The basement — clean foundation for 2009

The old furnace…. a classic. I wish I could have kept it down there for historical purposes. Oh well.

They don’t make furnaces like this anymore.

The old furnace, stripped of its protective asbestos. Side view.

Dirt pile two, AFTER someone took about 3/4ths of it.

Some of the furnace after they smashed it up.

The old furnace, stripped of its protective asbestos. Seen from behind.

Le junque.

Oof. So much junk! Empty ebay boxes tossed in the basement, the better to be ignored forever…

The old coal chutes

After: So clean!

Walking the plank to check on the tank

After: Organized paint and tools

My basement has been really gross and somewhat creepy for a long  time. When I first moved in, I thought it was a dirt floor, but then (much to my chagrin) found out it was actually mostly a concrete floor that was eroding with dirt seeping up from below that had formed a layer on everything. Gross.

A few years ago, I paid a mason a large sum of money to fix several areas of concern in the basement and the exterior, and to support some sagging joists with lolly columns. As a result of his work, I wound up with two enormous piles of dirt (and junk — broken bricks, asbestos chunks — iron pipes) sitting in my basement.

I hated to go down there, and I hated even opening the door because dust just flew up and got on everything. Over the past thirty days (or so), however, everything has changed — I have a new furnace, and the old one has been removed (a bit of a historic curiosity lost, oh well). The dirt piles are gone (the dirt that is about half the floor is still there), and the JUNK is gone — thanks to some great local guys. 

Everything that I’m keeping (paint, hardware, old trim and moulding, doors, and a big pile of bricks) is organized and clean. I have a gang plank to the oil tank, and feel like I can enter the new year with a nice tidy foundation. 

I’d like to come up with the funds to find a solution to the floor (down with dirt!), but in the meantime, it’s as good as it can be for what is under my control.

So that puts an end to cleaning up and de-junking for 2008. Everything that happens in 2009 will be renovations! Happy new year!