poplar road

Here we have a corner of the master bedroom, followed by the stairs – the black dust from the underlay was everywhere in both areas – and the much improved basement entry.

This past week, Richard pulled up the lino tiles in the remaining two rooms downstairs, which was a little more difficult as the tile was glued down more securely. He also ripped out the twenty foot long hobby room worksurface, a sort of cabinet without cupboards or finished countertop. It will be a while before that room is useable, though, so I haven't bothered with pictures.

Once we realized the source of the stench was the office floor, it was a matter of pulling up the flooring layer by layer, treating it with apple cider vinegar, and hoping that was the end of it. When Richard got a look at the original subfloor beneath the first layer of plywood Chris so enthusiastically ripped up, he was horrified. It was worse than the layer above. Most of that subfloor was black, some of it rotting, and the stain extended the entire width of the room beneath the picture window, plus a few splotches in the centre. And if we were unsure before – there was that large plant in the corner, after all – we were certain now: these were NOT water stains.

The two sheets of plywood the guys had picked up at the hardware store were not going to be enough. With the sun setting our light was almost gone and it was time for the boys to hit the road, so we left it at that. Then yesterday, Saturday the 16th, Richard removed the last of what he called "the entity", by removing the entire subfloor, drywall and insulation (which he did for the entire room as he's going to reinsulate with thicker walls anyway), and treating the remaining essential wood areas with more apple cider vinegar. It turns out the cedar beams sticking out of the stucco to create windowboxes had been letting moisture in, feeding the bacteria and increasing the rot. With that fixed, treated, and sealed, the smell will finally be history. What a relief! I look forward to showing pictures of the transformation soon. It's going to be a great space.