Our BIG Adventure Begins

July 2014

Our single most important goal for this summer was to finally begin Project Third Bedroom.  When we purchased our home Nathan was 1 1/2 years old and we had just come from living in my parents basement and before that a tiny 1 bedroom apartment in Flagstaff.  So our 2 bedroom 1400 sq/ft house felt huge!  Over the last 6 years our family has grown in number and size and sometimes the walls feel like they are closing in.   

We took the matter into our own hands this summer after several months of planning and picking the brains of every person we know with more construction based experience and knowledge than us.  We also watched a LOT of YouTube videos!

First step, cutting back the carpet to begin putting up the frame for the new wall.  It was fun and scary at the same time.  Once we did it there was no turning back.  In fact Curtis did most of it late one night while I was sleeping.  I woke up one morning to find our living room disheveled, my carpet sliced in two, and a completely installed base plate board.  I new right then I had to sink or swim!  I spent the day trying to make sense of chaos, pack away unnecessary items and move out every piece of furniture that wasn't essential.  It took me a few weeks to slowly clear off our kitchen table, which had become the catch all place for our belongings in transition, while I found new homes for everything not boxed up.

Step two, cut out and remove the drywall and framing in the hall closet area.  This is when the real mess began.  Anything dealing with drywall is a messy business.  Curtis and the boys cut, hacked, sawed and ripped to their hearts content.  We had to gut the hall linen and coat closets to modify it for a bedroom door.  Luckily Curtis designed it in such a way we can still have a linen closet but I had to say goodbye to the coat closet.

We had to keep a really close eye on Bracken and an even closer eye on Marco with the various cutting and power tools we had to keep around.  Marco was obsessed with "Papi's drywall" and on more than one occasion I found him hiding in the "drywall" (that's what he calls the new room) trying to cut the walls with whatever tool or nail clippers/file that he could get his hands on.  Luckily he only created minor damage that was easily covered up and hidden later down the line.  Little stinker!

I thought I'd never see the day when Curtis hauled our trash bin into the house, but we have experienced many firsts with this project.  However, this was NOT repeated again during the process.

When your trash bin lives outside you don't really notice the aroma that naturally lingers around it but when you bring it into your living room the stench is undeniable.  Nathan appointed himself as the official fragrance sprayer and he kept things bearable.

Thankfully Curtis decided that hauling a very heavy trash bin in and out of the house wasn't enjoyable so he kept the trash bin on the front porch and employed the boys in hauling the remodeling waste out the front door.

Life after our first big step into our home remodel hasn't always been easy, in fact for me it has been very challenging.  I don't deal well in choas but I've had to find ways to manage.  I keep telling myself it will all be worth it in the end.  I like things clean and tidy and I have struggled with keeping the dust and debri at bay.  Thankfully we have a great vacuum and shop vac that have been seeing lots of action.  I also have wiping down our kitchen, dining room and living room down to a science.  

Unfortunately, we did not complete this project before school began and Curtis had to return to full time work.  The next steps and progress with be very slow.  

Let the good times roll!