Home Improvements and Repair

This is the first part in a weekly series I'm going to write about home improvements.

In 2002 I bought a 100+ year old starter home (the home was built in 1898). I bought it from a bank at an auction. It was a deal and a steal. Unfortunately, it had not been updated since probably 1950 (at least). The original intention wasn't to flip it or anything, but it was in serious need of a lot of work. Unfortunately I no longer own this home, but I did do a lot of work on it.

I'm going to go over some of the basics and try to show before and after pictures as often as possible. Unfortunately, I've sold that home and since moved, so if I don't have "after" photos I can't really go back and take any now can I. So I'm just digging through my photo archives and uploading what I can find.

Keep in mind, I have done previous work as a fire restoration subcontractor in various roles (painting, roofing, siding, electrical work, tile work, carpentry, etc), and I'm not very fainthearted about tearing stuff up with a crowbar when push comes to shove. And there is nothing more gratifying than smashing stuff with a sledgehammer and rebuilding it again new.

Remodeling and construction is like wiping a canvas clean then painting a new picture. In an abstract way, construction work is really very artistic.

So for part one we'll cover one of the dangers you may face when attempting to remodel an old home. Lead.

Back when my starter home was built in 1998, the builders would mix lead into everything as a preservative. This was great at the time, since lead is a fantastic preservative, but as many of you may know lead is extremely hazardous. Especially for children. Over time, with ambient moisture, lead leeches into basically everything it comes in contact with. The plaster walls of the home were full of lead thanks to the paint. Even the joists behind the plaster. The wooden windowsills were contaminated thanks to being painted. I was afraid of the lead dust contaminating everything in the house if I tried to break apart the plaster, and even sanding it spreads lead dust everywhere.

The only other way to deal with it is to either A) Pay professionals with special equipment to tear everything out or B) Put a seal between the wall and the rest of the home (which is much more cost effective and still safe if done properly).

So oftentimes I would simply paint over or cover up existing things to create that seal rather than attempt to get rid of them. Especially when it came to trim work or plaster. Tearing the place apart wasn't really an option unless I wanted to spread lead dust everywhere (especially on myself!). And since I needed to live in the home as I improved it.