Mmmmkay, we’re really nearing the end of all the basement posts for awhile, I promise. Pete mentioned in this morning’s post that the basement aparently served multiple purposes for the previous owners. Laundry room, game room, a photography dark room (really, we found old empty bottles of chemicals and the breaker that now controls my dishwasher is labeled “dark room”), but he also forgot to mention that it seems like they might have had a gym down there too.
I suppose people buy punching bags. I don’t know any. And I don’t know anyone who would try and DIY-hang one themselves, but these people did. They actually did a nice job. It was attached to the joists in the open ceiling, and looked something like this.
I had no intent of putting up a punching bag, so the whole thing came down. It wasn’t doing anything to the structure of the house and was just strongly bolted up there. The benefit of the removal was that we were left with SO MANY new bolts (and nuts, and washers) that it will save us a little money down the road, and moreover, much convenience when we realize in the middle of a home improvement project that lag bolts would have been a fab idea.
Never know what you’re going to find. We love demo.
5 Comments
The only person I knew who had a punch bag was an old neighbor of my parents. He hung his from a tree, which seems like it would make it more likely to hit you in the face…
Would you even believe me if I told you that the day I posted this, my dad called to tell me that there was a punching bag installed in their basement when they bought my childhood home 25 years ago? He said he had removed the bag that the original structure to support it was still in tact. So weird, and I never even noticed that the whole time I lived there!
That’s awesome! What a coincidence!
One of our house’s previous owners had bolted a mount for a heavy bag to the steel i-beam that spans our basement ceiling. Drilled holes and bolted it right through the steel. And yes, I bought a heavy bag and it still hangs in my basement. Good to pound on from time to time. Though I’m told that it sounds like it’s shaking the while house.
Why are these so common? I’m perplexed.