When we moved to the farm, summer 2009, we had pulled up all of the carpet on the main floor, exposing the original wood floors, and had them refinished. We also had drywall repaired, and retextured, to cover almost 60 years of a setteling house. We didn't touch the kitchen floor, though, because under that carpet, was subfloor, not wood floor. That was put on the "5 year plan". I had been given the option, fix the floors throughout the house, or fix the kitchen, before we moved in. I chose the wood floors through out.
Before, our house had thick carpet. Almost each room, was a different color. Our bedroom and hall had light grey carpet, one guest room had dark red carpet, another bedroom had Navy carpet, our office had blue grey carpet, and our living and dining rooms had pink carpet, although I was told it was Mauve, because that was much more appealing sounding than pink. Either way, it was not for me. It was heavy. It made my house feel closed in.
Fast forward to Fall 2012. We have a 2 1/2 year old, and have just found out we are pregnant with #2. My husband turns to me, one day out of the blue, and says, "Would you rather redo the kitchen this spring, during planting season, or this summer, after you've just had another baby." It was like being told I'd won the lottery!!!! THE EARLIER THE BETTER!!!! So, we started talking to my contractor/brother-in-law, at Thanksgiving. In between 3 new builds he has going on, 1,500 miles away, where they live, he's going to help me with my renovation :)
When you gut your kitchen, be prepared for things to come up... weird things. We are refinishing the stairs to our basement. We've rewired the entire kitchen, and laundry room. We insullated the two exterior walls of the kitchen (I only wish we could insullate all the exterior walls). We are having the whole house replumbed!!! THE WHOLE HOUSE IS GETTING NEW PLUMBING!!! Our exterior doors are all getting new seals. We are getting new cellulose insullation added to the measly 6", already there (like 30" more). All of which leads to new drywall, new flooring, new lighting, new switches, new layout for new cabinets, new sink, new dishwasher, refrigerator, cook top, two single ovens, a microwave with a trim kit to be "built in". And a bonus, a new faucet for outside :) This really is a bonus, because to fill our hot tub, I run a hose through the breezeway, and out to the back, and to water the plants back there, it takes that same process, or 8 watering cans, every other day.
And I can't forget to mention, hardwired smoke detectors, throughout the house, when one goes off, they all will. Our dryer hose is getting a blower, to push the lint and heat out of the house. The statistics are staggering. It's something totally insane, like 90% of house fires start in the laundry room or kitchen... and it would be our luck, to spend all this money updating the place and have it burn down a few months later. So, thank goodness for safer electric, and smoke detectors everywhere.
I'm not allowed to build my own house, until my kids are out of this one. Then, I'll get one with lots of space, and a layout condusive to family time. When it's just my husband and I. But, I'm going to make sure this one isn't neglected. And just because it was "good enough" for the generations before, doesn't mean it has to be good enough for me. If I'm here for 25 years, I'm not doing bandaids, I'm doing surgery. I hope to leave this place better than it was when I started. And our checking account is reflecting that :)
By the way, it'll be done before baby #2 arrives. :)
Take care of your house, improve upon it when you can. It's your home, you should want to spend time here. And even with the noise and the dust, I'm liking it a little more each day.
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