Unforgettable Oddities and Disgusting Experiences from Interior Contractors
As a veteran contractor in the industry, I have faced some truly unique and often somewhat eerie situations in homes across the city. These experiences, some disturbing, others incredulous, have become a hallmark of the work we do. Let's delve into some of the most memorable instances:
Disgusting Sight in a Roof Recovery Project
During a roof repair job in a converted space, I had to use a window to access another part of the roof. I initially thought the curtains were drawn, but a closer look revealed a disturbing scene. Flies, thousands of them, moved across the window inside. My first reaction was to call the police out of concern that perhaps a person was trapped or even worse. The police arrived and broke in, only to find a lady sitting in a chair watching TV, completely surrounded by a mountain of filth. This was the aftermath of deep depression caused by a recent assault. Packratting, the habit of hoarding, was also evident, creating an unsanitary environment with a lack of airflow, leading to mold growth.
Revenge for Eviction
Eviction can be a tense and controversial subject, and these experiences highlight the lengths a person might go to in retaliation. One project involved a home where the previous tenants had penned up a couple of goats for a month before vacating. The goats had urinated and defecated throughout the entire house, causing a severe odor. We had to completely gut the place, run ozone generators to deodorize the walls, and replace the subfloor and drywall with new materials to eliminate the stench. Another instance involved a reclusive woman who had lived with cats for over three decades, making the entire cottage infested with the smell of cat urine and the noise of constant meowing.
Living with an Unimaginable Pet Situation
The living conditions in one home were utterly astonishing. In 1977, there was a woman living with a very large dog in a very small home. The entire floor was covered in dog poop, with dog piles on every square foot. Chairs, couches, and benches were all covered in the mess. It was truly an impossible feat to navigate the house without getting dog poop on one's shoes. The woman of the house considered this state of affairs perfectly normal. It was the most disgusting environment I have encountered in my career.
Haunted Haus of the Living
Recently, I assisted a couple in moving furniture for better mobility due to a woman's crippling condition. After entering the storage room, I noticed an eerie array of objects, including items that seemed straight out of a haunted house scenario like a ghost head chopper. For a woman who was already disabled, this room would likely be too much to handle. These remarkable situations remind us of the wide variety of challenges and environments we encounter as interior contractors.