Thursday, December 26, 2013

Demo Daze

While  the Waterhouse Builders team was working on the second floor, Jeff Murphy and his team were doing lots of demo work on the first floor.  Their objective:  Create the open floor plan that we all love in today’s homes.
View from front door - Before
View from front door - After Demo
 As the walls started to come down, you could see the difference immediately.  And it was at its most dramatic right inside the front door.

By eliminating the front bedroom wall (to the left of the staircase in the photos), we were able to create a much needed dining room.  Now we have a lot more living space on the first floor.  Oh, and the cool, retro phone station that was on that wall?  We’re going to relocate it to the kitchen and hopefully outfit it with a USB port (which will provide lots of old technology humor 20 years from now!).





The living room and kitchen suddenly feel huge!  Even though we haven’t been able to completely remove the supporting wall (we’ll be installing a new load carrying beam, before that can come down), you get the idea, now that the plaster is gone.




The kitchen cabinets are gone,  as well as the multiple layers of flooring that had been added over the years.  We plan to replace the floor with new oak hardwood, to match the rest of the first floor.

The bathroom started getting its update as we pulled out the old, mottled blue bathtub.    Soon, it will be gleaming with beautiful new fixtures and flooring.






Best of all, we now have a circular floor plan.  Perfect for big parties and family gatherings!  What do you think of the changes?

Does it seem like the project is going quickly?  That's why we love demo.  Taking things down goes in a flash.  Rebuilding will take a bit longer :-)


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10 comments:

  1. It looks great!!! I love looking at all your before and after pictures. :)

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    1. Thanks Rebecca! But I'm not sure I'd call these 'after' pictures quite yet :-) Maybe we should call them 'during'. Hopefully in a few months, you'll get to see the real afters!

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  2. Yet another exciting adventure :) I see HUGE difference already. Looking forward to how this one will transform. Good luck!

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    1. Glad the changes are already obvious! We have a lot more to do, but we're pretty jazzed by the progress. It's amazing what removing a few walls can do to make a house feel more contemporary. Thanks so much for following along with our adventures!

      Laurel

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  3. I'm so glad you are saving the telephone shelf! The first thing I thought when I saw that first before picture was "Oh no! There goes a cute period detail..."

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    1. I'm pretty excited about moving it to the kitchen wall. I've started looking for some retro design phones that we can put in it! Can't wait till we get to that point in the project :-)

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  4. I'm sure it will look fabulous in the end as all your projects do, but I have to say I miss the lovely arched doorways!

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    1. Ah, the arches were nice, but didn't really work with our open floor plan. Maybe we'll get to do a Tudor style house one of these days and have lots of arches!

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  5. I am SO, so very excited that I found your blog!! My husband and I are working on renovating a 1910 cottage in Ohio and you have given me some amazing inspiration and have really made me think more about some of our current "plans" and what will work best for our family now and future resale!!

    Quick question: I am wanting to do a cottage-y sort of coral color in a room, and I like the color in the above kitchen pictures. Since you've had the house for awhile, do you happen to know the name of that color? How does it feel in the space? cozy and happy or glaring?? I really need a new color in this space, but I am so nervous to jump to peach/coral!

    Thanks again!!

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    1. Hi Tara,

      Thanks so much for reading the blog! I just love when we can help inspire folks to try something in their own house!

      Our renters painted the kitchen the coral color a couple of years ago, so sorry, I don't know the color. It's certainly a nice warm color. And while it's a warm tone, when the room was so dark, I thought it was a bit overwhelming. But now that we've opened up the walls and are letting more light in, I like it a lot more.

      I would never get too worried about paint color. Of all the changes you can make in a house, it's one of the easiest and cheapest. I'd suggest investing in a sample container and paint a big patch of it on your wall. Look at it in lots of different light levels - day, night, sunny, cloudy, etc. If you still like it - go for it!!! It's fun to do something bold!

      Laurel

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