’t scratch, dent or mar them without grief. So when you have the chance to make huge, ragged cuts, followed by ripping and tearing, it tends to get the blood up.
Last night, I tore out two panels of drywall in the basement to confirm the leakage is indeed confined to one small section, easily fixed. The irony here is in discovering I didn’t need to rip it out, but if I hadn’t, I would never know. Sometimes destruction provides solace.
With the saw in hand, I cast my gaze to that closet containing what seems to be a toilet stub in the floor. There just HAS to be a drain buried in the wall someplace, and I’d love to install a bathroom.
Saw. Drywall. Potentially obscured sink drain. Obsessed saw operator.
This confluence of circumstance and wants yielded rapid results.
In short order, I figured out there was no drain. And now there isn’t much of a closet. Diane yelled down the stairs, inquiring if she should gather the kids and abandon the house, since by the sounds of things the whole structure was facing imminent collapse.
I gave up chasing my phantom drain, and now I’m not sure what I’m going to do. There are plenty of immediate tasks, such as carting away enough shattered drywall to strain a landfill. And replacing what was removed. And deciding if I want to replace the closet, remove it completely, or continue to pursue this bathroom idea.
I probably should call a plumber and figure out what I would need.
In the meantime, I’ve been thinking of expanding the ‘finished’ portion of the basement to the unfinished area. I would just have to move a wall…
And I have a saw for that.
