Mud Room Expansion

Back in October when we bought the house we envisioned updates. A great lady named Bev Groth stopped by the house to welcome us and she identified herself as a real estate agent who knew all the houses in the development. I mentioned updates and she volunteered to setup appointments to show us the neighbors house that were the same model as ours and the changes they had made.

So a Saturday (in November) we toured several homes and loved the remodeling they had done. Our imaginations piqued we began to look at what we could in our home. We soon discovered that every wall was weight bearing and we would need help to move them. We had a general contractor come in and price out the changes we wanted. We also had an interior designer give us his input. In January we finally had plans drawn and a bid price. The price to expand mudroom, vault living and dining room ceiling, add a large master bathroom addition, remodel kitchen, update heat and electrical, and the finishing with paint and trim was a whopping $200,000.00.

We quickly decided not to go this route and see what we could do on our own. We decided to tackle the bonus room (a different post) and the mudroom.

We have never had a garage before and after a month realized that the entryway from the garage to the house is the one we would be using exclusively versus the front door which we were accustomed too. So we decided to expanded the mud/laundry room.

I submitted building permits and waited for 2 weeks to get approval. I headed off to Honduras (a different post) the day after approval and the demo had to wait until I returned. On Monday the sheet rock guy came to finish the bonus room for us and I started the mudroom demo. The plan is to remove the closets in the adjoining bedrooms and take out the second entry door into the house. We are moving the blue room closet to where the current guest bathroom shower is, shortening the bathroom by 4 feet. The yellow room closet is on hold until we decide where to place the entrance to the door. The current entrance will become the closet (both entry way closet and bedroom). Waiting on structural designs.

The mudroom was 5x6 and housed a washer and dryer. It was a narrow room that was not welcoming. It had 3 walls of white and one of peach. There were kitchen cabinets hung over the washer/dryer that were also peach. The floor was peel and stick laminate that was scratched and in disrepair. This photo shows the removal of the casement trim. I forgot to take before shots.

Beyond the cabinets there was a little closet that would house mops and brooms. You can see the lines were I removed the closet.

Blue room closet...

is no more...

It use to be a very dark space and with the closet removed it is very bright. Now have to decide if we want to put a high window into the room so we have natural light.

Bonus Room

Above the garage there is a large bonus room that lets in a great deal of light. It is the brightest room in the house. Unfortunately it was ugly and cold. We decided that this was a project that we could tackle ourselves and I loving the demo started to rip it apart. I know you are all surprised that I decided to do this! So off to work Mike goes and I work on removing the siding that was used on the outside of the house that is also on the inside of this room. As the photos shows there is siding with a second thinner strip covering the seams. It was a pretty shade of blue.

The material is a pressed cardboard that made a mess as it came down. Some places it was glued in addition to the trillion nails they decided they needed to hang this stuff.

Fortunately the window is over the closed in backyard and we can throw out the smaller pieces. We plan to use these for the out door fireplace that we will put in this spring/summer.

Once the siding was removed we saw why it was so cold in there. The R7 insulation is under-rated for the area. This was installed in 1972. R-value is a measure of thermal resistance used in the building and construction. The bigger the number, the better the building insulation's effectiveness. The bigger the number the thicker the insulation. So as you know, out it comes. We wore the needed protective gear and sweated up a storm.

We read up on what R-value we should put back into the walls and we headed to Home Depot and looked at our choices. We wanted R18 but they did not have any so we saw R19 and decided that the bigger the number the better. So we bought enough to complete the 17x20 room. We put the insulation in and noticed it was a little puffier than we had hoped. It will compress we say and headed back to the store to get the sheet rock. We rented a Home Depot truck, loaded it with 25 sheets and headed home.

We spent the next morning and afternoon cutting the first piece to fit around the outlet on the wall. We put it up and realized that the puffiness of the R19 was too much to force the sheet rock on it. So Mike called his life line and asked what we should do. We learned from Dad Gorneau that R19 was made for 2x6 walls and not 2x4 walls which we had hence the puffiness. So out in comes, back to the store we go, buy R13 and reinstall it. The R19 will go in the attic space.

So back to hanging the sheet rock and we discover that we are not very good at it. 2 days and 2 pieces were hung. We decided to get help and hired the job out.

After 6 hours with the professional hanger the room was hung and mudded.

Needs to be mudded 3 times before we can paint. So here I am waiting for him to finish as it needs to dry overnight each time. I should be able to paint tomorrow, Thursday, March 26th.

Now to decide what color to paint it!

Mudroom Expansion

Back in October when we bought the house we envisioned updates. A great lady named Bev Groth stopped by the house to welcome us and she identified herself as a real estate agent who knew all the houses in the development. I mentioned updates and she volunteered to setup appointments to show us the neighbors house that were the same model as ours and the changes they had made.

So a Saturday (in November) we toured several homes and loved the remodeling they had done. Our imaginations piqued we began to look at what we could in our home. We soon discovered that every wall was weight bearing and we would need help to move them. We had a general contractor come in and price out the changes we wanted. We also had an interior designer give us his input. In January we finally had plans drawn and a bid price. The price to expand mudroom, vault living and dining room ceiling, add a large master bathroom addition, remodel kitchen, update heat and electrical, and the finishing with paint and trim was a whopping $200,000.00.

We quickly decided not to go this route and see what we could do on our own. We decided to tackle the bonus room (a different post) and the mudroom.

We have never had a garage before and after a month realized that the entryway from the garage to the house is the one we would be using exclusively versus the front door which we were accustomed too. So we decided to expanded the mud/laundry room.

I submitted building permits and waited for 2 weeks to get approval. I headed off to Honduras (a different post) the day after approval and the demo had to wait until I returned. On Monday the sheet rock guy came to finish the bonus room for us and I started the mudroom demo. The plan is to remove the closets in the adjoining bedrooms and take out the second entry door into the house. We are moving the blue room closet to where the current guest bathroom shower is, shortening the bathroom by 4 feet. The yellow room closet is on hold until we decide where to place the entrance to the door. The current entrance will become the closet (both entry way closet and bedroom). Waiting on structural designs.

The mudroom was 5x6 and housed a washer and dryer. It was a narrow room that was not welcoming. It had 3 walls of white and one of peach. There were kitchen cabinets hung over the washer/dryer that were also peach. The floor was peel and stick laminate that was scratched and in disrepair. This photo shows the removal of the casement trim. I forgot to take before shots.

Beyond the cabinets there was a little closet that would house mops and brooms. You can see the lines were I removed the closet.

Blue room closet...

is no more...

It use to be a very dark space and with the closet removed it is very bright. Now have to decide if we want to put a high window into the room so we have natural light.

Update

Mike and I are doing well and we have settled into Colorado if not the house. The weather so far has been ideal for me. Cool mornings, warm (almost hot) afternoons, and cool nights. The breeze is blowing from the south and keeps the back yard cool and the house even colder. The higher altitude, than we are use to, makes it feel a great deal hotter than it is here and that means I get to stay in shorts all year round. Yeah, people look at me funny as they are in pants, jackets, and hats. I have not worn a coat yet, except to ski.

The little critters here are abundant and live in our backyard…we have red shafted flickers, hairy woodpeckers, hawks, scarlet finches, squirrels, and coyotes to name a few. The house backs to a trail and we get to see plenty of walkers, joggers, and bikers all day. You would think they would be enough to motivate me to get out and run a marathon, bike miles, or even just stroll…but we have not utilized this opportunity as much as we should. With the time change we should be out and about more often.

The house is under construction still and we have not made significant gains on it yet. We have re insulated and rewired a “bonus” room above the garage that is 17x15, no small feat. Waiting to sheet rock and paint! We have submitted building plans for the rest of the jobs and waiting for the red tape to be sniped. We have great hopes!

Mike is traveling less and I more. I went to Worcester for a quick weekend to see family and all was well. I head to Honduras in a few days with my brother and his 3 boys. I am looking forward to meeting the community and helping with various projects. We have also booked a trip to Holland in April to see Newman, the tulips, and windmills. We look forward to company in the summer!

I have been keeping busy with a woodworking class where I made an entryway bench and some picture frames. I also have been taking some courses in gardening so I will know what to plant in this drought and clay environment.

Honduras Day 7

Saturday, our last day :-(

This is a common scene with Luis' cat and dog. They adored each other. Here the dog is grooming the cat.

The crew set out early to pour the concrete floor and decided to dig a latrine as well. I lounged in and took photos in the morning.

Laundry room

Flower, I am addicted to taking flower pictures.

Sat is when the community gathers. Megan is crowded by the youngings.

Luis is leading us in song.

Tom teaches the teenage boys how to tangle and untangle themselves. Great team building exercise.

The wee ones color.

Bryan giving is testimonial to the boys.

Capture the flag

The kids adored Kenny while animals did not!

The teenage girls under Val's direction made him and her puzzle pieces for a community project using some supplies Mike and I donated.

Kevin's family. The mom was in the ESL class I helped with on Thursday. We chatted as we walked to the children's session and she handed off her littlest daughter to me to take inside while she went to the adult session. The session was about 30 minutes and the kids colored. At the end I was outside playing with Kevin when his little sister plops into my arms. Kenny and Val said she is really shy and does not like to be held by anyone. She stayed with me the rest of the day. She and Kevin were adorable.

After supper we headed down to Val's for our farewells.

AJ keeper of the flame.Mafioso Chris and Bryan

It was a great trip for me and I am thankful that I had the opportunity to go. Thanks: Tom for the planning, Gill boys our time together, Steve, Val, and Ed your generosity, Luis, Mayra and Alba the opening of your home and typico, and Mike and Pat all your effort and contributions.