Learning while Demolishing

The real Demolition and gutting of the interior has commenced. One of the things I have learned from Demoing and salvaging a number of barns over there years is that you have to pay attention to every detail as you go along and not just run in there like the Tasmanian devil with a hammer and power tools. During the demo process you can learn a lot about the potential and the limitations of the space and structure. I was anxious to see what I was working with in the plumbing department so I began by removing the shower and most of the bathroom sink and cabinet. Once I got those out and comprehended what I was working with back there, I began tearing out the pieces along one side from the entry door to the back wall. I finished up by taking out the old refrigerator, stove/oven, and microwave.

What I learned from the DEMO

FEMA trailers are built cheaply and have a lot of wasted space. I know this trailer was designed by a person that was concerned with easy, quick and cheap construction in mind, but as a former person of Architecture, I was shocked and mildly amused by what I found. There seemed to be a plethora of wasted space that could have been better utilized in some way shape or form. One good thing about the wasted space is that the mice apparently were able to live long prosperous and free lives in there. As far as the construction, I was amazed at how the cabinets, seats and bunk beds were still in one piece after seeing how they were joined with brad nails and randomly placed screws that typically missed anything solid.

Plumbing- I have not gotten to the kitchen sink plumbing and I am still trying to figure out the logic behind the bathroom plumbing layout. Instead of running the drain lines along the walls, the lines basically run right down the middle of the bathroom. It seems it may have also been easier to run the drains straight down and put P-traps outside before tying into the main drain line. Whatever the logic was, the plumbing will need to be rethought and rerouted for my use.

What’s next.

The next step in the Demo process is to remove the cabinets along the opposite wall being careful not to damage the couch as I plan on reusing this piece in the final design. I will also remove the cabinets and wall that separate the bedroom from the rest of the trailer. Once in the bed room area I will need to remove the bed, bed frame and cabinets above and beside the bed. Once all the walls, cabinets and any other surprises I may find along the way are cleared out, I will get a better idea of what I can and cannot do with the design and layout of the space. I currently have ideas for the design but I have discovered many are going to need to be tweaked or in some cases completely changed.

#tinyhouse #rustednailtinyhouse #Fema #FEMATrailer #demolition