::boys bath::

Here is the original floor plan of our house.  There where two middle bedrooms that had a wide hallway between them.  The smaller bedroom had to be passed through in order to get the bathroom.   This section of the house also had very low ceilings, like around 6 1/2 feet tall.  Parts of those drop ceilings were dropping themselves to the floor with damage.  

That wide center hallway got the ceilings raised and vaulted.  It got narrowed to make room for a hall bathroom.    

Green shows the walls that basically stayed in the same location, with green X's showing the parts that got removed.  (Again - I know marker and cell phone pics are not the most professional stuff, but this is for me to remember and the kids to look back on so bare with me.)

In the new floorplan you can see the layout of the hall bath and how they used the basic layout of the old walls to make up the new hallway.

Once the demo was done you could see some amazing old logs and hand cut beams in the walls and ceilings.  Here is some cosmetic damage from an old kitchen fire (in a spot that is different from where the kitchen we removed was).  

They had to cut access panels in the original sub floor and reworked the location of some plumbing and electrical to work around more old beams and logs.  There was no going through that stuff.  

The counters for the boys bath are wonderful.  I fell in love with them the second I saw them and I wish they were in my room instead. 

Here is the sample back with details.  

The beam was covered up on accident by the drywall folks.  We were just going to let it stay covered and love the other few we had exposed, but then we needed the space to fit everything in and it got re-exposed.  The bottom of it got cut out since it is just cosmetic at this point and the cabinet slid into that spot.  

I really wanted the single trough sink with two faucets but the cost was huge.  Lucky for me my builder/designer can up with this inexpensive option.  It has worked perfectly and I love the look.  

The beam shows cut outs at the top from old construction projects.  Poor thing, its had some abuse in its life.  

The cabinet is really solid and might actually hold up to my crazy boys destruction for awhile.  

I got the shelf for above the toilet from a flea market for $25, all made and ready to hang.  

We took some scrap wood and attached two hook for towels.  

Next:

Mirror - lucky the boys don't really care

Toilet paper holder

Organizers for under the sink

::master bedroom::

Here is the original floor plan for our house.  The right side is the side facing the road.  Notice no front door - just a window at the end of a hall.  Five front bedrooms carved up into too many pieces.  You had to walk through one of those bedrooms to get into the bathroom.  Next center region on the house was the kitchen snuggled between two bathrooms, a dining room, and living room with what I think was the "front door" (but on the side of the house).  Behind that was a converted garage with stairs to the basement and a large closet.  The other side in the back was a decent sized laundry room with half bath and a SHOWER in the hall way.  Yes - a shower in the hallway.  Not behind a door, just a curtain.  My crew likes to run around naked, but that might be where they draw the line.  

Here is the final floor plan that is what the house is now.  I'm going have a couple posts chronically what we did to what part of the house and why.  Let me clarify one big point - be had a build/design company do this project.  They worked with us closely, but they are the real brains in this outfit.  They took our dreams and told us yes or no.  The took my requirements (4 bed, three bath, living in the back with a killer view, mudroom, and huge pantry) and made it all fit in the frame of what was already there.  They took the five different ceiling heights and four (or five) different floor levels and made it all cohesive.  They are GENIUSES and I love them.  It is a family run company and over the course of this project they have become my friends, and occasional drinking buddies.  They understand budget, and balancing that with dreams.  

Midwest Remodeling 

This is what the old master bedroom looked like.  It always had tall ceilings and nice sized windows.  It had to reach in closets on each side of a doorway that lead into a TINY bedroom that then lead into a seriously beat up bathroom.  The bathroom got taken out and turned into part of our living room.  The old TINY bedroom got turned into the master bathroom.  The old closets got rearranged into a large (large for me) walk in closet, a hallway, and a his reach in closet.  

The central hall way got turned into a full hall bath.  I've outlined the master suite area in red.  Exterior walls did not change location and the orange walls stayed in the same place.  (Forgive the hand drawn additions, but learning how to do this via computer is something I currently have zero interest in doing.)  

Phase one: for me this means basically getting everything in the right place and then making choices about design.  So here sits my plane old stuff, and from here I will figure out what to do to pimp it out.  

The view out the window.

This little stunner was a present that my Emma felt needed to go on ironic display.  I'm actually getting kinda used to him.  

Door into bathroom.  

Looking into master bath.  

I seriously can't believe this bathroom.  We shared one 3/4 bath between six people for ever.  This much space feel like luxury.  The use of space is perfect for us.  

The glass doors arrive but they where made incorrectly.  They should be installed soon.  

One sink because we are thrilled to only share a sink with each other.  

Big my fancy light fixture?  We ran out of money, but we will add one soon.  

My closet is a major work in progress but I'm thrilled just to have my own space.  

These all the wall towel hooks that have actually already gone up.  

Phase two:

Glass door

Curtains - right now I have a towel taped over the window

Light fixture over sink

Trade chandeliers with the laundry room

Phase three:

Not sure yet - I got big plans elsewhere but I like this bathroom not being over done.  We will see.  

  

::skunks::

After moving in our house we have been smelling a skunk in our barn, near where we all spend the most time.  

So we set a trap and caught him.  

We kindly relocated him a few miles away.  

Next day I see another skunk, walking around like it owns the world.

Being way to close to people and in daylight.  

I made the wrong choice and had Josh shoot it as a "nuisance animal".

Something we have done with raccoons that were eating chickens.  

Well - guess what?  

They had babies!!!  And I am the biggest jerk alive.  

I feel terrible.  

So we very carefully caught them in live traps to rehab them.  

When we transferred them to a larger cage from the traps they squeezed right between the bars.  

Let me say - I have not been letting the children or myself handle them.  

I don't want to tame them because they are wild animals not pets.  

Their are three total, but the wildest one happened to prove to us that she had her skin oil already and got Quinn on the arm while we were trying to get them situated.  

He loved it - I smear that kid in the next Crocodile Hunter.  

I did get to just quickly hold them and can you tell I was a little excited.  They might be the cutest animals alive.  

A terrible picture but we had to go quickly - we let Q touch them just once through the bars of the first cage right before they Squeezed through.  

Right now they are sitting in a dog crate with lots of hay and plenty of food and water.  

We want to get them hooked up with a rehab but can't find one near us.  

My plan right now is to feed and water them till they are old enough to relocated or get them into a rehab.  

Side note - these guys are not pets and we are not planning on keeping them.  But since we made them orphans I am going to do everything I can to help them be successful adults.  If I can just keep Q from trying to snuggle them all day every day.  

::rose::

We got a new puppy..

Her name is Rose Marianne and she is a giant.  

Gus started off just barley tolerating her.  

Here she is in one of her early pictures compared with a few weeks later.  

She is a snuggle bug

I never saw a dog that loved the kids so much.  

Even Gus has fallen in love.  

::curb appeal::

Our house when we bought it in November 2016.

Very first day on demo in April 2017.

Getting back the front door that was framed in under the walls from when it used to be a front door  

I KNEW it wanted its front door back.  

No front porch yet and the metal barn roof is still in place, but the brick is finally gone and its starting to shape up. 

The new roof went on and the little porch started to be shaped.  BUT the siding was the finishing touch.  I was so nervous about the siding, but I love it.  The look is right on, but the fact that this house does not have one single surface that is plumb or flush - it needed something different that traditional siding.  

Then the finishing touches started to go on the porch and I fell in love.  

Almost done!  Done enough to live in for sure!

Here it is right now.  Such a cute little place.  

To Do This Year:

Finish the siding

Define, mat, and mulch landscape beds

The door color is awesome BUT I just need it to be more orange - paint the doors orange 

     You can see our other color choices hanging out on the porch.  We will find the right one.  

Door kocker

Large front flower planters

Next Year:

Front flower boxes

Two rocking chairs