Opening Up Rooms

I've been working away at creating a much wider doorway between my living and dining rooms.  It's been an odyssey - but then every construction project I take on seems to go that way!!  

It turns out that I was quite right about the wall being load-bearing so I'm happy I overcompensated with the size of the lintel above the new doorway.  The amount of light and the better airflow means that there is some energy savings from this project as well as aesthetics.   The rooms both feel more spacious, I don't need to turn on more than one light at night and the heating/cooling systems work more efficiently with the air being able to circulate more easily.  Win-win-win!

This is how the doorway looked when I began this project

Dining Room Doorway Quick Update

The saga of my "quick and easy" project continues... I figured I could knock off this wider opening into my dining room without too much effort but I was sadly mistaken. This project has become a MONSTER!

It began so simply.  Knock a few studs out, frame the new opening, add supports in the crawlspace, trim out the new opening and add a floor transition piece.  Yeah, that grew when I was completely unable to remove the original baseboards unless I removed the (crappy) laminate flooring in the living and dining rooms.  I had planned to do that eventually but wasn't quite ready to do it now.

Letting Light Flow Through

I've been talking about doing this almost since the day I moved into this house but the time has now arrived!  It's finally time to allow a lot more light to flow through!! If you've been following for any length of time, you'll know that at the beginning of each blog year I would post about what I wanted to accomplish that year.  This project was brought up several times but never worked on.  Maybe this photo will tweak some memories?

Opening up a Kitchen

Welcome to my tiny kitchen!  My dark and tiny kitchen...

I'm considering yet another renovation in here because I just can seem to get happy with the way it is (or has been).

I really want to open up the space and allow more light and air to circulate.  My living room is also pretty dark with its lonely, tiny window.



Hmmm.  What to do??

4 Outdoor Projects You Can Build in an Afternoon

Four Easy Outdoor Projects You Can Build in an Afternoon

Spring is in the air! It makes you want to dance, doesn't it?? Here are four inexpensive and easy do-it-yourself projects for the spring and summer garden. 

Clean up the yard AND make it prettier at the same time - how perfect is that?!  

How to Create a Spa Bathroom

A spa bathroom is a space that makes you feel good the moment you step in. It's an environment where you can shrug off the cares of the world, relax completely and rejuvenate yourself.

Best of all, you don't have to spend a small fortune to create that space.

Here's how to do it.

4 Tips for Organizing Your Front Entry

4 Tips for Organizing a Tiny Front Entry
With my small house I'm always looking to incorporate more storage and to organize things better.  
My front entry has no closet and neither does my mudroom.  Here are some of the ways I organized those spaces and maximized the storage potential.