Taking It to the Streets: How to Gut a House

Gutting a house is not pretty or careful work. It requires little skill--in fact, too much skill can slow you down. With a hardworking crew of 10-14 you can gut an average house in a day. The goal is to strip the interior to the wood frame and haul everything to the curb, dumping it in long piles for the waste haulers to pick up. It all goes---everything. Paint, insecticide, and strong cleaners go in a separate pile for hazardous waste haulers. Large appliances go in another pile. Once you get over the sadness of seeing people's possessions to to the street, it can be fun to see so much destruction go so fast. Our krewe swarms over a house like army ants in paper suits and dust masks. We actually stripped a two-bedtroom condo in just a couple of hours.

Find the place. ACORN takes hundreds of applications. Construction workers get an address and should scout the place before taking volunteers. We would have avooided lots of snafus if they had always done this.

Case the joint. Where are the exits? Can some items be tossed out windows? Is the furniture still inside? Make ramps out of doors. Check that all power and water is shut off.

Clear the decks. Get all loose items out of the house. Start by clearing a path to the doors, then haul out furniture, clothes, and personal items. Avoid water-filled items until last.The stink of spilled "granny juice" is unbearable.

demo walls and ceilings Start by removing trim with a c rowbar. Then knock holes at waist height. Tear out drywall in large pieces where possible.

Appliances and fixtures Use lock cutters to cut all hoses, copper lines, and wires. Kick over toilets and carry out. Use dolly to get appliances or "white goods" out. Put near road for separate pick-up. Built in tubs are tougher. Start by breaking out walls to get at rim. Bend and break plumbing. Pound large crowbar down into drain to break pipe. Sledgehammer tile when needed. Roll out tub with 2-4 guys, tilt it up on end, and dolly it out.