Prepping For Demo

We had to do some preparation before we could start swinging hammers at things. 

First, we removed the appliances with the help of our friend Paco. We have a gas stove so we shut off the gas line at the back of the stove which was as easy as a quarter turn of a handle. Then we just disconnected the gas flexible gas line to the stove and wheeled it out to the garage. 

The refrigerator was supposed to be easy. Just unplug it, turn off the valve underneath the sink to disconnect the water line to the fridge for the ice maker, and roll it into the dining room to plug it back in. 

Jon turned the valve underneath the sink (that little clear football looking thing below)....righty tighty lefty loosey.

Disconnected the small copper water line from the back of the fridge.

And water rushed out and wouldn't stop! 

I'm in the back yard and Jon runs out past me like the roadrunner screaming "The water's not off!" trying to look for the shut off valve for the main water line to the house. 

I grab the closest thing I see, our 15 gallon crawfish boil pot, and run inside. By then Paco has already filled up a plastic bucket of water. He tells me Jon tried to turn the valve underneath the sink even more but the water was still coming out. I switch him out with the crawfish pot and he joins Jon in looking around outside the house for the main water shut off. 

I'm screaming at them that the crawfish pot is almost full. I go grab our igloo and switch to that. 

 

So after we fill up a plastic bucket, a crawfish pot, and part of an igloo, the water finally stops. I breathe a sigh of relief and ask where the main water line shut off was? 

Paco: I just turned the valve underneath the sink about five more times.

Jon: What the heck. I turned that thing about 15 times the first time.  

Lessons learned...

1. Righty tighty means turn it to the right a billion times.
2. Know where the main water shut off is ahead of time (just in case) so you're not running around outside of the house like a mad man. I'm sure the neighbors were staring and just shaking their heads.

Moving on after that mini fiasco.

We removed all the quarter round toe kicks going clockwise around the kitchen and numbered them to remember where they went. We plan on painting them white and re-using them.

 

 

Then we laid down builder's paper with painters tape and placed hardboard down to protect our hardwood floors during the renovation. 

 

 

We bought one roll of builder's paper and 5 sheets of 4' x 8' hardboard from Home Depot.  

Last but not least, we turned off the electricity and checked the outlets to ensure they weren't still hot. 

Safety first!