No longer looking for Mr. Dry-bar
11/27/11
This one I actually feel a little bad about. Apparently it used to be a basic closet and was turned into a not-wet bar, though I'm not positive, because the shelves inside the cabs were really shallow and not in the shape of bottles (not to mention that the previous owner Mr. Brookman was a rabbi, and I doubt one needs a bar to house their fine collection of Mogen David and Manischewitz wine). Whatever it was, as you can see, the cabinets were a rather pretty honey wood color, and nicely custom made. I originally thought I might be able to get them out intact, but one I started getting them apart, it was clear that they were "location-built". In other words, the adjacent walls were clearly part of the structure, so it would be impossible to remove the cabinets without destroying them. I did save the doors- maybe I can cut them up somehow and use them in the future. Also saved all the hardware which was all in good shape. The shelves are all glass, and between these and the previously removed "knick knack" wall case, I'm accumulating an impressive collection of glass that I have no idea how to dispose of. I don't want to break it because, fun as that sounds, the reality of a giant pile of broken glass probably isn't safe or fun.
I had to pull out a couple of the large travertine tiles because they were wedging the 2x4 framing at the bottom. That made me glad someone else will be removing the other 600-ish sq feet in the house prior to the polished concrete job. It's not that easy, the tiles weigh a ton and the smooth set grout stuff beneath is easily a half-inch thick. I discovered a big crack in the concrete, so hopefully that won't be an issue when I get it polished. I don't really mind how it looks.
Speaking of heavy-ish stuff, whoever called me a pussy for getting "only" a four-pound sledgehammer clearly hasn't used one (or has much larger biceps than I do). The centrifugal pendulum-like effects of swingin' four pounds around are enough to wear you out pretty quickly and I found myself reaching for the standard hammer when great destructive force wasn't needed. That's another reason you don't need more- there isn't much in the way of drywall, nails and wood that stands a chance in the face of four pounds of metal at gale-force velocities. Anything more, and I'd be pretty concerned about the possibilities of "collateral damage", i.e. breaking nearby stuff you didn't intend to break.
Question now is what to do with this area. I'm debating two options; option one is to somehow make doors and/or wall and turn it into a closet. Normally this would be a great idea, but this house has so much storage that it'd actually be redundant. Besides the closet and cabinet-filled laundry/utility room about 12 feet away, there are not one, but two separate coat closets immediately on the other side of this in the foyer. More likely I'll just leave it open, get some nice 3/4" oak plywood and make bookshelves all around the perimeter. I love the idea of built-in stuff. If I do this, I'll figure out how to sand and poly clear coat them to make them look really pretty. Also will probably support them with semi-hidden wood pieces at the back, as opposed to ugly generic metal brackets.
(This is more than likely what I'll do with the other built-in monstrosity I'm about to destroy in the kitchen- you'll see this in future entries)
TW, I also managed my second Impressive Injury™, this while breaking a wee piece of trim with a wee nail sticking out that kinda went flying. Through my shoe, at that. See the blood? Fortunately, I had Band-Aids and hydrogen peroxide at the ready, and didn't "sever any main cables".
