Demolition derby

[gwyn]

Gah, that accidentally got posted before I wanted.

So, a couple weeks ago I came home from teaching my first class at the UW, and there was a signed contract on my kitchen table, waiting for my signature. Only a day before had my dad and I agreed to go with this one contractor for my new garage. I was expecting a couple weeks. My dad had left me a bunch of messages that they wanted to start demolition the next day. I was really nervous still about the class, scared and feeling really inadequate (I so don't think I'm the right person for this thing), and when Lou, the contractor, called me in the morning he was all "We'll take care of everything!" But I was like, "AUUUUGGHHHH" because I wouldn't have time to organize the crap i wanted to save in the garage vs. what I didn't. He said "The guy with the storage pod will be there in about an hour, and then the electrician is coming. And if we can get started today we can be ready for the nice weather next week to pour the concrete." I went, "AUUUUGGGHHH okay."

It has been a very weird few weeks. I take pics of the work through the window of my office so there's a bit of glare on some of these. I can't mow my lawn so the grass is now like ten inches high, and I can't get my cans out to the alley for pickup , but other than those inconviences, it's been more interesting than annoying. Not as noisy as I was expecting. I now have vast acres of concrete, it feels like, and the whole neighborhood keeps coming by to stare. I can tell they want to ask how I can afford all this -- the car and the garage and then at some point the new plumbing, but they don't ask too much. Some of my neighbors are even videotaping it. Dad is in guy heaven, coming over every day to sit and watch them and talk guy talk. A couple people have said in this sad voice, "I bet it was hard watching it be torn down," and I laughed. "HELL no," I keep telling them. I'm so glad that vermin-infested, spider horror show, rotten, crumbling, ugly-ass, soggy, sagging, stinking piece of crap eyesore is gone I could do a jig."

	The whole front half of the garage is missing by this point. They were moving so fast, I didn't get my camera to take pics before they'd already trashed most of it.
	The leaning tower of garage. Most of the support is gone by this point. It was really weird watching it tilt forward.
	Kaboom. We have demolition!
	All that's left is the rubble. You can see just how rotten and rubbishy everything is if you look closely.
	Then they brought in dirt. Lots and lots of dirt. Vast tracts of... dirt.
	Overnight, they parked the Bobcat and the dump truck on the packed down dirt. It gave me the heebies to look out my window and see this giant truck looking as if it was hurtling toward my house. I had Christine-style nightmares.
	Every picture session involves pics of the cat. What can I say? As soon as I put this comforter cover on, she hopped up and sprawled out (though I missed the best "mine, all mine" shots), looking at me like, "It's about time, bitch! I need my thousand thread count well-kept!"
	She's my cutie pie. Damages everything in sight, but still my cutie.
	A couple days later, the concrete guys came over. They built the forms and then put down the reinforcing wire. The channel on the right is for the electrical lines.
	It took four cement trucks for all the stuff they poured. It was highly entertaining to watch because the one guy was holding the big hose between his legs, so it was a bit more suggestive than they might have wanted.
	It's hard to see the guys, but one of them has a mohawk. I was amused.
	Emma surveys her new landscape. I survey the damage... the rock and stepping stone path is toast, the little pebbled spot for the water cistern is a mess, but at least they built around my raspberries, which was nice. I was so unprepared, I would never have been able to move them, but I didn't want to lose them
	Vast tracts of... concrete. On the leftish top are the garage footings. I will basically drive in the alley and then swing into the garage. When I look at it like this, it looks too small, but when I stand in the middle it seems fine.
	Now I have a nice door with a little walk to the sidewalkie thing, and there's a gentle slope to it. No more fence getting stuck on the capsizing concrete!

Comments

[mlyn.livejournal.com]

Awesome.

Those guys have nice forearms, too. *pervs*

[rainkatt.livejournal.com]

Wow. That's impressive. And I know what you mean about getting rid of the old vermin-infested structure. Not that I have one of those right now.

Love Miss Emma, and also your comforter cover.

[anoel.livejournal.com]

Aww your cat is cute! Mine is just like yours, she thinks she owns the place.

[wolffire.livejournal.com]

Neat-o.

[varina8.livejournal.com]

It's like the old Kingdome imploding, only smaller and minus the explosives.

I love kitty cheescake. Emma looks ready for her close up.

[kadymae.livejournal.com]

it's wierd how naked concrete looks smaller than it is. The same thing happened when our house was being built.

I mean, I can see your new garage is going to be at least 1/3 larger than the old one.

And that nice cement path up to your door is going to be aces.

[keiko-kirin.livejournal.com]

Looks swanky! Swanky new concrete and garage, and the walkway is going to be nice. A mohawk! I haven't seen one of those in years.
Emma is such a cutie! I remember her rolling around and being cute for a minute or so, before running off to hide...

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

I know! I never see anyone with a mohawk, let along someone on a construction crew. He was just this pudgey, kind of amiable guy with a mohawk... very odd to see in staid ol' West Seattle.

I am hoping it will be swanky. Well, anything would compared to the eyesore, but I'm just very anxious for them to start building now, because I can't wait to put up shelves and organizey things! Wheeee...

[mystic-savage.livejournal.com]

Cool -- there's nothing as satisfying as destruction of property. I'm 40 now.