February 8: Welcome to home renos on the Wet Coast. Probably why HGTV is never here. The excavators came, dug, left, then it rained, and rained, and rained.Note that the original (pre-code) house has no concrete footings. The 1976 addition to the right does.
The slope from back of house to front is minimal, so they want to replace the old clay tiles with new drains to handle the increased amount, but they are out there in heavy clay, looking for the elusive city drainage connection. They dig, put cameras through, run water through, but it's nowhere to be found. Probably under our front walkway, so the digging gets creative.
Asbestos testers came by and took samples of the kitchen wall and floor. We know there is asbestos in the glue on the old tiles, but it was sometimes used in the walls as a binding agent. Apparently, in the 1930s, they used horse hair. At least that wouldn't kill you.
January 26: Today, the wisteria, clematis and trellises come down. The concrete trellis posts are about three feet deep. Definitely deeper than usual. Odd, but not really for this house. Wisteria and clematis are chopped down to almost nothing. The roots are left for the excavator.