If I remember correctly, Walt had to chop the rotted floor boards from the leaking water heater and probably checking underneath the floor boards for more damage. Cooking meth takes much more room to cook than what was in the water heater area and I would imagine, Walt would not jeopardize his family's safety with such volatile chemicals of meth making. I could see Walt possibly stashing money underground, but then he would have to make the area to easy access.

I agree with Linda. Amazing. No place for meth. The smell would be overwhelming and too dangerous for anybody else living in the house.

No question about it. Walt would have to be out of his mind to try and cook Meth in his own Home, that just makes absolutely no sense at all. Most meth labs are out in the Boonies, why is that you ask? Well the chemicals for starters, the god awful smell would be too suspect. Imagine the neighbors smelling the caustic reek from all the chemicals, then there would be the issue of getting rid of the waste byproducts. That right there is a big problem if he was to try and make that stuff in a residential area. Finally some of those chemicals are very unstable and combustible. No Walt would never even consider trying to make a meth lab in his house, unless he goes nuts and does lose his capacity for critical thinking and that's not very likely...

One more thing I'd like to add. Walt is an Intelligent Man and most likely believes in Murphy's Law and therefore lives be the Maxim of "Never crap where you eat". Words to live by.

Actually, a professional chemist like Walt probably COULD pull off a drug lab in a residential area without attracting unwanted attention. Unlike most redneck meth cooks, he would understand the need for things like fume hoods, gloveboxes, etc, and how to obtain/use them.

He would also recognize the hazards of volatile/reactive chemicals, and take appropriate precautions to avoid blowing the house up.

Still not a good idea (not crapping where you eat is always a prudent idea), but methlab explosions are largely a result of untrained morons cooking in their kitchens.

Correct me if I am wrong, but didn't Walt have an explosion in Season#1 when making Meth in the RV?...even Walt has to be super cautious and stay focused on what he is producing and can make mistakes. The fumes from making Meth, I understand, are quite toxic and would seep throughout the house. I get the impression making Meth is like handling TNT.

Does anyone know the process of cleaning up a house that has been used for making Meth? Is the process similar to removal of asbestos with the bio-hazard gear and sealing off room by room to contain the hazardous material? And when is the house safe to move in after the clean up?

The new boards and replacing the rot under the house was a device Gilligan used as a way of sending a mirrored analogy for the episode, which as I remember was a rebirth of Walt. Out with the old and in with the new. Referring to the decision to cut out the remaining cancer surgically.

JPB2: Very good answer.. but if you watch the episode closely, there isn't any visible mold on the boards and his son doesn't see anything either.. Also, Walt looks around like "Hmmmm" after the repairs are done.. gotta wonder.. I agree it's a analogy used by Gilligan for sure, but I also think he has a hidden agenda for Season 3 for that space..

Linda: The explosion in the RV was to yield phosphine gas in order to kill off Crazy 8 and Emillio, he did that on purpose.

Yes, jenetik, I remember that particular scene,with crazy 8, but was there another time Walt had an explosion? I am trying to remember without having the Second Season to refresh my memory.