“There are friends who will help you move. And there are friends who will help you move a body.” I discovered I have a friend who will help me move a body— or at least she will help me move 30 plus contractor bags full of demolition debris that each weigh as much as a body. Before we left New Jersey, I was talking with my friend, Laura, about the demolition project for the space that will become my studio in Morganton, NC. Laura has gone on work trips with Habitat for Humanity and told me she loves demo. And the next thing I knew, she was booking a flight to come down. About two weeks after we moved in, she and I were pulling on our gloves and starting to take down walls. It was a really good thing she was here too since my demolition knowledge was limited! It was physically exhausting, dirty work but we laughed hard and accomplished a lot.

There still is a long way to go before the space will be functional for my business. This morning I had a bit of a setback when meeting with the building inspector; I learned that the ugly drop ceiling that hid the beautiful pressed tin was actually a fire prevention barrier. We are now assessing different options and trying to balance safety, labor, time, and money. The fun never ends! If you want to follow the process of this renovation, I’ll be posting more regular updates on social media (Facebook and Instagram).