The Big Picture

Sorry for the delay on this post. It can be a little confusing following the plans for the renovation (even if you've been to our house before) soI really felt like you needed the visual aid. So on the left is a our current floor plan, and on the right is the brand new floor plan with spanking new addition:



So, what exactly are we changing?

In All Current Rooms:

- adding recessed lighting and task lighting
- removing the 70's splatter ceiling and replacing it with period appropriate beadboard
- putting in better crown moulding (right now it's all upside down picture rail)
- painting all walls, ceilings, and mouldings
- all four of our old fireplaces will get a gas fireplace insert that looks like coals burning when turned on (they were originally coal burning, not wood burning fireplaces)
- all fireplaces except for one will have a complete redo of the mantle (a 1980's builder remodel took the original beautiful ones out and put chunky fugly ones in)
- all hardwood floors will be refinished or replaced (we're not sure yet).
- the carpeted bedrooms will have hardwood floors put in (with possible large area rugs)

Reconfiguring Current Rooms

- Our current home office will become a master bathroom complete with LARGE soaking tub, open shower with rain soak head, two "his and her sinks" and a working fireplace.
- Our current junk room bedroom will become our home office complete with built in computer desks, built in cabinetry, built in book cases, a working fireplace and a nook for reading.
- Our current 1/2 bath/powder room will become a hallway coat closet.
- Our current living room will be closed off from our current kitchen and will become a guest bedroom complete with working fireplace (as I believe it was before).
- Our bedroom will remain mostly the same, but with the same cosmetic updates mentioned above that applies to every room in the house. We will push the wall out of our bedroom into our current bathroom/closet area and make two large "his and hers" walk in closets with a built in chest of drawers between them. It will also have a working fireplace.
- Our current kitchen will become a bathroom that is connected to the guest bedroom that we make from our current living room. It will feature a 1935 clawfoot tub we rescued from my Grandma's house and a stained glass window. Next to it will be a new laundry room area, and stairs leading up to our attic.
- Our attic will have an insulated room built into it for temperate storage.

Entirely New Areas:

- We are building 16 feet off the back of the house and that will contain our new kitchen/eating area and a large open "great room" for entertaining.
- The kitchen will contain a pantry, every fancy cabinet type you can think of, granite counter tops, stained glass windows (maybe), and a large kitchen island.
- The kitchen will also feature my Grandma's 1935 art deco stove. I'm going to have a normal stove to use for the day to day, but this stove will be functional and will probably get a lot of use during the holiday season.
- The great room area will feature entirely new furniture (our old stuff is crap), our 52 inch LCD TV, DVD player, PS 3, Wii, Tivo and some sort of Sound system. It will have windows with blackout curtains for a "home theater effect".
- The great room will feature a brand new gas fireplace.
- Off the back of the house we will have a screened in porch and a small deck for our BGE.

Now you can see why Les and I have decided that it might be best for us to just pack up and move during the renovation process (oy!). I know the house is going to be beautiful and so worth all the hard work, time and effort, but damn I'm already tired just THINKING about it.