After studying all your strategies and enter, and speaking with Matt in regards to the professionals and cons of ready vs. not ready on the addition, we’ve determined to place the wheels in movement proper initially of 2023.
A number of you introduced up some actually good factors. First, contractors are by no means going to be out there instantly once we determine we’re prepared to maneuver ahead. We could possibly be on a ready checklist for six months or longer. They might not even be capable to begin till June and even later within the 12 months.
And in addition, as so lots of you identified, simply because the addition is constructed and prepared for me so as to add the ending touches, that doesn’t imply that I’m obligated to start out on it ASAP. If I’m not prepared, I can wait till I’m prepared.
However a good friend of mine additionally introduced up an excellent level. As she was leaving our home the opposite day, she stated, “Kristi, why do you park the van in entrance of your studio when you must drive round to the again to place Matt within the van?” I defined that when it rains (and it had poured down rain that very morning), the aspect of the home will get actually muddy to the purpose that I’ve gotten my automobile caught within the mud over there on a couple of events. So if it rains actually onerous, Matt is caught at dwelling as a result of I’ve no approach to drive to the again since we have now no driveway but.
She stated, “Nicely, that alone looks as if a very good cause to get the addition, after which the driveway, finished ASAP.” She was proper. I hadn’t thought of that.
And one remaining level that so lots of you introduced up that stood out to me is that it’s extremely unlikely that the price of constructing provides goes to go down. And actually, the chances are the costs will go up. So it makes little sense to attend.
With all of that stated, I’m very excited to get the ball rolling initially of the 12 months. I do should handle my expectations, as a result of now that I’m in “ASAP mode“, I would like it finished NOW! 😀 However greater than possible, this shall be a really slow-rolling ball. We’ll make preparations, after which should do an entire lot of ready — ready for our flip with the contractor, ready for plans to be drawn up and submitted to town, ready for permits, ready for constructing provides, ready, ready, ready.
So even with our new plan of getting this ball rolling ASAP, I nonetheless don’t count on to have the contractor portion of the addition finished till the tip of 2023 and even the start of 2024. Then I can take over and do my half till every room is completed. So in my thoughts, we’re nonetheless taking a look at not having the total addition completed till mid- to late-2024.
Anyway, that’s the plan. So naturally, I’m excited, and I’ve been trying over the ground plan that I got here up with to make sure that it’s precisely what I would like, and that I don’t need to make any important modifications earlier than passing them off to a contractor.
The one query that also stays in my thoughts is that this wall within the kitchen. I’ve introduced this up in a earlier weblog submit (in 2018, I imagine), however I’m nonetheless undecided about whether or not or not I need a cased opening into the brand new household room on this wall.
As issues stand on the ground plan I’ve drawn up, the one entrance into the household room could be by way of the music room doorways. The music room is true subsequent to the kitchen, as you may see by way of the cased opening on the precise within the image beneath.
Right here’s what the ground plan seems to be like if I preserve the kitchen as is. The addition will embrace the main bedroom, walk-in closet, laundry room, and household room.
However I’m nonetheless questioning if I need to put that cased opening on that again wall of the kitchen. Right here’s how it will look on the ground plan.
I do know that the quick response might be going to be, “However you’ll lose a lot storage!”
I actually wouldn’t, although.
Should you had been round again after I did the kitchen rework, you would possibly do not forget that I used inventory higher cupboards for the decrease cupboards. Again then, I had by no means constructed cupboards earlier than, and I wasn’t assured sufficient to attempt to construct the cupboards for the kitchen. So I used to be caught making an attempt to make it work with the inventory cupboards that had been out there.
To make higher wall cupboards work as base cupboards, and never have them look skimpy and disproportionate in a kitchen, I not solely constructed a base to set them on, however I additionally set them away from the wall fairly a bit.
So whereas these completed cupboards might seem like a normal depth kitchen cupboard (or near it), the within of these cupboards is barely 12 inches deep.
On high of that, eight of the cupboards are solely 12 inches extensive. That was a design mistake I’ll by no means make once more, as a result of 12-inch-wide cupboards are too small to be helpful for many issues. Dinner plates received’t even slot in these cupboards. I’m not even joking or exaggerating.
So whereas I completely love the look of this wall, I don’t just like the operate of those cupboards in any respect. I’ve realized to stay with them, and I’m so grateful that I’ve the massive pantry to retailer overflow kitchen objects in. However in hindsight, I want I had made some drastically totally different design selections for this wall.
Placing a cased opening on that wall would give me the chance to redo the storage and proper my errors from eight years in the past. I did a really fast (and never so nice) mock up of what I’m considering. I’d have two tall storage cupboards flanking the cased opening into the household room. (And no, our household room would look nothing like that. 😀 )
Any such storage, which might be deeper and have pull-out cabinets, could be far more sensible than the eight 12″ x 12″ cupboards that I’ve now that may’t even maintain a dinner plate.
The drawbacks? Nicely, these embrace (1) having my now-finished kitchen below building…once more, (2) shedding what I feel is the prettiest wall of my kitchen (and that I actually have realized to stay with), (3) arranging furnishings within the household room with a further doorway (the extra doorways right into a room, the tougher furnishings association turns into) and (3) opening up the road of sight from the road straight by way of the lounge, by way of the kitchen, and into the household room.
That final one is the most important difficulty for me. I actually like the thought of the household room being tucked away in the back of the home and never seen from the road, particularly if we’re in there at night time. (Sure, I understand I might shut my entrance front room shades 😀 , however I by no means do, and I in all probability received’t begin now.) But in addition, now that we’re having individuals in our dwelling extra usually, the thought of opening up that wall appears extra sensible and crowd-friendly.
I’m nonetheless undecided and weighting the professionals and cons of every design. That is the final large choice I must make earlier than passing off the design to a contractor.
Addicted 2 Adorning is the place I share my DIY and adorning journey as I rework and adorn the 1948 fixer higher that my husband, Matt, and I purchased in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do bodily work, so I do the vast majority of the work on the home on my own. You can learn more about me here.
I hope you’ll be part of me on my DIY and adorning journey! If you wish to comply with my initiatives and progress, you may subscribe beneath and have every new submit delivered to your e-mail inbox. That approach you’ll by no means miss a factor!
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