Before: Part 2 The Mudroom

Hmmm, I'm not really certain how much commentary these really need. I think perhaps I should only point out the really crucial details:

1. Note the door to the mudroom from the kitchen - we have an Ikea curtain acting as insulation, most likely this in part accounts in part for the heating bills...

2. Note the quality workmanship at the bottom of the door. Hell, is there anything that duct tape can't fix? 

3. Can you find my pots and pans? Yes, this really is the only place to put them.

4. And, note the fancy storage facilities for my small appliances. Those shelves were groaning under kitchen overflow not more than a couple of weeks ago. The kitchen is now fairly close to empty as we prepare for the demolition. 

5. Did I note that the mudroom is open to the out of doors, is uninsulated, and is chock-full of crap that doesn't fit in the kitchen (note the 3 cabinets we do have - all very full. 

Tomorrow the downstairs bathroom horror show, then on to the upstairs that is, if possible, worse. Then, it'll be back to blogging as usual until I have some during photos! 

Before: Part 1

Since we're just about to be in the territory of "during" photos, I thought I'd start excavating the before photos and getting them posted. 

I'll comment along the way for those of you who've a) not seem my kitchen, b) not seen my kitchen in all its glory, c) been gullible enough for me to talk out of seeing my kitchen. 

We have a four-square style home, an architectural style that equates to a roughly square home of two stories, with four rooms on each floor. Ours is no exception, but that we have a small addition on the back that contains a bathroom, a kitchen, and a mudroom. We're basically going to be gutting this entire back bump-out. We'll be keeping the bathroom where it is, but fully replacing everything. We're going to incorporate the mudroom into the kitchen, to achieve a more spacious kitchen. We'll be without kitchen and downstairs bath for more than two months. Lest you ask why we'd do such a thing, let me show you...

**Note: in the photos above, the china cabinet looks vaguely respectable at first glance. Don't let it fool you. It is as half-assed as everything else that's been remodeled in the house (the stuff that's never been touched is in remarkably good condition.) Look closely at the two photos that follow the main image of the china cabinet. It actually has exhaust plumbing running through the cabinet, and they basically just cut a chunk out of the drawers to make them accommodate the pipe - stellar engineering.