Kitchen and living room construction

So it begins.

We moved into our home in the fall of 2001. We looked and looked all over Clintonville (I had lived there for years), Beechwold, Grandview (hubby lived there for years), Worthington, and even the Dublin area for a suitable abode. Suitable meaning a decent house that fit into our price range and could be inhabited without having to do immediate repair work. We had a realtor, but hubby was the one who found the home where we currently live. I loved it immediately. The big trees out front, the clean look. When I saw the inside I loved it too - hardwood flooring in the bedrooms, bright kitchen in front room, and lower living space with a laundry room that wasn't in a deep dark basement that would eventually scare me, and a private bathroom in the master bedroom (barely big enough to turn around in, but I am not a jacuzzi type, anyhow). It was great.

We even got a great deal on the house. Mainly because the owner lived in Colorado and was renting out the home to Honda employees for years. He wanted to get rid of the property so he didn't have to keep coming back to Ohio to do repair work...which was shotty, as we have been finding out over the years.

The house was soooo obviously built in the early seventies. The lower level had a bar with fake wood beams surrounding it for ambiance, paneling painted white that covered the walls, parqued flooring that was full of asbestos, and a bathroom decorated with gold wall paper. That was the first to go as far as we were concerned. We totally gutted it and replaced everything but the ceiling. The next was the deck. We had water flooding the basement, coming into the walls of the downstairs bathroom, and pooling right outside the back door. It had to be taken care of. We tore out the concrete patio and built our deck. Then we knew we wanted kids and I got pregnant with P. She needed a decent room, so we did her nursery. Then along came bubbies, so we did his nursery. Next was the laundry room - it was dank, dark, and disgusting. You can see my update from a previous post here. All along we were wishing we could do the kitchen!

Well, we finally have the money and have decided to redo the kitchen. Not only redo the whole kitchen, but take out the wall between the living room and the kitchen to open up the whole space. Everything must go. We are getting new cabinets, an island, hardwood flooring, new windows, new slider, all new appliances, new kitchen table, and a more liveable space. I feel better when a space flows, and right now it doesn't. When you walk in, the only way to the kitchen is around a big wall, and then while in the kitchen the long counter creates a barrier between getting to the fridge and getting outside. I can't wait to demolish it all!!!!!

Where we are now is....we have the new windows in and the cabinets were delivered yesterday. Today hubby is picking up the flooring and then tomorrow a couple of friends and hubby will be taking up the tile. good- bye awful white tile, may you RIP.