Thursday, January 19, 2017

progress ~ day three

 The contracting work is moving along quickly. All these photos were from yesterday - day three of work. 

The fireplace mantle and surround are up, primed and painted with one coat of paint, so far. It's a simple design...we could've had other molding pieces put on to make it more elaborate, but our living room is small and not at all "fancy", so we wanted to keep the design simple as to not overwhelm the room.


The pass-thru ledge is also installed, primed and first coat of painting done. The light between the living room and kitchen is already amazing, even on a cloudy day and with a plastic barrier in place. Someone had asked on Instagram why we didn't have the entire wall removed. This wall is a load bearing wall. To have it removed would require major engineering work. We're not willing to go through that - mentally or financially! We also have different shades of hardwood flooring in the living room and kitchen. The flooring in the kitchen is a dark hardwood and the living room is a blonde hardwood. So, same sort of situation: no desire to tear up hardwood flooring in the kitchen (that's the older stuff, though it still looks good) and replace it with the flooring that matches the living room to make it all seamless.


 In the kitchen, the ugly, faux wood molding and door frame were removed from the opening going into the basement and replaced with white molding. Bottom halves of the walls that had the wainscoting got new drywall and everything primed to get ready for painting.


Believe it or not, all that's left for the contractors to do now is to paint the kitchen, the living room wall where the pass-thru was cut, and finishing up all the tiny details. They said they should be done today! Only four days of work - not bad. Though it has seemed like two weeks. ;-) I don't know how people go through major renovations that last weeks or months while living in the house. It's been stressful. But, I know, will be totally worth it.

I'll be back soon to show you the completed work!


19 comments:

  1. Thanks for posting more pictures. I love watching the progress on renos -- especially when I'm not living through it! Everything looks beautiful. The pass through is a great idea and I'm sure you'll love it, having more light and also feeling a part of the rest of the household when you're in the kitchen. We're looking into putting a fireplace in -- not a lot of space here either, so I like the simplicity of your mantel.

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  2. It's looking great, Melanie. And only four days! Yay!

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  3. Wow! Things are really looking nice. I would rather have a cutout than a whole wall removed myself. I am not a big fan of open floor plan. If I have dishes in the sink and the door bell rings, I prefer to not enjoy company while seeing a chore that is calling my name. Oh, and your fireplace is stunning! You are truly going to enjoy that :)
    I'm so happy for you!
    Connie :)

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  4. It is looking great and so glad it's almost done!!

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  5. Oh, that was fast. I was thinking it was a big job that was gonna take some time. I wondered why you didn't remove the entire wall, too. Anyways, it is definitely going to be a change and that in itself is worth it. And you didn't have to move to get it.

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  6. Wow, they are FAST! I can hardly wait to see the walls all painted. The fireplace looks GREAT. You are going to have fun now with rearranging and redecorating.

    I want to thank you so much for your kind and encouraging comment you left on my latest post. It means a lot.

    Have a wonderful weekend ~ FlowerLady

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  7. I think everything you did looks splendid!
    Just a few tweeks to get a different look...
    exactly what a small reno should accomplish...
    I know you will be thrilled with all the light streaming in...
    enjoy your evening...
    Cheers!
    Linda :o)

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  8. Amazing to think how much progress has been made in a few days, although I can easily see why it seems much longer for you living through it. It looks really nice already and I am excited to see it again when it's all done.

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  9. They are getting it done quickly! It will be beautiful!

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  10. Everything seems to be going so smooth for you...i love the simpler look of your mantel surround,. It looks very nice in the room. They sure do fast work and wish I had hired them :-{...Thanks for you very kind words on our losing our Little One.

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  11. it seems good and will be resulted great !
    painting house take lots of patience and time and in winters it seems even harder.

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  12. Everything looks great!! Now you're getting close to the fun part...decorating!!

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  13. Wow, it is coming along really quickly!!! I don't know if it feels like that living in it, but from this side of the camera it is looking great! Hope that you are enjoying the process as much as you can, I am sure you will enjoy the results!

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  14. Oh my goodness, I can't believe how much progress they've made already! I really like the simple mantel design you chose, Melanie. And that large opening into your kitchen is going to make a world of difference! If we had more cabinet space in our kitchen, I would love to have a big opening like that into our dining room. You've waited a long time for the changes and I'm thrilled for you!

    Have a great weekend!

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  15. The progress is amazing! You'll have your home back to yourself in no time!

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  16. Yay, oh my gosh, it's going so quickly!! You're going to love all that sunshine streaming into your kitchen!! Can't wait to see the finished project!

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  17. Everything looks so beautiful, how exciting!:)

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