Demo Day

I couldn't take it anymore.  

I HAD to get started on my office.  

I called Dad Saturday night and lined up a truck, then told Zac to get excited...or at least, stop complaining. 

We had a bit of running around to do to get tools.  Thankfully, between my Dad, husband, and brothers, we have every precision instrument you could ever want, as well as every common hand tool for every job...ever.  

After rounding up a flat bar, circular saw, drill, extension cord, couple screwdrivers, a sawzall, chalk box, hammers and a drywall knife, we were pretty well ready to start the day.

Zac set to work taking the caps off of the tops of the walls, while I took off the moldings around the doors.    

We were 20 minutes in to demo when Zac realized he brought the drill and no drill bits.  

This is why I make lists.  

Zac ignores my lists.  

For the record, bits were on my list. 

Off to Menards I went, which I am thrilled to tell you is not even 5 minutes from my office.  

Before I left Zac asked me to mark the walls were I wanted them cut off...keeping in mind there would be 3 inches or so added to cap the walls again. 

  We had talked about it on the way to Effingham that morning.  I was adamant, 5 foot walls.  He said that was too high.  We went back and forth about it.  I marked the wall at 4'10" and said, "just like I told you, they should be 5 foot."  And out the door I went to Menards.  

Zac called me while I was there to pick up new sawzall blades.  He told me he marked all the walls at 4'7".  My hormones got the best of me and I threw a freaking hissy fit.  He told me he was not re-doing it.  I was so immediately pissed that I had to call Maggie to make her tell me what I logically knew....  It was 3", it doesn't matter at all.  I still struggled to get over it.  This is the story of my life with Zac.  I tell him exactly what I want, he argues with me about why I should not want it, I argue back, then he does ALMOST what I asked.

  This is what happens when two stubborn people that know everything get married.  

We struggle to see that there are two different ways to arrive at the same point.  

Then we argue about the most inane things that are of no consequence....like how laundry is done, how the pillows go on the bed, and 3" of wall height.  

We are ridiculous.   

A story to illustrate...

After I took the trim off of the doors I went back with a hammer to take out any finishing nails around frames.  Zac told me not to.  He said it was a waste of time because we were taking down the wall.  I compromised by telling him they were coming out around the bottom of the walls at the least.  

As we are removing walls Zac decides to use his hand to hit a little section of wall, and promptly stabs his palm on one of the nails he told me not to take out.   

On the drive home he says to me, "When I stabbed my hand, I know you wanted to say "I told you so?" so bad didn't you?"  I told him of course I did, but we both knew the score..and there was no point in rubbing it in.  He told me "I knew you wanted to.  I know you too well."  

I assured him, "I told you so" was what any logical person would have been thinking in that situation. 

  He insisted that he simply knows how my brain works. 

After I got back from Menards, it was business time.  Case in point, Zac put on the bandanna I got him...which means business.  It also helps with the extreme amount of sweaty that Zac is every time he moves.  

Zac cut through the first little section of wall, then handed over the job of taking down the rest of the wall caps.  We worked from the front of the office back. 

As I took off caps, Zac took out the full walls that were leaving. 

This is my foyer area, all opened up now.  

That little nook will be the kid's play area.  It will be fab. 

Zac then went to town circular sawing his chalk lines on all the interior walls to get them ready to go as well. 

You can see the extreme amount of dust.  Zac rocked his sweaty bandanna.  I had a pretty sweet hand towel tied around my head.  Nothing like making yourself a terry cloth furnace to wear on your face when you are hotter than you've ever been in your life.  (Masks didn't make it on the list....)

After all our horizontal sawing, we scored the walls vertically to make the sections manageable for Zac and I.  Turns out being super pregnant during demolition can have its downside...like being physically unable to bend forward far enough to pick things up off the ground.  But I do a darn good job of carrying anything conveniently placed in my hands.

Look at that stance. 

 Professional. 

We filled the truck bed up with little walls.  

I was thrilled!

As you can see, the office was looking VERY different and much bigger. 

We did lose part of our sunset....I was not sad. 

By 2:30 we had all the walls that were coming down, down.  

Like I said, much bigger space.

You can also notice that Zac has sweat through his shirt.  

We cleaned up a bit cause ya know I'm to OCD too handle leaving huge piles of drywall dust.  

Zac, again, insisted it was pointless.  I insisted that he be the one to hold the dust pan.  As I mentioned, bending is tough.   I need things at least 45 degrees from my bellybutton and the ability to deep lunge to get at them.  If I drop things while driving....it's over for them until I reach my destination. But I digress..

This is my demo'd office. 

 Now we start rebuilding.

You can see I have two big bays on the left hand side of the office.  Those will each hold 2 adjusting tables.  While my patients are on the tables, people in the waiting room can't see them, but I can see both the waiting room and the front desk.  I also have my private office fully enclosed (just beyond the bays), as well as the x-ray and exam room in the far left room.  

Zac and I got all this done in about 4 hours....and aside from the stupid fight about the wall height, we worked pretty well together.   Plus Zac got his Buffalo Wild Wings for lunch, so he was a happy worker.  

We headed home, dumped off the half walls, and then had to hustle to get ready for church.  Maggie and Kylie agreed to meet Zac and I in Effingham a bit early to load up the walls that didn't fit in Dad's truck.  Maggie sent me a message saying they were there already.  I told her I was on my way...that I was stuck behind "Mr. Slow Forever" but would be there ASAP.  

I was very amused to find out that Maggie's in-laws pulled into the office parking lot shortly after me.  Apparently, they were the Slow Forevers I was trying to pass.  All so that they would not have to wait while we loaded up walls.  Oh the irony.  

Wish us luck as we finish up the rest of the office.  

Next Sunday we will be working again.  I am gonna do my best not to fight with Zac. 

 Dad will be there so that should help.  

When Dad is around, he is the default "Boss Cow" and we all know it, so we tend to fall in line and let him run the show.  Here's to hoping we have just a few more days to go!