We made a huge step forward in the renovation of our 1950s ranch this week. We finally opened up the wall between our living room and our dining room giving the whole house a more open concept. I’m so excited I can hardly stand it!!
Can you believe the difference???? The space used to feel like a maze, and I’m not even going to mention the wallpaper. You used to have to go through at least two doorways, no matter which way you went, to go from the dining room to living room. When our friends came to look at our new house, they actually got confused which way to go. That’s how maze-like the floorplan was.
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| Before and After: What a change! This is a view that has never been possible before. |
Now with it open, it makes sense. It’s no longer choppy. It feels more spacious. The rooms flow, and it’s exactly how I imaged it. I was so happy the first time I walked through the space that used to be a wall, I actually squealed with excitement!
I love it! But I know some of you are wondering why I didn’t open it up all the way to the ceiling. I mean, more open is better, right? Not necessarily.
When renovating, you don’t want to do something that doesn’t make sense with the rest of the house. Because none of the other openings in the house go to the ceiling, if the opening between these two rooms had gone up to the ceiling, it would have been obvious that it had been renovated. By making this opening match the height of all the other openings in the house, once it’s finished, it won’t look renovated. It will look like it has always been this way, and that’s what I wanted.
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| Looking from the living room all the way into the family room. |
Anyway, I’m so glad it’s finally open. It feels like a huge step forward. Of course, there is still a lot to do. We have to frame in the old opening between the hallway and the living room. The walls need to be drywalled, the trim needs to be installed, the rest of the carpet needs to be ripped out and the new floors need to be installed. Plus there’s still painting to do.
The list is long. But now that the wall is opened up, I think things will go quickly. Tomorrow we’re going to revise our punch list and set some new timeframes, which will help us keep on track and keep us moving forward.
I finally see the end in sight.
Now your turn. What kind of flooring do you think we should put in and what color?
Can’t wait to hear your ideas!!
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