Properly Mucking and Gutting a House

Safety First

Before Allowing Volunteers to Enter the House:

1) Be CERTAIN that the Electric power to the house has been disconnected at the meter outside!

2) Be CERTAIN that the Gas has been turned off or disconnected at the source.

3) Be CERTAIN that the Water has been disconnected at the main.

First be sure that the house has been completely emptied of debris and that the mud has been scraped out (it can be very slippery).

Debris and mud removal is call “mucking out the house”.

Follow the guidelines of the area. In general, all debris and materials to be discarded should be hauled to the curb for pickup by the city. Large garbage bags are useful. In some instances debris will need to be separated into separate piles such as: household goods, construction materials, metals, yard debris such as tree limbs and hazardous waste (this includes anything with asbestos, chemicals, paints still in buckets, oil, yard chemicals, etc.) Check with the city to be sure of what separations they require.

“Gutting” the house means the removal of any construction materials such as dry wall, insulation, flooring, etc. that have been touched and/or damaged by the flood waters. Not all materials must be removed. Only remove those that have been damaged. However, some may look alright, but need to be removed to prevent or remove mold spores – such as dry wall and insulation. Even though it has dried again, if it was under water, it must be removed. Remove Dry wall only to or just above the water line. Check the insulation – it may need to be removed slightly higher since it has a tendency to “wick” up. Not all flooring needs to be removed, depending on the type and how long it was under water. Most wood floors will buckle – it can be dried out if handled properly and promptly, but if not attended to immediately, it will have to be replaced. Remove floors LAST – we do not want other workers walking on open beams!

If it is necessary to remove fixtures such as toilets and bathtubs, do so carefully – these normally do not need to be discarded and can be cleaned and reinstalled. If it necessary to cut pipes or copper tubing, PLEASE make the cut as close to the fixture as possible (not near the floor). This will give the person replacing the fixture enough pipe to work with. Have a plumber look at it before proceeding.

Drywall – first you must remove the baseboards and moldings – do so carefully – most of this can be re-used. Now for the Drywall – wear a face mask, gloves and protective clothing – THERE CAN BE MOLD OR ASBESTOS HERE –remove only as much as necessary – usually to the 4ft line (this will be the bottom sheet if the dry wall was installed properly in the first place. Also remove the other side of the wall at least 6 inches up from the floor, even if it was not damaged to allow for air circulation.

Be VERY careful when cutting into dry wall – there are electrical wires and plumbing inside the wall – Before cutting, double check to make sure that the power, gas and water have been turned off. The better way for the inexperienced volunteer is to punch a hole in the lower portion and then remove it by hand and crow bar or cat’s paw. Locate the joint about four feet from the bottom and make a cut with a dry wall knife along this horizontal line so that you have a clean and straight stopping point.

Wiring – in general, not all wiring will need to be removed. It depends on how long it was under water. The general rule of thumb is that all horizontal wiring should be removed, while vertical wiring is okay to leave. Have an electrician look at it before proceeding.

Mold – if the house or a portion of it was under water and then sat for any length of time (12 to 24 hours usually) there is the danger of mold and it must be remediated. Don’t forget that a house sitting closed up in the heat without A/C will also develop mold even in areas that were not under water.

Go online and Google “pictures of mold” so that you know what you are looking for. Different agents can be used, depending on the severity of the mold. For very light cases, 1 -12 cups of household bleach per gallon of water is fine. Put it in a sprayer and spray the effected area. For more heavily infected areas Lysol works. Use the kind that comes in the little brown bottle and follow directions on the bottle. For very heavy areas you may need to call in a mold remediation company. This usually costs about $350.00. Better safe than sorry – if the mold is not completely killed, it will continue to grow within the new walls and will cause serious health hazards to the resident. ALWAYS WEAR PROTECTIVE CLOTHING; GLOVES AND A FACE MASK WHEN DOING ANY TYPE OF MOLD REMEDIATIION. SPRAY WITH A VERY GENTLE SPRAY – DO NOT DISTURB IT – IT IS DANGEROUS WHEN IT BECOMES AIRBORNE!