house updates...

Before I update you on the many kiddo and family things that have been happening, I thought I would update you on our house.  We have done some major updating last summer and this summer, and are excited with how things turned out!

Last summer we did a MAJOR remodel project.  And it all started with a few cracks in the linoleum floor in the kitchen 3 years ago...=)  Things never are as simple as replacing the floor.  It kind of snowballed to new appliances, re-arranging the kitchen, new cupboards, new floor throughout the main level (since most of it was connected), and extending the entryway by enclosing the large stoop we had outside the front door.  All things we wanted to do, but wanted to be efficient about it.  Which meant waiting and saving and getting the whole sha-bang done last summer.  Now, S is not super handy-man, but he learns easily and can follow directions well and we do have super handy-men in our family so the original thought was to take the time and do a lot by ourselves with help to save $$.  Then we found out we were pregnant.  And my very smart husband started researching contractors. =)  We found some wonderful guys through a reference from church friends and they started in on 7/11/11, and finished 8/23/11. 

I wanted to wait to blog about it until it was all done, but then realized I never did.  sorry!  But I did keep a Picasa web album updating family with progress pictures and I think that pretty much tells the story.  Here are the final before and after photos!

Kitchen:  changed from peninsula to island layout, updated appliances, cupboards and floor.  LOVE it!  It flows so nicely for our family and is such a beautiful space where we spend a ton of time. (favorite parts?  bedsides everything?  granite countertops and pantry...and ice maker in the bottom freezer fridge...oh and the lights above the island, and the new dishwasher...and the floor...)

Entry-way:  As much as we love the kitchen, this might be our favorite part of the whole remodel.  It completely changes how we function in this space!  Before whenever you came into the house or had guests come in it was crowded, doors hit doors and there was always snow and mud tracking towards the dining room since you had to walk in that far to get everyone in and close the door.  Plus there was not much room for coats let alone backpacks!  Now we have room to breath, a wonderful tile floor to track snow and wet in on, and places to put everything.  (favorite parts?  totally the built-in bench for all the kids stuff and the pretty red front door...)

There were some outside things that we wanted to get to as well last summer, but the budget just couldn't squeeze out any more.  So painting the house and the deck and patio waited until this summer.   The painting was necessary due to the remodel last summer - we just left it primed until we could decide if we wanted to do a new paint color, rather than paint it twice.  The patio had a dirt inlay that the previous owner had beautiful flowers in, but with our kids that just didn't work and we tried a few different things but it basically was just weeds and grass and a pain to mow.  And the deck had quite a few board that were bad as well as all the railing spindles.  So much that we had a number of them snap in half and we wouldn't let the kids out on it anymore.  S cut and laid pavers to get rid of the patio inlay (with some help from Papa B!).  We had the same guys that did our remodel last summer back to put on a smaller maintenance free deck for us (more lawn for the kids to run!), and they did a great job again.  The kids liked seeing Mr. John and Mr. Harvey and the project was done in a couple of days.  For painting, while Steve offered/threatened to pick up a brush and start many times this summer, we ultimately decided that the time wasn't work it with the kids being the ages they are and we got a recommendation for a house painter from a friend at church.  He was a one man crew, very nice, and very particular (which was so nice to find since my dear husband is quite particular when he paints as well), and in 4 days our dear house was beautifully covered in Sherwin-Williams "peppercorn."  Here are the before and after shots!

Front of the house:  1st photo is the front of the house after we moved in (whose car is that?! =), the 2nd photo is after the remodel last summer with the entryway bump out, and the 3rd photo is after it was painted. (favorite part?  how the entryway remodel looks like it should have always been there and how the trim and red front door just pop with the new paint color...)

Back of the house:  1st photo is after we moved in, 2nd and 3rd photo are before we started working on things this summer (we had already moved the bridal veil spirea bush to the front of the house and taken out some of the flower beds for more lawn for the kids to run on), and the last photo is after all the projects are done.  (favorite part?  how getting rid of the grass makes the patio feel twice as large, and how getting rid of the little bump out on the deck makes the backyard feel so much larger too...)

(Least favorite part of all of this?  The endless hours of making decisions for all of this.  If we were going to do this, we wanted to do it right so we wouldn't have to re-do it in a few years, plus that darn money is always a factor.  Almost as bad as choosing baby names...)

There is one more big addition we added

 to the backyard this summer, but it deserves

 a post in and of itself here soon! =)