Drop the dropped ceiling.

We had taken the paneling off the dropped ceiling several weeks ago, and we took down the rest of it on Saturday. It was our first step towards the kitchen renovation, and it was somewhat satisfying. There were a few trick steps, such as disconnecting the electrical fixtures that were attached to the ceiling structure. Like the exhaust fan from the 40's, which had about a 1/2 inch of grease and grime all over it. Lovely.


Adam disconnects and takes down the exhaust fan. Note the greasy soot marks on the ceiling from the old stove that used to be underneath that spot. Used to, as in before the dropped ceiling went in, as in pre-1950 or so.


The exhaust fan, black and grimy, though still pretty tasty with the right wine.


We have to take the overhead light off the ceiling structure, and it's left pretty much hanging like this. We have to rotate it depending on which side of the room we want to see.


The hole above the sink - there's definitely some water damage up there, which makes sense, since the bathroom is directly above it. We're hoping that those leaky days are over (no troubles yet). Though we do sort of like the rustic look.


And more of the lovely old wallpaper is revealed. Now visible: country houses and another carriage! It's hard to describe with words the feeling of discovery we had when, having burrowed through soggy ceiling and 100 years of mouse poop, we came upon this scene of pastoral bliss.


A full-height kitchen. Adam thinks that it's changed the proportions so that the room now feels smaller, but Reagan thinks it's all going to be worth it in the end. Unfortunately, one thing that this demolition revealed is that we're going to have to take down all the plaster. We don't know about you, but we're not totally into the cracked and fallen plaster look in a finished room. It looks too, eh... Olive Garden.....