Some Before and "After"

Obviously, these aren't really "after" photos; they're more like before and "during" photos. We've got a long way to go, but we wanted to give you an idea of what's changing around here. Though it feels slow as molasses sometimes, we're excited about the overall progress of the house. The photos below are of some of our favorite changes so far...

The two upstairs bedrooms were carpeted with fairly dark colors that really absorbed what little sunlight was available. Once we pulled the carpet out and exposed the subfloor, even the bedroom on the north side of the house felt brighter and more spacious. Whatever flooring we choose will be light in color to maintain this brightness.

The closet you can see in these photos has been removed and opened into the bathroom. This will make room for a larger bathroom that will accommodate multiple users at one time--separate spaces for the toilet, shower, and sink. We plan to make up for the lost closet with shelves and built-in storage space in the bedroom areas.

What was under that dark turquoise carpet? Solid oak treads! Yay! That means we can sand and polish them up, and have pretty oak stairs without too much work. I guess it was just the norm to cover harwood stairs with carpets and rugs. The bright side is that the stairs and floors have been protected and will look so nice and new when finished.

We racked our brains for a way to change the odd stairs, but it's just not going to happen. But, we did take the drywall out and exposed the brick of the chimney, and gained about 10 inches of space on the stairwell, which really makes it feel more open. The brick work is pretty sloppy (they knew it would be covered by drywall), so I think we're going to end up plastering the chimney, but the textural difference and the unifying effect of the chimney spanning two floors will make the stairway feel inviting and open rather than narrow and closed off. Though you can't see it here, we also took out the ceiling above the stairs. The space will now go all the way to the roof, and we hope to put in a light tube to get some natural light coming into the space.

We're probably most excited about the changes to the main room of the house. What was once a dining room and living room divided by a wall is now one big, open room with posts and a beam running down the middle. It's hard to tell from the photos, but this change really brightens up the room, as it allows light from the south and east windows into the whole room. It also really makes this a versatile space. A dining hall, a conference room, and cocktail lounge, a dance floor, a cozy conversation spot...we're really only limited by our imaginations! And once the room opens onto the deck, the possibilities are endless!

 Finally, here's a little peek at the new door. This change lets people enter into the main room, taking in the whole room, the fireplace, and the view from the far window (someday to be French doors that open onto the deck!). It also allows us to put in a powder room where the old entry way was. Originally, the only bathroom on the main floor was the master bath, so this change affords more privacy for the Flessners and more comfort for guests. More photos to come!