Home Renovation

There is a lot going on at our house these days! We're starting a huge renovation project that involves:

• Completely new kitchen --> new tile floor, freshly painted walls/ceiling, new cabinets, new counter tops, new sink/faucet, updated plumbing, newly designed kitchen table, new window treatments (that might just involve RED!)
• Open concept between the living room and kitchen --> we are taking down part of the wall that separates these two rooms to bring a more open feeling to the space
• Living room updated --> freshly painted walls/ceiling, new carpet, new furniture (sofa sectional), new window treatments
• Other --> updated furnace and air conditioner, freshly painted laundry room w/ new cabinets, updated electrical wiring throughout the house, new patio in the backyard

Lots to do and lots of decisions to make! I'm so fortunate that I have a very organized and thorough husband who researches/budgets/bargains/and is very handy himself - he definitely keeps us on track with everything from the financial end of things to the sequencing of what has to be done when.

We live in a relatively small house (built in 1959), but really prefer it that way for several reasons - the number one reason right now is that we're empty nesters and this house is the perfect size for just the two of us! Also, it's affordable. And since it's smaller, it's much easier to keep clean...or should be!

 
(before  -kitchen with original cabinetry and counter tops...notice how little space there is to work!)

Cleaning is not my strong suit and I have found lately that the things I own and collect have really become more cumbersome than enjoyable. This year during the Lenten season I decided that I would start purging items that I no longer needed/enjoyed/wanted so that life would become more organized and simpler. Anyone who knows me well knows that this is a sacrifice for me (much more than I'd like to admit) because I like to hold onto "things" more than I really should and they clutter up my life so much.

I will share a few pictures of the renovations going on now and then, but I really want to save the before/after photos for when the project is completely done. Our goal is 6-8 weeks to completion, as we are doing many of the updates ourselves (with help from Ed's cousin, Clayton, and our daughter, Emilee and a few others we've contracted to help).

 
(Ed and Emilee ready to knock out the wall in the laundry room to remove the furnace!)

You are welcome to stop by to see how we're doing, but you might be handed a scraper or a paint brush and asked to help out!
When we moved into this house 17 years ago, it had been recently updated with new carpet, paint, and wallpaper. Our children were young and we were a busy family with not much time and money to do any other updates (except a necessary bathroom remodel project and a couple bedrooms painted). This home renovation project has been on the back burner for several years and we decided that it is now time!

I'm looking forward to the process, but even more so to the finished product! So far we've had the wall partially removed between the living room and kitchen, torn out all the old carpet, emptied all the cabinets (my craft room is now my kitchen pantry!), selected and ordered new kitchen cabinets, decided on paint colors, carpet, floor tile, countertop, faucet, started stripping the old wallpaper in the kitchen, new furnace has been installed, removed cabinets from the laundry room, relocated the washer/dryer to the garage (where I won't be able to use it during this renovation, so it's off to the laundromat once a week for me! -don't be jealous!), and we've moved items to new places in our home that are not the norm - microwave in Ed's office, freezer in the living room (it will eventually go to the garage), using a card table in the kitchen (something easy to fold up and move when needed), all the food/dishes from my cabinets are now in my craft room - and I'm continually looking for something I can't find!

Lots to do but the result will be good!

Comments

[Garden Furniture]

Hi,
It was really nice reading this post and I lke the fact that you are taking all security precautions as well while undergoing the renovation work. I hoper the results are good in the end..
:)

[Janelle]

Enjoyed reading about your home improvement projects, Denise. We redid our entire downstairs a few years ago -- even went through Christmas with no kitchen sink and only a bathtub in the downstairs bathroom. Our 24 year old daughter told us she wasn't coming back home until she didn't have to brush her teeth in the bathtub. :) (Guess she was too lazy to go upstairs...) I'll look forward to seeing more photos!

[Home Extensions Perth]

You did a great job. I can't wait to see the output of your renovation. It was really nice reading this post, I like the way you shared your wonderful experience.

[Sandra Ludwig]

Seems like you got a good plan for home renovation. It seems like a lot of work, but sometimes that's the fun part about improving a home, right? All that effort in fixing this, organizing that, and seeing the end result can be really satisfying.