So…
If you keep up with us on Facebook you know we are remodelling. And oh has it been adventurous.
Some of you may remember when we moved into this house that it needed a lot of work. It was a true fixer upper. I married a man who LOVES (understatement of the year) to do projects. He is freakishly good in the DIY department. And so when we decided to move 5 years ago, he didn't want to move into a home that was already perfect, he wanted to find a home that we could renovate and make uniquely our own. I kicked and screamed a bit, but ultimately he got his way and it turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
Hallelujah and Amen.
And do you remember that we moved into a house that was previously occupied by a man with a bit of a hoarding habit? Yeah. Ok. Please don't make me talk about the beginning of it all. I never told you this, but when we made an offer on this house there were no working toilets in the home. Yet he had been living here. Just let that sink in for a moment….
Soooo, yeah. Don't make me go back. It's too soon. Still just too soon.
It was a huge job, but they accepted our offer and we found ourselves tearing up floors and ripping out drywall and making it the home we always wanted. It was the greatest decision we ever made in our house hunting journey. Not to mention it came with some pretty rad neighbors. And there was also some very cool vintage decor which gave me something to have fun with while the hubby did his demolish-everything-in-sight thing…
that carpet…
and this dishwasher…
It was a good time.
But the years have passed and we've added kids and we decided that we were going to do what we've always wanted to do - demolish the entire main floor.
We wanted to tear down the walls that separated the kitchen and the living area and make one big open space. With a bar to eat at and more room to move. I wanted a sink with a window and an area that actually fit the 10 of us comfortably for dinner. So about a year ago we started making plans. We decided that this was totally something we could do on our own, no need to pay professionals. - why hire help when we can just figure it out as we go??
Bless it. Bless us. Bless it all.
This was before, a living room and a kitchen to the right divided by walls...
(The above kitchen pic is from after renovation had already started, please excuse the mess. Or understand the mess, because, you know, 8 kids.)
(Also, imagine all 10 of us in that kitchen.)
And then this was that same area last night, with the ceiling giving out after we tore the walls out, and our amazing neighbors coming to the rescue...
Never mind my new make-shift kitchen in the background. It's all I got, people. A sink with leaky pipes and an oven that doubles as my counter top.
It's fine. It's perfect. I love it. I'm lying.
So after the ceiling came down, and I realized the roof wasn't actually going to collapse, we boarded things up and went to bed. And then I dreamt all night about it. Glorious.
But we are so on track now. We are ready to rebuild. The walls are out, and the rest of our floor and the new cabinets are due here in the next week or two. Then we will move on to forming that open kitchen and living area that we've been planning for. Where I can cook freely and use all the counter space I could ever want to use for my growing family.
Not that we're growing. Right now at least. Or ever. I don't know. Maybe one more. Or two. We can't ever be trusted in this area. I'll let ya know.
So that is what we are up to lately. Never a dull moment which is what keeps things exciting in these parts :). More pics to come!
