Original house / remodeled house

Maria and I bought the house in 2001 because we thought it had "great potential." In retrospect this means several things. We liked the generally open layout, the back-facing orientation and the siting of the house on the plot which leaves lots of room for outdoor activities. We had always planned on remodeling it. The before photos were taken before we closed on the house in 2001. The before/after views were all taken from the same spot. All the work you see here was done between June 2008 and August 2009.

LAUNDRY ROOM

This was technically called a 'covered patio' but was really little more than a poorly-built shack. This is where the washer, dryer, water heater and more than a few black widows were kept. In June 2008 I had it ripped down. The structure was painted with lead paint and because of termite damage, the wood had become brittle like styrofoam. Today, the same spot is now mostly outdoors. The old room is gone. The water heater tank was replaced by a small, tankless, on-demand system that hangs on the side of the house.

COVERED PATIO

This covered patio was also a problem. It was too small to be useful plus it blocked off all outside light leaving the living room in a state of perpetual twilight. This is the classic cheap remodel--putting a room on the outside of an existing room. It makes the inside room dark and dreary. This is the view now with the room gone.

BREAKFAST NOOK

The original house had a breakfast nook with sliding doors that faced west. The nook isn't a bad idea, but the implementation had problems. First it was too small to hold a table. Second, why would you need a table right next to the dining table? Third, the west sun would blare in the house all afternoon creating too much light and too much heat. Fourth, we just ended up putting shelves in there since we needed the storage. In the after view, note that this area is now enclosed by walls. It houses the washer/dryer, a pantry, a small walk-in closet and some cabinets. In a way, it was like taking the old wash room and moving into the middle of the house. Moving the laundry here involved considerable expense because of the plumbing. There was no plumbing here before so a new line going to the main had to be added. While we were at it, I decided to install some needed drains at the sides of the house.

LIVING AREA

In the before photo you can see the other side of the breakfast nook which is now enclosed. For several months I papered off the nook to see if I'd miss seeing to the west. Answer: not really. Note how dreary the old house looks because of the covered patio outside. Now gone, the house feels much less dark and claustrophobic.