The Den - so far

Look at the amazing difference so far.  The lighting is the best improvement overall.  I can't wait for it to be finished!  Not quite the same angle, but WOW!

No more desk!

Remember that ugly built-in desk with the missing drawer front?

Check out its replacement.

Now look at that pantry

Check out my future pantry!

A little sheetrock.

Day Two

On the second day they put in the floor.  

Not bad for two days huh?

Day One - Floors

The first thing we had to do was get the hardwood floors in so they could acclimate.  We did this with the kids in the house - or as much out of the house as we could.  So out go the floors

Day One:

The Plan

Here's our plan.  

• Remove nasty linoleum in the kitchen & nasty carpet in the den and replace with 1 1/2" hardwoods like the rest of the house. 
• Reface the cabinets
• Remove Range & add cabinets for built-in cooktop and built-in double ovens
• Take Washer and use one of the hall closets for a utility closet for full-size stackable washer and dryer.  Add cabinet where washer was.
• Built-in pantry instead of old hot water heater closet for pantry.
• Remove fluorescent light in kitchen and add recessed lighting in kitchen and den.
• Remove built-in desk and replace with floor to ceiling bookshelves and cabinet flush with wall.
• Sheetrock over paneling (I'll never need to find a stud to hang a picture.).

Not a bad project.  But I still want to throw up everytime I write a check.

Den Before

In the den we had a built-in desk that was missing a few drawers.  Now the good thing was 3/4" tongue in grove pine paneling from one end of the kitchen and the entire den.  Unfortunately it was pretty scarred.  So again we decided as the kitchen and den are basically one big room, we would fix it at the same time.

Here are the before pictures:

Kitchen - Before

I've started a kitchen remodel.  We had an original 1954 kitchen with the most awful green countertops, a honest to goodness real porcelain sink.  That must have once been used in a farm house in the middle of nowhere.  The washing machine was in the corner of the kitchen.  I had about 3 inches on either side of the range before you hit cabinets.  We were missing two kitchen drawers and they weren't on rollers so every time you opened a drawer you got wood shavings on whatever was underneath it.  We had a sliding glass door to the backyard that was quickly removed when Hunter went thru the neighbors.  So, finally Mason and I decided it was time to move into the 21st century.  

Here are the before Kitchen pictures: