House Update: Paint and Dust

I figure at this point you either enjoy these frequent updates or you are totally rolling your eyes...haha.  Not sure what camp I would fall in if it weren't my home but each day I get so excited for the progress I see.  Half because we are one day closer to moving back in and half because I didn't think ANY of these updates would happen for years.  Plus who doesn't love before and afters?  Or in this case before and durings.  Things are still far from finished....and it will still be weeks before things are completely finished but at least we can move back in before the final touches are completed.

Instead of boring you with a bunch of details and updates let's look at some before and durings....my favorite.  The biggest transformation is of course tearing out the existing laundry room and opening up the kitchen and family room.

View from family room/fireplace.  The laundry room was on the other side of that wall.

 View from dining room of kitchen with a glimpse of the family room beyond the laundry room wall.

View of the eating area with the original desk area now opened up and made into more cabinets and a pantry.  

On the other side of the pantry/cabinet wall is the laundry room.  Accessed through the hall on the left which also leads to our garage.  I mentioned before my husband let me take more than half of his office to make this possible.  I am so excited to have a larger laundry space and mudroom.

The tile flooring is in, the first coat of paint (Benjamin Moore, Gray Owl) is on the walls and the cabinets are installed.  As soon as the drywallers finish patching, and the painters finish their work the washer/dryer can be moved.  It will still be a few weeks before the countertops (butcher block), sink, faucet, and cabinet doors and tile backsplash are installed but we can still move in and have a working laundry room in the meantime.  Someday "lockers" will be built along the right wall but for now I am hanging hooks and putting a bench underneath.  To be honest, this is a tight space so I may never want to add "lockers"  We have enough space in our garage to add them out there so I am thinking I may add it out there someday and just keep the hooks in here.  Lastly, a barn door is being installed in this opening to keep the flow.  

This is the garage entrance (pre-painting) with the laundry room entrance shown just on the inside.  With a standard door I think there would be a lot of congestion.  Hopefully the barn door will allow the entrance to be open most of the time so people can easily get inside the laundry/mudroom or go straight into the house.

To the right of the pantry/cabinets is the foyer with a powder room (getting a complete overhaul too) and the entrance to the hubby's now tiny office.

The office

Foyer

The basement walls have been painted and the ceiling replaced.  I told the contractor this is the last priority since we don't need this space to move back in.  Still to do are the entertainment cabinets, kitchenette cabinets, trim and major cleaning.

Also on my own personal To Do list is painting the trim and doors down here.

And this is what every other room of our house is like....packed full of crap and dust.

All of which somehow needs to be "put back"/cleaned by the time the baby comes.....in two weeks.  Yikes!  And I didn't even take a pick of our bathroom which is torn up due to the re-tiling of our shower because it was leaking into our dining room.  I never want to see water again after this.