From the Back

With the interior completely gutted, one of the first things we did was work out the layout for the drainage system. The unanimous recommendation we received from everyone was to pass everything out from the backyard and through the garage. The reasoning was that if something were to happen that required tearing the floors up again, better to at least not do it in the middle of the house. In fact, the original piping went straight through the living room and it would really break my heart if we’d have to dig that up again in the future.

 

And so, the first project was the backyard. The old tiling was removed, the earth underneath was ploughed deep enough for new pipes, and all old piping feeding downwards from the first floor was removed from the rear facade. The enclosing walls were all sanded down and painted over. It was especially tricky to have the scaffolding set up due to the layout of the yard, as explained before, but they got the job done.

 First half: Before 

First half: After

 

 Second half: Before 

Second half: After

While we were at it, we added a couple of layers of limestone to the outside wall on the first floor (which can be compared to the pictures from the entry concerning the cylindrical structure behind it), and all that was painted uniformly as well.

Safety first.

 

Once the pipes are laid, the new tiles can be cut into all fun shapes and sizes to align with the wall. I’m sure the tiler won’t mind.