Labor Day Weekend - Part Two - My Hard Hat

Notwithstanding my gimpy knee, Jim, Nick and I have hopes to make some home improvements over the upcoming three day weekend. Yes, we'd like to make a party or the fireworks but we also want to rip cabinets from the kitchen wall and create havoc in our home. We are contemplating severe demolition and reconstruction of our living space and have high hopes that it will improve the look of our humble home. Nick is wanting to bring in a bulldozer but I think we'd need a special permit for that action. Like most houses in our little village, we have small, small kitchen. It measures about 12 by 9 feet and we have only about 4 feet of actual counter space. My father owned the house before I inherited it and I had only been in the house once or twice before taking possession after he died. For some unknown reason he paneled the tiny kitchen with dark wood paneling and mismatched oak cabinets. Not only did the dark cabinets seem to shrink the space but he also lowered the ceilings to accommodate the fact that the paneling was only 8 feet high. We've uncovered the ceiling and taken the paneling off all the walls except the one behind the sink and stove. That's our project for this weekend. We will rip off cabinets, looking for the hidden window that neighbors have told us exists. Depending on if and where we find it, I may be adding a new window to the house. We actually found two windows hidden in the living room behind the paneling he had installed on either side of the fireplace. Our house was built in 1937 and has lots of issues.

Wish us luck as we dive in with great expectations for house renovations! After sixteen years of procrastination, we've decided to get our "butts" in gear and make our house look like something on HGTV's hidden potential.

Nick tackling the very, scary ceiling.