Tearing Down the Old, Bringing in the New

I have never been the most patient person when it comes to DIY. As much as I like a challenge, I also revel in the great feeling of accomplishment. So, when things are moving at a snail's pace, I tend to get a little antsy. Apparently, this has also rubbed off on my oldest son.

One trip to the "broken house" as we now refer to it, presented a wonderful opportunity to get some work done. It started with just one swing of the hammer - I come by this honestly. . .

As a child, my father had many home improvement projects. He added a family room, a den (complete with a bookcase that led to a hidden room) and various other projects to the house we grew up in. The year he and my mother decided to add the family room presented some challenges. We were using the existing carport as the frame for the family room, but the floor of the carport was significantly lower than the floor of the living room, where the two would connect. It was Halloween and my mother was taking us out trick or treating. My father stayed behind to remove one brick (yes, we lived in a red brick house - this is important), "just to see how much of a difference between the two floors there really was." JUST ONE BRICK.

Needless to say, it was not just one brick. We happily trick or treated and returned home to find a gaping hole in the wall, and red brick dust absolutely covering every square inch of my mother's new living room. He smiled sheepishly when we walked in and simply said, "I got carried away." I remember my mother standing in the red brick dust, just staring at everything. My brother and I thought it was great. We could now run through the hole in the wall to the enclosed carport. Of course, my mother forgave my dad and we went on to enjoy many wonderful years in the beautiful family room he built.

My brother and I - circa 1974

So, you see, one swing of the hammer at our "broken house" led to well, no more wall. I have to admit, it was fun. My brother was quite upset that he didn't get to participate. You see he is very fond of the "just one brick" phrase as well. The next day after school, my two boys finished off the drywall removal. Guess I've passed down the "just one brick" gene to them, too! Aren't you proud, Dad?

 

 

My helper admiring his work!

The next day

Last weekend, the framers arrived - finally! And now the house looks completely different. We gained an incredible amount of visual space simply by losing half a wall. It's amazing! By losing one large window along the back wall, we have gained some space for the cabinetry we lost by removing the wall between the living room and kitchen.

Love the electrical "hanging" in the wind

Missing window won't even be noticed!

While I am overjoyed we are starting to move forward, remember I am very impatient! So as I wait to see more progress this week from our contractors, I may have to find something else to do. Uh oh, that spells trouble!!!

Until next time, think happy thoughts!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

c'est la vie ~ we are rebuilding

Lately, it seems as though life has taken me down paths that I truly would not have chosen for myself. At the beginning of the year, I made a promise to myself to reactivate my blog and dedicate time to some of the DIY projects that I really love to do. Our biggest projects over the course of the last two years had been accomplished: the new flooring, the refinished cabinetry and the beautiful, sparkling pool in the backyard. We were happy!

 

 

And then this happened.......

We are very blessed that none of our family was injured! That is the silver lining we constantly remind ourselves of. But, now we are starting from scratch again. When the truck crashed through the exterior load bearing wall, the HVAC unit was completely demolished and the pool pump exploded inside the house. Water flowed all over the beautiful new floors, glass sprayed everywhere, cabinets crumbled to the floor. It was a night none of us will soon forget.

So, we are starting over....better days ahead. We were blessed beyond words by our family coming to our rescue, our friends bringing dinner to us in the hotel where we lived until a rental was secured for us and the most incredibly kind circle of people constantly checking in on us to lend a helping hand.

It is for these blessings that we are forever grateful. I have now been tasked with the "chore" of creating a new kitchen, a new family room and a new living room. I use the term "chore" lightly because part of it is actually fun. I've spent countless hours reading articles, researching cabinetry, looking at hardware, pining over dream kitchens in magazines, touring model homes for ideas and drawing pictures of our new space.

We are finally moving into the demolition stage which will be quickly followed by a mad dash of framers, electricians, plumbers, drywall and stucco guys, etc. It's been a long haul but hopefully some of my ideas will be able to be incorporated:

Loving the new "greige" colors out there!

Pure Beauty - I love these wood floors.

Although we are removing a wall, we are keeping the original archway and it would be beautiful in stone!

 

 

This is THE LOOK I want, well, except I want darker floors! It's so clean and bright!

The journey has begun. I will be updating the blog with our progress. 

Until then, think happy thoughts!