Living Livelier: On Your Mark...Get Set...GO!!!!

Yep, it's contagious. We started our family room renovation this week! And with family coming to town for Thanksgiving, we are on one heck of a tight time frame - like 14 days! I think we are in good hands with Well Built and am confident we'll be ready....right Todd?!?!?

We spent the weekend clearing out the room and getting ready by setting up an alternative 'family room' in our partially finished basement along with a desk/work area. The scope of the project includes new windows, a new and improved play area for the kids, a better TV/lounge area and lastly and least interesting to my kids, a better work space for me ;)

This involves converting an interior window to a door, removing an existing door, replacing the 3 windows, adding 1 new window, ripping out the carpet and replacing it with hardwood, demolishing a stairway and closet, adding a new stairway and railing, demolishing a book shelf, relocating heating ducts, adding lighting and painting. And all in 14 days! Well truth be told, the windows have a 14 day lead time, so that will come after Thanksgiving.

Yep, we all have these 'scary' photos of what our homes looked like before we did anything - these are particularly priceless:

The day after we took possession of the house we (or I should say my husband, as I was 7 months pregnant) took several days to do a pretty good size DIY. He took down the wagon wheel chandelier, removed the mis-placed book shelves, cleared out the interesting sculpture in the window, ripped out the stinky threadbare rug and finally my MIL painted the room as a house warming gift.

Here it is well loved and in need of a little love and a LOT of organization! We are closing off that doorway into the living room and adding a new window above the buffet.