Area Codes (I've Got Holes)

The first stage of our project requires a certain degree of destruction.  This process has been somewhat painful.  We've taken something functional and made it temporarily not functional at all.  But the most destructive project--removal of knob-and-tube wiring--was unavoidable.  Knob-and-tube debuted around 1880 and became obsolete by the late 1940s.  As best we can tell, no insurance company wants any association with the stuff anymore because of its tendency to catch fire should even the tiniest rat find the need to gnaw a wire.  And let me tell you--this city's rats are anything but tiny.

Fortunately, only about two-thirds of the house had knob-and-tube.  The back of the house includes additions from the 1990s, so we had some viable wiring.  The original part of the house actively used knob-and-tube until the day of our closing.  However, with a high interest in keeping the home insured, we had to commence re-wiring immediately.

There are a couple of different approaches to K-and-T removal.  Some contractors will recommend a to-studs remodel.  While that process makes the rewiring itself faster and easier, it creates much more destruction and risks damaging some of the historical character of the house.  We found a contractor who works extensively in older homes and takes a less invasive approach.  They've been sparing in their cuts, preserved material, identified risks, and, even better, worked very quickly.  Still . . . I've got holes . . . I've got holes . . .

The process has provided some discoveries.  On a personal level, I've discovered that having holes in most of my walls makes me uneasy.  I will never take an unperforated section of sheetrock for granted again.  Aside from anxiety, the discoveries have been interesting. Many of the cuts reveal lath and plaster work, often with sheetrock right on top. The plaster walls the intensity of the care and labor involved in their construction.  It's unsurprising to see them holding up well after 120 years.  We found at least one case of a knob-and-tube light fixture suspended from an old gas line that would have once supplied a gas fixture that likely pre-dated the knob-and-tube.  Fortunately the gas line was defunct, but apparently it is not uncommon in the older houses to find electricity running right on those old lines.

But I'm not done talking about holes . . . the other substantial hole in our lives rests under the house.  The K-and-T removal is our biggest project, but the second biggest project is HVAC replacement.  The old units in the house included components manufactured by Chrysler (and if you are curious, I found an interesting history of Chrysler's journey in and out of climate control products, which oddly enough includes a role in uranium enrichment for the first nuclear bomb).  Amazingly the units still functioned but with enough deterioration that replacement proved essential.  While the one in the attic presented no access issues, another unit lived under the house . . . in a narrow crawl space . . . made less accessible by decades of silt and plant growth.  Hence, the need for another big hole (and occasional swimming pool depending on the rain).

The underground tunnel is the kids' favorite feature of the house, and they have begged me to keep it in place as the ultimate cranny for hide-and-seek.  Much to their disappointment, the HVAC work is nearly finished, and this hole will be vanishing soon.  I have high hopes the rest of the holes in the house will be gone by Mardi Gras.  We will see . . .