Demolition of the front steps and landing

This picture of the porch was taken a couple of years before demolition began. See the wide dark line to the left of the front wall; by the time we started tearing it down, the front and left sides had started crumbling as well.

Too bad they used sand or a fine dirt inside the upper wall, which leaked a reddish brown stain down the outside of the lower half of the wall every time it rained, YUCK! Never could keep it looking respectable for long. Also, years of using salt to combat the Winter ice, has taken it's tole on the walking surface as well. Then there is the problem of carpenter ants, which have gotten under the enclosed portion of the porch, and caused the need to shore up the floor. The only entrance to underneath is where the steps are attached. It is time to bite the bullet and get it done, before we are too old and poor, LOL!!

Mike demolishing front porch

This was one tired boy after many hours of sludge hammering,

Jack hammering and brute force braking up the wall around the landing at the top of the front stairs to our house.

As well as, one complaining old truck!! Maybe Grampa is right, we need a new vehicle.....

But not until after this project is finished!

This is turning out to be MUCH harder than we first thought it would be!!! What would I do without Mike's help!!!!! Thank you Mike from the bottom of my heart!!!! ♥

Day two took more hours of back braking, jack hammer sticking, and finger smashing work to get a quarter of the work accomplished as yesterday! Poor MIke. :(

May Mikes finger heal quickly!

Now, that we know what this thing is made of, and how it is put together, hopefully the rest will go more smoothly.

2 layers of cement of varying thicknesses to compensate for the uneven concrete,

steel mesh embedded in 3"-6" of concrete,

rippled sheet metal,

5 three sided 4"-3" steel beams (which the jack hammer point got stuck in)

and one 3" round pipe,

surrounded by a 3 sided single row wall of cinder blocks.

We worked for 6 and half hours with not much to show for it....

Things are not made this well today, LOL!!

Compared with yesterdays truck load, not much to show for so much work,

but many lessons learned about how to use the equipment and tackle a difficult job!!!

Thank you Mike!!!

HURRAY!!!!

Grampa has ordered a hand held electric 30# jack hammer!!

Half the weight of the rented one and can work horizontally as well as vertical!!!

Now the job will be MUCH easier to complete and cost less then renting one!!