Thursday March 28th, 2024 8:00AM

WORKING FOR A LIVING: Demo Day - not like it is on TV

On this Labor Day weekend, AccessWDUN salutes the workers who faithfully take care of the jobs that most of us take for granted. While we know there are dozens of occupations that are deemed less-than-glamorous, we realize those who are employed in those fields are vital to keeping our communities running. We selected  three such occupations to spotlight during the 2018 Labor Day weekend: a farm worker at Jaemor Farms, a project coordinator on a construction crew and a sewer cleaning technician with the City of Gainesville. Hopefully, their stories will help you appreciate these folks who are in the trenches every day. Also, if you happen to be working in a job where you feel under-appreciated, we want you to know you have our gratitude! Enjoy your Labor Day weekend!

Home improvement shows have been a stronghold on television for decades, most recently with shows like Fixer Upper and the Flip or Flop series. A favorite scene is demo day, when the personalities take on dated cabinets and pony walls with sledgehammers.

"It's not as fun as it looks, I guess [on TV]. People think it's all fun, and it is fun to break stuff but it gets tiring after awhile, but you do what you do and it always turns out beautiful," said Lance Rogers, project coordinator with Tracy Tesmer Design + Remodeling, on the site of a real demolition project in Gillsville. The project is a whole-house remodel, including kitchen, bathroom and flooring. 

"It is a little different than TV and most people don't realize it when they come out here, they'll peek in and see what's going on... we're just doing some demolition at the beginning. You really don't know what you're getting in to sometimes. TV and actual construction are just a little different." 

While demo day is billed as a fun, stress-relieving day on television, Rogers said it's also a bit of a gamble.

"There are a lot of factors you have to look out for. You never know what you're getting in to when you remodel stuff. You don't know what's under the flooring until you pull it up. That's why when you come into the demo stage you can see everything. You can tell if there's rot in the walls or on the floor," said Rogers. "It's a long process because our company does amazing work - we are professional carpenters and you get what you pay for."

The process can get pretty messy. Rogers said clean-up always follows the demolition, but there's still a lot of debris. "When we tear down walls, it gets everywhere. Especially ceilings - when you drop ceilings insulation goes up everywhere. There's just a lot of debris you get into."

Of course, there are many working parts to a remodeling project.

"I like doing the carpentry work - the trim, baseboards, crown molding, installing door and window trim," said Rogers. "I also love doing the demo because you get to see the beginning and the end stage of a project."

Lastly, Rogers said the whole process, regardless of mess, was an overall a fun experience and worth the work to see an up-to-date, finished product.

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