The Addition!!!

So, this has been a quite a process. Not quite as long of a process as the new addition to our family...but still a process. In December, Scott started talking about the possibility of adding a garage and dining room onto our home. Massachusetts winters just make you want to think about adding on a garage. We considered finding a new house, but love so many things about our current house, that we started to explore the option of an addition. Or realtor recommended a contractor, who we worked with and came up with a plan. Our contractor has been so wonderful and it has made this whole experience so much better and less stressful than it might have been.

We rethought and reworked our original idea many times after talking to lots of friends and family. (Big thank yous to everyone!!!) They all gave great ideas that came together to make our final plan. Then after certified plot plans, architectural drawings, permits, etc, the work could finally begin!!

They started at the very very end of April. Chimney torn down and siding working on getting removed.

Not too many days later, we had a giant hole in our yard!

Then they poured the footings and cement walls.

The siding on the front of the house was very old, and couldn't be matched exactly. But the siding on the back of the house had been replaced and we matched that. So we ended up residing the front of the house to match the addition.

These kids love our huge dirt pile!

Here is the garage prepped for pouring the floor

We had a bit of a tile mishap in the kitchen. We decided to move some cabinets, and take out most of a wall in the kitchen and add an island. In the process, we found that the floor under the cabinets had not been tiled. We had 9 extra of the original tile and needed 12. I went on a wild goose hunt. We contacted the previous home owner and found out where he had bought the tile. The tile had been 7 years discontinued, but we contacted suppliers of the imported brand and one man tracked down one box of this tile in some warehouse somewhere. It was a different dye lot, so you can tell the different tiles, but it was the same line, and unless you're looking, it isn't super noticeable. All in all pretty amazing that we were able to make it work! 

Lumber delivery!

And it's starting to go up!

Here's a picture of our contractor, Jerry. He has done a phenomenal job.

James looking out the back window!

Lucy on the stairs

And Alan peeking out the front!

Preparing for siding

Here's a look of the framing from the inside.

Here is the tile mishap area.

Dad was in charge of the activity for Family Home Evening on the night before the wall was going to come down in the kitchen. He chose this as the activity. It may have been our most popular FHE activity ever. :)

And here it is after demo day! They knocked out the wall between kitchen and living room/new dining room here as well as cut the opening from the kitchen into the mudroom on the opposite wall. Of course, we had company here on the day the wall came down. Then, down the road, they opened up the entry from the dining room into the new family room. It was so funny that the two times they ended up taking out walls were when people were staying here. What are the chances? Oh well. Our company was very forgiving. :)

It was a supporting wall so we kept a post and they put up this beam

Lucy showing off the granite install and new island.

It's starting to look like a house!

The view from the side and back.

Insulation

Board and plaster

Trying out Swedish pancakes on the new island

And in goes the hardwood

Working on painting and doors

And here's the tile in the mudroom

The contractor was racing the baby. And it turned out to be a pretty close race! Despite the fact that the baby was a little late, the contractor still lost. But it's pretty well done now, or so I hear. A few final touches to put up in the next couple of days. And the A/C unit and hopefully driveway will go in next week. When it is all said and done, we'll post some final pictures, but I wanted to get up a post showing the progress before the baby. It's been a fun, crazy, process and we've learned a lot. But it will be really nice not to have lots of workers around with a newborn. :) We are super excited to start using this addition and the garage in the next little while!