Done! (pretty much, anyway)

Mud Room

We're not completely done, but we're getting there bit by bit. All we have left is putting up art, closet curtains, move the washer into the mudroom, and install cabinets & shelves above washer/dryer. It's nothing fancy but it's a very cozy and practical space & we're really enjoying it.














































Our room.



















Finally an organized closet!



















The boys' room.

More Inside Views

View into the bathroom. The toilet and vanity will be on this wall. You might also note that the guys were able to use some scrap wood. Thanks for saving us money!
















View towards the shower.


















View from the bathroom to the outside door.


















View into the old house towards my wonderful husband that just made me some biscuits and gravy. The opening between the old house and the addition will start at the window on the right. We might put shelves in the old window space.

Inside

View from the outside door. The kitchen is to the left, the new bedrooms to the right, the bathroom is in front of you where you see the window, and the washer and dryer will be in front of you where the purple drywall is.











Also from the outside door, shifted a bit to the right.














Standing in the mud room, facing the bedrooms.













The boys' bedroom.













Our bedroom.

One Step at a time

Things are moving right along! We have interior walls now and I'll post those pics later today. The walls and ceiling are in and insulated, so it is a much warmer work environment for Dean and Bill. We are ever so happy with how it has turned out!

The north side of the house.













The east side.













Making our house warm.













Dean getting "help" from the boys.













Inside before walls. This pic is facing towards the old part of the house.

We Have Walls!

Progress

Big strides were made today. Our back porch is gone. It only took them about 45 minutes to rip it off. They've also scraped and primed the north and west sides of the house. It already looks much better! While digging up the porch, they found an old Pabst Blue Ribbon can, old enough that it didn't have a pull tab. How far back did you have to use a tool to open a can of beer?

Before:
After:

Too Much Excitement

This has been a spring of big changes. I'm hoping for a nice boring summer. First we made the final decision: Joe is going to kindergarten in the fall! We went to round-up and felt really good about the teachers and the school. I'm so excited. Joe seems more neutral about the whole idea.

Then, of course, there was the whole grad school application process. No word yet, but I'll keep you posted.

The most life-disrupting, though, is that we are about to go through some major home repairs. Today at 10:30 the trucks started pulling up, contractors looking at the house in order to bid on the work. The plan at this point is to replace all the windows and gutters, paint the house, stabilize the front porch, do a little wiring work, and rip off the back porch, replacing it with a deck. We're so excited. We'll keep you posted with updates and before/after pics!

Painting our house

Kirk's parents came up for the week to help us out. Kirk's dad painted the house while his mom and my mom watched the boys. The house looks a million times better. . . on two sides. He only had a week after all. At least it's a start.
I apologize for my rant in a previous post about housing. You shouldn't have to hear that. I love our little house and I know it has great potential. We're lucky to have a house at all. If we had waited a few years to buy, we wouldn't be able to afford the house we have.
Anyway, I love the new green paint. We're thinking navy accents. We're also almost done painting the cabinets in the kitchen and Kirk can put down a new floor in October. We're chipping away at the projects