Super Saturday

The whole key to the kitchen redo is the removal of the basement staircase and two walls that encase it. Spousal Unit and I are a pretty good demolition team....not so good "carpenter team". In other words, I don't mind being the worker-bee when I get to sledge hammer into a wall now and then, as opposed to always being told what do get, or hand the "master carpenter" while he does the actual "fun work" when we are constructing. We function much better with me designing and decoratively finishing his work when the general building is complete.

In this BIG project....the design of the kitchen island will have to come after we determine exactly what walls are load-bearing, where the gas and water accessiblity will be, and how much floor space we actually will have after demolition. So, Super Saturday was a big day. I should have had Spousal Unit draw me a clockface, as he had trouble sleeping and started demolition day without me at a very early hour. I arrived at the new house around 8am and he already had most of the first wall -at least the first layer of sheetrock downed. We worked very hard most of the day, and by 2pm had both layers of sheetrock, the interior kitchen wall studs, and header completely out.

We both were unbelievably tired, but we were so excited to be able to see through both walls we kept on working. We filled the large trailer heaping full, had some minor injuries and sore backs, but got through both walls!

And as you can see in the picture, most of the tile floor remained in good shape with no cracks or broken tiles. If we can possibly match the tile, we will not have to totally replace the kitchen floor.....well, at least not at the onset!

This is the view looking from the fireplace wall  in the hearth room into the kitchen. The interior wall to the kitchen was not load bearing! SO....it is gone! The other wall is, and we are consulting our personal architect Little Miss A to know what spans a header will support, or if we will need a post support or two. We believe that we can get gas and water lines to the island from below. Once the "boring" details of construction are determined....my fun in designing the island begins!
We didn't make the church wedding, but we did make the reception in the evening. It was so much fun. Spousal Unit left after dinner and went to bed, but he was refreshed and back up again by the time Ray and I returned home after midnight! I swore my feet could not handle even wearing heels, but somehow we danced the night away!! Always energy to be found for dancing!

Happy Monday!
Spousal Unit could hardly work today, knowing that RG has only one more week before classes resume. He took off early from work, and got RG and two buddies over to haul our trailer load to the dump, and then another. Their muscles and energy levels are much younger than ours! I am ready with lots of sample pictures to demonstrate my ideas for the island as soon as the construction basics are settled. We hope to secure the contractor tonight to begin on the actual staircase move next week. That will be awesome! Honestly, I now am much more ready to now make the final move to the new house. I feel very unsettled and annoy myself not knowing which house to look for something! I am sad to leave the house we have called home for seventeen years, but now much more at peace with the move! One of our new neighbors came by with cookies and that made me feel like this new neighborhood might just be right after all!

Until next time....everyday find something to make you smile!