Split-level entry houses were mostly built in the 1950s and 1960s, but my house was ahead of the curve, built around 1920, or probably earlier. From pictures I’ve seen, it was completely submerged, up to the roof, during the St. Patrick’s Day flood of 1936, and probably extensively remodeled after that. It’s got a clumsy 90 degree turn at the cellar door.



Getting large items in and out of the cellar is a chore. So there’s been a mystery as long as I’ve been here: How did they get the piano in?




I happened to meet an old man whose family owned the house during the 1940s. He was just a boy at the time, but he knew the answer. The cellar steps were temporarily removed.

Decades later, I’ve got a collection of bulky crap in the cellar to haul away...


Like this 1960s relic refrigerator, which is still operational, but will never be used again...


And a bookcase and wardrobe I built in the cellar, but simply will not make the 90 degree turn to get through the door...


That 1960s cast iron boiler, which I told you about in a previous egg...


The 1968 Sears Kenmore washer, and a 1990s Whirlpool washer that replaced it. Here’s a Protip--never buy a used washer; there are too many things that can break down. Used dryers are fine; dryers are idiot machines with few moving parts. The washers, on the other hand, now have no moving parts.

There were a few other pieces of metallic junk not in these pictures.


So I set out to disassemble the steps. I pried out a riser gently, but it ripped. By the way, that vinyl floor covering was made in the late 1960s to early 1970s, and probably contains asbestos.

Instead of 2x8 lumber for the risers, they used 1x8 and shimmed the back. So I decided to keep the treads, and destroy the risers.


So, out came the reciprocating saw.


That wasn’t so bad. This took less than an hour, using a little crowbar and a reciprocating saw.

At this time, the need for a ramp became obvious. I had a scrap piece of plywood which had been the kitchen countertop at one time, and some surplus 2x4 lumber. I used drywall screws to assemble it, so I could remove it quickly when finished.


Then I put the boiler on the dolly. That son of a bitch weighs nearly 200 pounds. I can’t likely drag it up the ramp through the tight opening in the steps.


So I got some tow ropes and a racheting manual winch, and put it around the boiler/dolly combination. The other end of the winch was attached to a wooden post that holds up the carport outside.


Then it became easy to move 200 pounds of metal up the ramp, and into the yard.



I did the same thing to the refrigerator.

The washers were done much the same way. The wooden furniture was so wide, I had to remove the dolly, wrap the tow rope around them, and drag them without the benefit of the dolly. Again, not a problem.


And here’s the collection of crap, ready to go onto a truck and take a ride to the boneyard. The refrigerator was taken to a community cleanup day, where the freon was removed. The wooden furniture went into the house through another door. The rest of the stuff went to a scrap iron dealer. I got $100 for the lot of it. Protip: When renting a truck, ask for the Sanford and Son truck.