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Removing Unwanted Junk and Debris

Homeowner Sarah Monzon explains the project and how they plan to expand the interior of the home by renovating the basement and adding another bathroom. This will allow more space for their children and active family life. Monzon shows how the basement looked before they began the renovation, full of possessions and appliances that had accumulated over the years. Monzon and her husband went through everything, piled it into the middle of the basement and called 1-800-GOT-JUNK to take it all away. Some of the items were quite difficult to move, including a 400 pound, 80-year-old set-stone sink which had deteriorated to the point of being unusable. Brass pipes in the basement had to be replaced and a paint closet under the stairs was removed. Cyrus Beasley of Sweenor Builders explains some of the work he will do to stiffen up the staircase and make it more secure.

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Chapters from this episode

Fixing the Home's Gutter System Now Playing

Fixing the Home's Gutter System

Removing Junk and Debris Now Playing

Removing Junk and Debris

Removing Unwanted Junk and Debris Now Playing

Removing Unwanted Junk and Debris

Tour of Melrose, Massachusetts Now Playing

Tour of Melrose, Massachusetts

Installing Systems to Keep Water Out of the Basement Now Playing

Installing Systems to Keep Water Out of the Basement

Reviewing Backyard, Retaining Wall, and Moisture Issues Now Playing

Reviewing Backyard, Retaining Wall, and Moisture Issues

Clip Transcript For:

Removing Unwanted Junk and Debris

computer-generated transcript - may not be 100% accurate

" But the big project here is expanding the house into the basement right yes I mean it's one thing to have -- a nice yard in the back."

" But it's small and we do need interior space for the kids it's a big -- it's an open plan house but it's not that big right and we did have a big open basement and it was a great opportunity for us to expand downward okay."

" So and you're gonna have one bathroom in the house and it's also an opportunity to add another bath yes. If that's that's a huge steel and in -- house with two boys so what is it what have you had to do so far. Well it started out it was full up to the joists with stuff that we'd moved with my husband's a musician so we had drums down there."

" We had all kinds of boxes. Books and furniture and old appliances and stuff we'd moved with an it was a disaster I'm sure everybody in the world knows about cleaning up the basement has to be the worst job in the worst and hardest yeah how did you do it. We just went through everything piled in the metal and then we called -- hundred got junk and they came and believe it or not they took everything really. Yes but before they could do that we had to get a few things disconnected that you can't just pick up a washer and take it out and we had a 400 pound soapstone set sink down there for laundry once upon a time it was eighty years old and pitted and disgusting and and so our plumber Al Leone came and he disconnected that lead drain that was held on with duct tape. And -- Took a look at our plumbing museum is going to be working with us more later but -- we have brass pipe down there and -- it was corroding at the joints. And that's threads are not the same so he had to use an adaptor to get the new caps to fit the old pipes it was -- it to be and a giant. We also had somebody come in to assess the situation with the stairs. And demolish sealed paint closet underneath."

" So we're gonna take this partition out by regular courage here in the original source."

" The first thing you can glaring issue is this stringer right here which is completely unsupported century. Hanging from this beadboard somehow. So organized. Put a post down on the floor here. And then the only other thing we can really do is try and secure these treads a little bit better to their risers and not stiffen up the staircase that --"

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A Complete Basement Remodel

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