A SMALL SETBACK
As we opened the fireplace back up, we noticed that a previous owner had layered a sheet of drywall on drywall. Odd, we thought, as we removed the top sheet. Beneath was a perfectly smooth sheet of drywall, with one small problem. It bowed out. We ran our hands over it. We tried to push. Why did it bulge out?
Only one thing to do: take a Sawsall, cut out a section, and take a peek.
We uncovered a mess of crumbled brick and masonry. At one time, someone had inserted a round hole to fit a stovepipe. But now, the stovepipe gone, the brick had collapsed, pushing out the wall above the mantle. Rather than address the cause of the problem, the previous owners simply slapped a second sheet of drywall. Heavy spackle. Good as new.
We shook our heads in disbelief. The only positive aspect we could think was thank goodness the fireplace had been too ugly to use. If anyone had actually built a fire, the smoke would have curled up, into the hole, into the wall.
After the demolition, we were we left with a large, gapping hole above the mantel. It remained for a week or so, until I could plan the next move. Dave loaned me some stucco mix, some masonry tools, and some steel mesh screen. With a few simple instructions, he leaves the job to me.
It’s awkward at first, learning to hold the tools and work in the wet cement. My mixing is off for the first few bathes, then it comes. Soon I am mixing well and working the mortar between bricks. When I finish, I take the tip of my trowel and scrape in 1926, and then 2005.
I hope no one ever has cause to strip these wall down to the brick again, but if they do, I want them to see that we were here, with care, and a sense of this house’s history. Just for fun, I type up a short note, seal it in a ziplock bag, and leave it as a small, informal gift for a future caretaker of this old home.
As we opened the fireplace back up, we noticed that a previous owner had layered a sheet of drywall on drywall. Odd, we thought, as we removed the top sheet. Beneath was a perfectly smooth sheet of drywall, with one small problem. It bowed out. We ran our hands over it. We tried to push. Why did it bulge out?
Only one thing to do: take a Sawsall, cut out a section, and take a peek.
We uncovered a mess of crumbled brick and masonry. At one time, someone had inserted a round hole to fit a stovepipe. But now, the stovepipe gone, the brick had collapsed, pushing out the wall above the mantle. Rather than address the cause of the problem, the previous owners simply slapped a second sheet of drywall. Heavy spackle. Good as new.
We shook our heads in disbelief. The only positive aspect we could think was thank goodness the fireplace had been too ugly to use. If anyone had actually built a fire, the smoke would have curled up, into the hole, into the wall.
After the demolition, we were we left with a large, gapping hole above the mantel. It remained for a week or so, until I could plan the next move. Dave loaned me some stucco mix, some masonry tools, and some steel mesh screen. With a few simple instructions, he leaves the job to me.
It’s awkward at first, learning to hold the tools and work in the wet cement. My mixing is off for the first few bathes, then it comes. Soon I am mixing well and working the mortar between bricks. When I finish, I take the tip of my trowel and scrape in 1926, and then 2005.
I hope no one ever has cause to strip these wall down to the brick again, but if they do, I want them to see that we were here, with care, and a sense of this house’s history. Just for fun, I type up a short note, seal it in a ziplock bag, and leave it as a small, informal gift for a future caretaker of this old home.
posted by mccluskey | 10:22 PM
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