So, I wanted to share my porch remodel with you.  Back in 2012 when we were discussing remodeling the porch and adding an outdoor kitchen area, I threw in that I would rather spend the money on the kitchen, since that it where we spend the majority of our time.  My husband agreed and we worked up a budget to do both.  Well..... the kitchen budget quickly overtook the porch budget and we decided to just scrap the porch remodel altogether.  In the middle of the kitchen remodel, we got hit with a major hail storm.  Still, since we decided to upgrade the windows and siding, we would not be doing any porch remodel any time soon. It wasn't until we removed the vinyl siding, that we discovered water had accumulated under the existing porch roof and basically rotted the headers. 

Our contractor wouldn't move forward without replacing the headers and some adjoining framing.  Well, if you give a mouse a cookie, he is going to want some milk to go with it, RIGHT? :)

Down came the porch roof.


Out came the brick border that was built on sand.

A new roof was constructed and installed.  This time adding about 10 feet to the width.

 And we have cabinets!!!

New and better drawings are more "to scale" than my last sketches.  This is what the carpenter went by as he made every cabinet on site.... for six weeks.  

 Lowered cabinets and yes, we have cardboard on the island.  Remember, we are living here!!

Extra moulding looking fabulous! 

Extra moulding on the rest of the upper cabinets!  Here you can see on the brick floor what was the "old" kitchen.  Darker brick is the sealed brick from old kitchen.  We gained so much space.  I love having 5 feet between the sink and my island.  All of my boys are constantly in this space, so we aren't stepping on each other anymore.

Again, the old island is shown on the brick floor.  We ended up cutting one brick worth of wood floor and adding about a foot more of flooring in that direction.  

Notice the "feet" on the toe kicks?  Each had to be hand scribed to fit against the brick floor.  I drew the little design and my awesome carpenter hand made over 20 of these little feet for me.

And the primer is going on!! 

Family room before:

If I would have known we were about to get hit by tennis ball size hail, I would have saved the expense of painting all of those windows!!  The paper wasn't even off the glass when we got hit by the storm.  

Next time, I will reveal the completed kitchen!!  I can't wait to show you!  Then, the laundry room is next!!  Wait until you see it!  

I'd love to hear from you and answer any questions you might have.  Make sure you "follow me" so you don't miss out on the big reveal!!

xo, Emily

Welcome back! 

I'm so excited to share with you more of our kitchen remodel.  

Today, I am moving to the interior.  We lived in this home for 7 years prior to remodeling the kitchen.  I thought I had a sense of what I was going for, then I actually started designing and it surprised me how my aesthetic was refined during my own home renovation.

These drawings were something I sketched one evening when I couldn't sleep:

My helper tearing out the existing stem wall.  The pipes coming up from the floor were removed and sealed, as they were previously tied onto before the new foundation was poured.

Highlight of the year! 

One day, I woke up and said, "Move it."  So back to the lumbar store to rent a jackhammer.  See the blue tape on the floor?  That is how I figured out my new island.  I literally had to bring in barstools and place them to see how my space would work.  It was important to be able to walk behind someone sitting at the island.  That was our whole purpose in the remodeling our kitchen.  We needed to be able to cram a bunch of people in here! 

 For future reference, tile is impossible to remove without damaging the sheetrock.  OH MY WORD!  Ended up having to remove the entire wall of sheetrock. 

Old downdraft vent is sealed off and new heat/air pipe is moved two feet.  We loved putting verses and our children's handprints into the flooring before it was bricked.  The lighter color brick is unsealed existing brick.  Once sealed, it will all be uniform in color.

Brick floor is installed.  I took a sample of our "used" brick floor to the brick store.  It was, of course, nearly impossible to match because it was an odd size, often found in pre1920 brick.  We found one stack of bricks off a hundred year old church out of Ada, Oklahoma.  The brick mason mixed the church bricks with bricks out of our flower beds (that were leftover from the house) for a seamless look.

Insulation is complete after living through below freezing temps for over three weeks!  Notice the extra handles on the window?  Those were a manufacturer mistake and the window had to be replaced, but we had to wait another 6 weeks to have it made.

Thanks for visiting!  Let me know you were here by leaving a comment.  I'd love to hear your thoughts!

xo, Emily

I started this particular post last year, but life happened and I put the blog on the back burner.  I'm so happy to be back and I can't wait to share my adventures with you now!
One year ago today, Valentine's day 2013, my kitchen, exterior wall, and roofline were demolished.  We were finally starting our kitchen remodel, seven years after saving and living!!  I have helped clients build their dream homes and now it was time to turn my dream home into a livable, workable, comfortable spot for my family.

Remodeling is much like childbirth; painful but rewarding.
Read, enjoy, and stay tuned for more.

Valentine's Day 2013
It's time.  

The family is complete.  

The boys are getting bigger and eating like crazy. 

My husband is honing his culinary obsession.

We have outgrown our kitchen.  

All six of us are in there ALL THE TIME.

If someone isn't able to reach the guacamole fast enough... while it is being made, attitudes flair.  

I'll admit, I never cared for the kitchen.  It was something I could live with.

Busy Granite gives me a headache.  Dark woodwork sends me into depression.

But the LOT!  The fabulous LOT.

1.3 acres right next to the neighborhood pond, backing up to a wooded greenbelt.  It feels like 10 acres.

The long driveway for the children to ride their bikes on.  

A gated neighborhood not far from the city, with a small, independent public school.

Our kitchen was built for an older, retired couple that didn't care for cooking.
Here are the before shots:

This window overlooks the pool.  There was a large tree blocking the visibility of the pool.  The dishwasher was new and has a temporary door.  All the cabinets were dropped down... just far enough to catch dust.  The distance from the island to the sink is 3 feet.  The protruding ovens completely blocked my view of the other window.  Do you see the little transitional piece from the wood floor to the brick?  Want to know how many babies tripped on it?  I kept all of the LB Brass pewter hardware, JennAir stoves, Kitchenaid Microwave, and SubZero fridge/freezer.  That saved me a small fortune!

 This wall backs to the dining room.  It was NEVER this clean!  I don't think I sat at the desk once.  This counter was really a cluttery catch all.  Notice the trip transition piece on the floor again.


This sink LOOKS like a great idea... if the disposal would have been in the other side.  Total mess trying to rinse dishes down that sink.  I loved the fixtures.  I saved these to reuse in my laundry room.

The previous owner stored all of her crystal here.  Perfect spot for FOUR little boys. :)  This was a total waste of space for us.... as you can see by the clutter collected there.