Thursday, October 27, 2016

A View Into DIY

The pass-thru from the dining area to the kitchen with the header that needed to come out.
From the moment my mother bought this place, she and I thought it would look so much better if the upper part of the wall between the dining room and kitchen were removed.

Every idea we had was going to cost time (mostly my brother's), and money (mostly my mother's), but since she was already painting and tiling and getting new cabinets - Ed and I ripped out the old ones, seen in the photos above and below - wouldn't this be the perfect time to take out a wall?
Old kitchen cabinets with teeny tiny window pass-thru into dining and living area.
I'm glad we agree.

I thought it would be a piece of cake, it was likely only two-by-fours and drywall.  How hard could it be to get that out?  I'd do it myself.  And Ed would help if I needed a brawny hand.

Like every HGTV show touting the ease of DIY, I had no problem taking the drywall off.  That was the fun part.  But then I was confronted not with a two-by-four frame as I had imagined, but a big beam made up of one-by-fours anchored by a two-by-four, in what looked like some sort of support beam.  "Load-bearing", a term I hear all the time on TV, is what came to mind.  Oh, shit.


That's when I stopped my demolition, took pictures, and called my brother.  I was in over my head.

Our idea just created more work for my brother.

Michael removing the large beam that stalled my progress.
The next day he showed up with his tool bag and Sawzall and was ready to tackle the rest of the job. Made a bit more difficult because the new cabinets were already in, Michael worked around everything to pull out the wall.  Ed helped.  My mother and I watched - although I did make a run to Home Depot for the last minute decision to install recessed lighting.
Ed and Michael working on the window opening.
Ultimately, the opening looks a million times better, creating more of an "open concept" (HGTV buzzword) feeling than what was there before.  It allows a lot more light into the kitchen and when standing in the kitchen you don't feel boxed in.  You can see all the way across the room.

All that needs to make it complete now are a few more pieces of drywall, which my brother's drywall contractor will take care of.  I think it was definitely worth the few hours it took to change.

Next on the list is taking out the tub to put in a shower stall.  That one is completely out of my hands. Even after watching a few YouTube videos, I fully acknowledge that task might be a little bit above my skill level.



~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2015: 
Thirty Minutes To The Ultimate Comfort Dessert
2014: Sweeping Views
2013: Some Mothers Find Time To REALLY Play With Their Kids
2012: Even At 9,000 Feet Above Sea Level, He's Still A Handsome Devil!
2011: Perfecting The Paillard

2010: This Beautiful Place
2009: If I Had A Horn, I’d Toot It. I Do Have A Blog Though.
2008: We Are THAT Good
2007: Desperate Times Call For Desperate Measures
2006: Alabama’s Greatest Showplace
2005: Half Nekkid Thursday Virgin

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