Turning our New House into Our New House Via Sledge Hammer and Crow Bars

At the advent of this blog, another lifetime ago, Joey and I were gutting and rebuilding an entire house. We destroyed that home and spent years rebuilding it into the best version of itself, wrapping up that mega remodeling project just as Adeline was born.

Here I am, circa 2009, super preggers with Addy, showing off our new appliances, “like a knocked-up Price Is Right model,” to quote myself.

Six years later, we’re doing it again to the house we just bought. Except not to the same extreme and with two little kids to help get in the way.

Here’s what my kitchen looks like right now. That black thing is part of our Shop Vac.

Here’s what it looked like before Joey and two of our friends ripped it apart. (The kids and I evacuated to my parents’ house)

The walls look so horrible due to wallpaper glue that stuck to them after we peeled off the wallpaper.

Here’s what the kitchen looked like for most of my life, when my grandparents lived here. Except it wasn’t quite so cluttered. This was taken after my grandma moved to assisted living.

Here’s the current view of the dining room. We’re removing that entire wall, which, unfortunately, is filled with very important things, like heating ducts and lots of electrical wires, that all need to be rerouted. It’s also holding up the second floor, so we have to install special support beams, etc… But the new open concept kitchen will be worth it. Right?

Here’s what the dining room looked like before Joey tore into the wall.

And here’s what it looked like before we moved in. It’s chaos, as my family had just moved my grandma to assisted living.

Of course we let our kids draw on the walls and floors before demo started.

Marker party! This fun activity came with 100 strict warnings to not ever do this ever again. Not ever!!!

And our first floor half-bath (that has always and forever looked like this)?

It’s in a dumpster in the driveway.

We let the kids take a crack at demo to see if they’d prove useful. They didn’t.

So. After a little break from home remodeling, we’re back at it, living in a construction zone. It sucks, especially now that we have to make sure tools are carefully put away and the dangers of exposed electrical wires are very clearly understood. While living like this is hugely inconvenient and a little stressful, I know it’s only temporary and the end result will be worth it. At least that’s what I tell myself every hour or so to stay sane.

• ← The Big Girl Has Arrived
• To the child I never met →