There were a few things we couldn't hold off on. The green shag carpet in the dining room left after a couple of years, getting replaced with beautiful vinyl (really!) that people thought was tile until they took their shoes off. We redecorated with paint and curtains. And, we renovated the master bath (twice!). Our here and there efforts made the house "ours", and had it looking very much like it did when I took a picture this morning:
As we approached the 10 year mark, we decided to get serious. We'd spent enough time in the space to recognize what we loved (like the sunlight on the east side) and what we'd change (like getting the washer and dryer out of the dark garage and into their own space). We called up the builder who'd renovated the master bath and got to planning.
We started out with a simple scope of work: bump out the master bedroom for a little space, and bring the laundry out of the garage. Pretty quickly, that evolved. A "simple" remodel was more expensive than we'd guessed, and would still be a compromise. We'd already spent 10 years living with some compromises. We decided instead to dream big.
We played with a turret at the entry. We evolved the master bump out to get a walk-in closet and a much bigger bath (reclaiming the current master bath for the floorspace). We dreamed of opening up the kitchen to have more interaction with guests when entertaining. We toyed with a family room. Oooh, and the laundry room. Where it all started. That got bigger too.
Our laundry room is not just a space for the washer, dryer and cleaning stuff. Really, it's not just a laundry room. We recognized that, as a multi-dog household, the laundry room would be a great space for our dogs. It could be a mud-room. Oh, and instead of a laundry sink, we could get a booster bath in there! Less bending when washing them!
That did it! A dog tack room now became the heart of our design scope. That, combined with the attraction of a great room (combining family, dining and kitchen) took off. And, together, they took over the garage!
To get all this, all we'd have to do is move the garage to the other side of the lot. But, wait! That left room for another bedroom and bathroom! And with our lot layout, and re-landscaping, we'd actually wind up with more usable yard space. Done and Done!
And now, after much anticipation and almost two years of planning (another post!), we're starting to get a house like this!
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