Remodeling and another beach trip

Jason and I have spent the last 6 years in our house patiently updating and remodeling it as time (and finances) allow. In some cases, work was done much sooner than planned (finishing the walk up attic when I got pregnant with the triplets) and in other cases, it was done due to the growing size of our family – NO, I am not pregnant again – but the boys are getting bigger and space is of the essence.  This time, we made the decision to take down some walls downstairs in order to maximize usable room near the kitchen.  This is where we started and what the space looked like originally.

View from the kitchen toward the family room

View just inside the door to the family room

Wall and door to the living room

From the doorway near the front door looking into the living room

We got the demo underway and the boys and I tried to spend as much time out of the house as possible. This led to numerous visits to the pool, Marbles Kids Museum (which we have now joined as a result) and play dates to the park. 

We made the decision to update the kitchen floor while we were updating the house so the time frame for the project went from about  10 days to about 12-14 days. For those who know me, I needed to know the plan so that I could in turn make my plans. Within a week of the demo, we took another trip to the beach with my Mom, Meme and Popi. It was nice to get away from the 'chaos' of the remodel but the weather was crummy so we came home a night early. Doesn't mean we didn't have fun and wear them out though!

From the kitchen without the wall behind the table

No bookcases, dark paneling or wall to the left

View from near the front door - open space

Exhausted after trip #2 to the beach, but wouldn't let go of the IPad!

Poor Jack couldn't even finish his dinner after his fun at the beach

We loved our trip but it was nice to get home, although the project was still ongoing. The details of the wall removal in the new space went along with no problems but the flooring is another story. As of today, which is officially 30 days after the start of the project, we still have details that need to be finished. There were some delays due to the flooring being on backorder but the rest of the issues make my blood boil so I'll just post pictures of the progress and finished (mainly) project before I explode.

Old kitchen floor on left, new on the right

With decorations and pictures on the wall

From the new space looking toward the front of the house

From the front door looking back. The carpet behind the couch is a play space for the boys and I have moved some toys downstairs for them to play with and they have LOVED it. We don't spend much time upstairs during the day right now which is nice for all of us.

While there are still minor details on the flooring that need to be finished, I have gone ahead and hung pictures and put furniture in place. As I write this, the boys are enjoying their new 'downstairs play space' as dinner is on the stove so I can cook and mediate at the same time. We are so excited to have the space more family oriented and I love that the boys can play inside or outside while I fix meals for us. We have already enjoyed some great times in this new space and it is brand new. I can't wait to see what memories it will hold for us over time.