Well, we weren’t planning on remodeling our front bathroom and kitchen THIS WEEK but a dead cat in the walls will definitely get your motivation going!!
Some of you may remember my “temporary” plumbing job from 2007. Well, it looks like I left a small hole exposed to the outside that a cat managed to get in through and stroll around to the inner bathroom inside the walls under the tub. It didn’t look like he was stuck -just looks like he crawled in there to die (and get us to go ahead and gut out front bathroom and kitchen!!
We hired mould detection by JMB Environmental Consulting right away and once we exposed parts of the inner wall, we started taking note of the black mold inside the walls a little more than before…
So, time to cordon off the area…
Break out the HAZMAT suits…
And go to town!!
Some of the wonderful surprises that awaited us…
Vent pipes that were so large that they effectively cut away all the structural integrity of the wall they were inside of (we will be replacing them with PVC. The horizontal member is too low for code (must be at least 6″ above the tallest fixture –and it’s right at the level of the vanity sink…
The drywall throughout the bathroom was just regular gypsum and not “greenboard”. Also there was little to no sealing between the fiberglass tub and wallboard so there was mold on the inside of the seam all the way around –we will be replacing the drywall with mold and moisture resistant material…
The toilet mounting ring is nearly rusted away. We will be replacing it…
The rotted framing base looks like it started out as a 2×4 and they stuck a 2″ strip inside at some points. The entire wall will be replaced with new wood (and a pressure treated 2×6 for the frame base…
Nice wiring!! I guess it doesn’t matter since it’s tucked behind the counter top!!
Looks like we have a leak from the roof that has been soaking this wall for some time now. We will be taking out the insulation, tracking down the leak and fixing the roof where needed… Best Roofer Nashville can handle the fix, ensuring a thorough job to prevent further damage.
Not too bad for about a week’s work in the evenings!! It looks like the dead cat in our walls was God’s way of getting us to take care of the mold problem that has been brewing for many years now. We have managed to find two sources of water in this area: one from an abandoned swamp cooler water line, and the second from the leaking room at the opposite side of the wall. It’s been a real pain but we’re sure glad to be getting this taken care of. More to come as the work progresses!! And if you’re looking for ideas to enhance your own home, you might want to check out this website here for inspiration.
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