Demolition!
The basement project has begun! We are starting with the essential radon mitigation.
Partial Wall Removal
If you click on the image, you’ll see an enlarged version of it. If you look at the base of the wall, you’ll see a dimpled plastic sheet coming out from the floor. This is what it is, and this is why it’s there. It provides a gap between the wall and the floor that allows moisture to run down into the drain tile. The problem is, it also lets radon gas up into the basement. So, how do you allow it to serve it’s function while also sealing it up to keep the radon out? Good question! The answer is, to line the walls with plastic, and seal the plastic down onto the dimpled plastic sheet. The plastic on the walls is sealed at the top, so it is air tight.
So, we hired someone to come in and seal the foundation with plastic. But, to prepare, I needed to give them access to the entire foundation. So I borrowed our friend’s reciprocating saw (thanks Wendell!) and cut the plaster and lathe walls back about 18 inches wherever a wall butted up against the foundation (see photo). Fun!
Also, there was a finished “office” in the basement that the previous owners built. For some reason. So, the sheetrock and trim in that room had to be ripped out. It took very little time to cut the plaster and lathe walls, but the sheetrock in the office took much of the day for me, Matthew, and Nathan to rip out (Justin is on a canoe trip).
The "Office" Before
The "Office" After
Matthew Removing Sheetrock