Owning an old house brings many challenges

Trying to figure out how it was originally built

Looking for clues into modifications done by previous owners

Tracing the lines of hidden plumbing and wiring

Each home improvement project takes on the mystery of an archeological dig

Giving insight into the lives of those who touched these spaces before

Wondering why they laid out the basement plumbing so bizarrely

With some sections of drainpipes sloping upwards

You question if previous owners knew what they were doing

Left to their own devices in times when there was no Youtube guidance

They just fumbled in the dark with no respect to codes and ordinances

Sometimes you just have to start over again and redo entire systems

The demolition hammer makes quick work

Tearing down structures that have been around for decades

Canceling out the sweat and toil of years gone by

Did the original owner ever imagine his work being dismantled one day

A few years ago I was framing in an old basement

Part of a remodeling project to upgrade a bathroom

I carelessly cut my thumb while working

A minor cut but enough to bleed all over the framing

I looked at the red-stained wood

Soon to be covered by new drywall sheets

My spilled DNA would be hidden for decades

It could be part of a time capsule

I left a note inside the drywall

Beneath here lies the blood of Ian Hunter spilled on this day of 2020

This framing was done to upgrade the toilet waste pipes

Here is a diagram to help you figure out how it all works

When you demolish, please do so with the utmost care and respect