..........Every new house we look at is open all over the place, and it seems to be so popular it is the only option in new housing. But I like some danged walls! I like to listen to music in the kitchen, and can't stand hearing TV all the time. Plus I just like a cozy kitchen with it's own character. And I like to be able to hang a bulletin board up somewhere for heaven's sake (Right Binny?)
So we are adding a wall with pocket doors and built-in speakers. My DH does most of the work and I do all of the design and ordering and occasional drywall holding. Here it is so far...
(View from family room before we moved in...
Wall so far doors open....
and closed (glass is still plastic covered)
View from kitchen before....
and with wall doors open...
doors closed...
So what do you think? Am I the only one out there who like these things called walls? Am I the only one who does not necessarily enjoy every waking moment in the company of everyone in the family? I know the feel is nice when you walk into an open space, but living in it is something else. Plus it's nice to have different rooms, each with it's own feel and character. I like change from room to room.
Now I am trying to choose a wall color for the kitchen. I am thinking of going bold and spicy this time, and choosing a rusty red. My last kitchen was blue and white, so this is a real change for me.
Next time I will rant about the super tall ceilings in the family room and being forced to hire painters for the first time ever and windows up there to figure out. Don't worry, we won't put in a lower ceiling.
And, we were having our deck repaired/stained at the same time. 
Yesterday I went to Home Depot to order a new front entry door. I was told that my door was too tall - that doors on more recently built houses are shorter. They would have to make the door frame shorter to fit the size of the doors that are made now - which would cost about $250 on top of the $360+ for labor, and this all before the actual cost of the door, fittings, lock, knob etc . . . And the top of the frame inside the living room would be unfinished, because the installers will not do any finishing work. So then I would have to do the finishing myself, or hire someone else to do it
I decided to pass on the door, and insted just get new insulation around it. Also, since I now had "extra" money, I got a new entry door for the kitchen. The top half of it has decorative, frosted glass.
Even though I am a bit disappointed about the front entry door, at least I'm getting a new "fancy" kitchen door!
I'm glad I found this thread today! Now I have to go back see everything I've missed!
That's if there is any money left now to do it!
Never heard of Blue Star before so I'm going to go check that out. Thanks!I haven't done a darn thing to prepare. And so far all I have been able to scrounge up is one box.I thought I had more time, they told us they wouldn't be starting until closer to the end of the month.
I should be happy it's starting earlier but I am not prepared.
He is always so neat and organized.
Update, especially for Arewethereyet who encouraged me to go for it.
After shuffling through and taping up on the wall about 6000 different red paint chips, I finally picked a Bejamin Moore called "Rosy Apple" and we are done. New island light too. I am so happy I went bold. The kitchen just feels so warm and welcoming to me now. We may not be able to go for things like granite countertops right now, but we can do color.
We also just put in a patio outside the patio door and I ordered a rusty red patio umbrella for the table, to bring the in and out together. (I have never before used patio 3 times in one sentence.) It's nice when your new house begins to really become your home.
Please keep posting pictures everyone. It's so helpful to see what people have done.
It looks wonderful! I'm really surprised at how much it changed the look of the room. Great!!!
I would look around at a few door suppliers & see if they might actually have the correct size doors out there. I wouldn't be too sure that you received the right info from Home Depot on that. Just because they don't carry it, might not mean it's not available. Hope you can find it.
Oh wow, I am so jealous!!! It sounds great. I'm going to start looking into stoves & stovetops. I have a stove top now with the big pot drawers underneath. I'm not sure if I can actually get what I want from a stove in a cooktop. Which if I can't is going to mean more kitchen remodeling!
Well I had the day off today. Did I start cleaning out anything?
Gosh what a difference that color made!!
Wow. That's a drag for you and DH. Hope that turns around soon!!!!
More lights went up today:
And we started cleaning up the new hardwood:
Update, especially for Arewethereyet who encouraged me to go for it.
After shuffling through and taping up on the wall about 6000 different red paint chips, I finally picked a Bejamin Moore called "Rosy Apple" and we are done. New island light too. I am so happy I went bold. The kitchen just feels so warm and welcoming to me now. We may not be able to go for things like granite countertops right now, but we can do color.
We also just put in a patio outside the patio door and I ordered a rusty red patio umbrella for the table, to bring the in and out together. (I have never before used patio 3 times in one sentence.) It's nice when your new house begins to really become your home.
Please keep posting pictures everyone. It's so helpful to see what people have done.
I would look around at a few door suppliers & see if they might actually have the correct size doors out there. I wouldn't be too sure that you received the right info from Home Depot on that. Just because they don't carry it, might not mean it's not available. Hope you can find it.
Gosh what a difference that color made!!
Thanks Shovan! It amazes me too what color can do. I feel happier in the kitchen and am cooking more. Also thinking more often of spaghetti.
Yes, Arewethereyet, you can relax on this one. I was mostly afraid of getting the wrong red (too "fire enginey", or too dark, or too orangey; so many ways to wrong with red...) I decided many times against any kind of red and your input really helped in those moments. No backfiring here.
We had thought about replacing our tile floor because we weren't thrilled with it, but now with the coloring of the cherry cabinets, they are looking much nicer. I'm glad we decided to hold off on that.
I'd be afraid to have floor to ceiling windows with my hell hounds. Not only because of the "nose art" but because Peabody would probably hurt himself trying to get at the squirrels
I've gotten quite used to fire engine red around these parts!
But yes, I think that would have been a bit much inside a house. The color you chose is a very soothing red. I like it better than my dining room.
We arrived back home Saturday evening and Sunday morning... BAM!... bright sunlight woke me up for the first time in over nine days. I think I turned into a vampire while I was gone, because it sure was unpleasant. I know Country Curtains carries blackout curtains. I've gotta get me some.
AND - tada! DH actually brought up the bathroom remodel last night! He told me that he knows I think that he's not interested in doing it, but he promised me that he hasn't forgotten about it!
Before Orlando, we stayed a few nights in Destin, and I was checking out this cool travertine that was in my shower - that turned out to be ceramic. I took pics of it, so I'm going to try to duplicate that look and save some money. I've got to get that budget down to below $10k.
Well all my old stuff is gone (cabinets, countertops, sink, plumbing, etc.) and my new cabinets have started going up. This guy is FAST! Our water line to the refrigerator broke when he pulled out the refrigerator, but so far that is the only trauma. Of course my house is a complete mess with everything moved around and a bunch of cabinets sitting between my family and dining room areas. I took before pictures, and I was supposed to take some more this morning but I forgot.
We had thought about replacing our tile floor because we weren't thrilled with it, but now with the coloring of the cherry cabinets, they are looking much nicer. I'm glad we decided to hold off on that.
elizke, wow! that color really makes the room pop. It's gorgeous.
Galahad, the dogs fit in with the room perfectly. Did you design around them?
Yesterday DH and I officially started this summer's phase of our endless yard project. When we bought the house 4yrs ago, it was in complete disarray from no one doing any yard work aside from mowing for years. We put in a fence, DH built a retainer wall, and we added landscaping, a deck, tore the sod up in the front and replanted grass. I am going to sand off the rust from the iron fence next, repaint it, and DH has to completely repair the roof and upper portion of our detached garage.
Fortunately most of the major work (in other words expensive) has been done.
