Clean and Clear Conscience
I’m glad it’s me remodeling the Mountlake Terrace house. The demo process has been eye opening. Being a 1962 house, the city building inspector, Lance, asked me to have an asbestos test done and to submit the results with the permit application. I was so glad to know that there isn’t asbestos in the house. I was safe, the guys demoing were safe, my baby was safe being with me there, and most importantly, the new owners will be safe too. (I still can’t believe my first contractor didn’t want to pull permits or do this sort of testing. It pains me to think of his crew and all the houses they demo. Odds are at some point there will be mold, lead paint or asbestos.)
That was a big thing, but it’s also been the little things that it’s been good that it’s me involved. Along the way I’ve been picking up batteries
Wholefoods collects batteries.
and mercury lightbulbs and properly disposing of them, like at this battery collection spot at Wholefoods Lynnwood. If I hadn’t, these items would likely have gone into the giant trash pile and been carted to the dump.
It’s amazing what we’ve found during demo.
As I’ve been hacking away at the invasive plants in the backyard, I’ve picked out candy wrappers, bags from chips, a foam sword, a handful of nerf darts, a sandal, a sneaker, a cat collar lost 3 years ago belonging to the cat across the street, and no less than two dozen balls of all types. Anyone else probably would have either left it under the mulch or tossed it into the yard waste bin to show up in your garden compost next year. Me, I meticulously put every piece into a trash bag. Redeveloping a home is about more than making it have style.