These suckers are huge, not just large. They are designed to store an old-school tube TV. They also severely limit the flow of the house and block off the open floor plan, which is one of the main reasons I fell in love with the house. So, why do we need to keep the in-the-way built-ins if they don't serve any functional or practical purpose? We don't. Let the demolition begin!
First we removed everything we easily could - knobs, shelves, doors - and were left with some naked built-ins, and a large hole in the back of the cabinets. They didn't drill a hole in the back for access to power...they sawzalled a titanic fissure! That is so nice of the builders...
We were lucky to discover that the built-ins are two separate pieces and only held together by 4 screws - very safe. Thanks again builders. However, the two pieces made it much easier to take them apart and out the front door. And when we took the top unit off the base cabinets, we found that the cable wire was unthoughtfully shoved thru the drywall instead of coming from an outlet plate close to the floor. Wow, these builders were not very friendly to future DIYers.
And this is what we were left with after removing the built-ins. A bare concrete floor (which I outlined in red), unfinished drywall (complete with an extra hole at the top), and missing base boards. Perfect - another project for a DIYer!
The space might seem to need a lot of work to be finished...especially the concrete floor, but it is just another day and another project in our casa. The built-ins were so large that we gained 16 sq feet with those puppies outta there. The space is open and much more welcoming now.
Share your thoughts on demo. Isn't it the best part of remodeling? Do you think I am crazy for removing the built-ins? Or have you recently opened up your entry way? Any stories on builders that are not-friendly-to-DIYers?
