Frost Simula

Demolish and discover

Three friends help me demolish parts of my bathroom, laundry room and other areas of the lower level. ($96.27)

In the process, I find illegal plumbing and electrical wiring beneath my kitchen sink and in my laundry room wall.

This wiring splice is missing a junction box.

This metal junction box was concealed behind drywall.

I also discover PVC pipes that have been punctured by drywall screws! Pipes that are framed-in are supposed to be protected by metal stud plates to prevent this.

I demolish the ceiling above a closet which reveals more shoddy workmanship and a heavy duty electrical conduit that has exposed wires protruding from it.

I also discovered that the closet ceiling drywall was screwed directly into the heating duct!

Excavation

I uninstall the remaining fixtures from the downstairs bathroom, including the shower. A friend and his dad help me excavate the drain pipes that were installed against building code beneath the floor. It’s tedious work, digging through tough clay around each pipe. Just look at that cluster of PVC and rubber unions hacked together. No building official would ever approve this!

The excavated dirt is placed in 5 gallon buckets and kept in my laundry / mechanical room which is now fully exposed.

The dryer was hooked up with a vinyl hose that was covered with drywall, against code. Also, none of the laundry drain pipes were secured to the studs so they simply fell off.

Meanwhile several friends help me remove some planter boxes that were holding moisture against my foundation. ($223.86)

My lower level is becoming more and more exposed.

Bagster #1

The first Bagster full of demolition debris is hauled away. ($144.00)

Only shower that works

I’m having a very hard time getting additional estimates from general contractors. All of them say that my house project is too risky for them.

Meanwhile, my upstairs shower still doesn’t work so I am forced to use the downstairs shower, even though the floor is open with exposed drain pipes.

Begging for a bid

I finally receive a third bid from a qualified general contractor. I was told I three written estimates were needed for me to begin my legal case. Most contractors have passed on the job, saying it was too risky to continue. They know that the more demolition is done, the more problems will be exposed. Based on what can be seen at the time, estimates range from $65K-$70K.

Ding dong! It’s raccoons.

The doorbell isn’t working, but I figured it might be simple to fix, so I investigate. You can see that the flippers didn’t bother to take it off the wall, hastily painting around it. But more importantly, the doorbell wires are the wrong gauge, and no wire nuts were used. I decide to check the wire as it runs through the attic.

As I open the attic access, a powerful stench hits my nose. I discover that the attic has been infested with raccoons. They have been using it as a latrine. The amount of feces indicates that it was this way before I bought the house. Considering the ceiling work that was done in the main level living room, the flipper must have known about this.

Enter the Exterminator

A wildlife control specialist is brought in to deal with the raccoon infestation in the attic. ($241.03)

He lets me know that the raccoons have been climbing the outside of the dining room addition, clawing the cedar siding badly, and entering the attic through a loose eve covering.

He is able to secure the raccoon entry point and set a few traps, but removing the feces from the attic is our responsibility.

Removing racoon poop

In my attic, I use a shovel and a shop vac to remove as much of the raccoon feces as possible. It fills a 55 gallon garbage can.

Moving the electric meter

A qualified electrical contractor begins work on my house to repair the faulty wiring, move the main service mast to a new location on the outside of the house, and upgrade the main service from a fuse box illegally located in the corner of the master closet to a breaker panel in a legal location.

During his work, the electrician discovers additional wiring problems and asks me to demolish more of the basement ceiling.

Basement ceiling demolition

Three friends help me demolish half of the basement ceiling. ($58.79)

We discover more hazardous and illegal wiring and a gas shut-off valve that is illegally situated.

This telephone jack was orphaned behind ceiling drywall.

These wires were spliced without a junction box and covered with drywall.

This metal junction box and another splice that is missing a junction box were both covered with drywall.

Not only was it wedged up against a joist, but this gas shut-off valve was covered with drywall!

Air vents are meant to stem off the main trunk with smaller ducts leading to the outer edges of a room.

Instead, the flippers cut a huge hole directly into the main air duct in the center of the room.

They framed it into the ceiling with paint stir sticks and Liquid Nails.