Phase 1, more or less COMPLETED

so, our remodel (phase 1) is complete.  well, there are some odds and ends that i REALLY hope different people get back to finish up....but for the most part it is done!  it was slightly expensive, but well worth it; almost 2x the amount we had planned/bid because of things we added and unexpected issues (friends who have remodeled in the ward warned us:).  i have sold and undersold (oops!) almost all of our furniture on craig's list.  it is crazy!  we do need to get our couch in and then we can work on everything else slowly.  i usually don't do captions, but in this case, we are going for a picture story.  i will take pictures as i get things decorated and acquired...maybe, if i have time.  onto saving a lot more money for phase 2.  remodeling is nuts.  if you ever want to do it, talk to us, so you know a little bit about what to expect.  i might have to move out for awhile if we get to the kitchen!

cutting in new stairs.  a frost-free line was exposed that hasn't worked for years!  we now have water up front but that was a hefty plumbers bill that wasn't planned:)

a masonry guy ended up being here to help the contractor.  we hired him to clean and fix our mantle/fireplace.  it looks awesome now.  it just needs new doors and it will be much more efficient.  gotta get that money saved this summer!

the rock formica is exposed again!

a nice archway opening into the big room downstairs. see how nice the fireplace looks now?  we wanted wider stairs but ran into duct work and the floor joists running the opposite way right where they turn.  oh well!  better get all our big furniture down the other stairs before they're gone.  we also ended up carpeting the whole downstairs to make it look better.  i do want to paint the lower green strip this summer though!

working away.  there were people in and out of here ALL the time!

we also ended up needing to gutter the other side of the house so that the basement wouldn't flood after putting in the new window wells.  and we had to have drains put in under each chain. 

shera supervises the window wells.  we were naive to think this process wouldn't demolish our lawn.  still working on growing new grass and all that. 

the boys liked to help.  we had ron striebel out for finish work.  it looks great!

batman helps out with hauling all the drain rock

a cement cutter had to be hired to cut the windows out of the foundation.  one came out relatively easy.  the other, grandpa got a little carried away and dirt formed the cement, so it was super thick and took a super lot of work to get cut out.  it took the biggest saw they have (also unforseen $:)

dry wall wasn't drying very well.  ben took matters into his own hands.  glad we all woke up in the morning!

the painters did a good job! i like this turquoise and the grey i picked out the best.

a new linen/storage closet in the hallway

the guest bedroom is complete!  we now have new doors and new hardware that look just like the old.  they talked me into it. 

the 'doghouse' in the boys' room. this houses all the toys.  later, dirty uniforms and ?? :) it is cute for now though!

the stairs and trimwork.  initially, the contractor wanted to just 'wrap' the carpet around the existing floor.  i'm glad we paid extra to have it look nice!

one of the last things completed.  this funky railing.  it was custom made from a picture i saw on pinterest.  turned out great!

more pictures to come of the finished space.  this doesn't do it justice. i found some fun, vintage light fixtures on etsy and at a second hand place for the bedrooms and hall.  found some vintage looking accent chairs in boise that are actually new in pistachio to replace upstairs.  ben is hopefully bringing over the orange couch that we hauled out a couple of years ago (sorry, i changed my mind).  it took 4 guys and a loader to get it up into the conference room.  i'm so glad we saved it and it's coming back!  we hired eldon and lisa to make some new beds for the boys and the plaid furniture was bought by one of our employees.  i will work on that... i did find a fun credenza/dresser that is vintage for under the tv.  mostly, we (i) am so happy to have gotten rid of so much junk and to get more organized.  that is a relief!  i think that was the hardest part.  all the stuff everywhere without a home (we demolished our storage room).  less is more!!!