The Demolition Continues!

So much has happened!  I cannot believe how fast these guys are!  We are now on dumpster number three! Almost everything has been torn down.  All of the wood and the cinder blocks have been removed today.  They grated the ground for the 220 foot driveway.  We decided that we needed to put a culvert (big pipe) in at the bottom of the driveway to keep the water from sitting in a pool and giving it access to keep flowing.  They built it up with dirt and then will concrete it like the rest of the driveway.  So exciting!  Here are the pictures!

Driveway being grated

Gutted

Culvert

They are putting excess dirt back here to build it up.

Day One Complete!

Here are some pictures of what was accomplished on day one!

Can't wait to see what's in store for tomorrow!

Day One Demolition!

The day is finally here!!! We can't even begin to explain our excitement!! On Sunday, Jay and I had a four hour meeting with our contractor, Shawn Kangas, at kangasconstruction.com and got the final prep work hammered out.  We discussed everything from fencing, to water heaters, to HVAC. We discussed last minute details such as dumpster delivery and cost saving measures such as using the existing pavers in the barn and possibly using them around the barn as patio, as opposed to pouring concrete.   Jay and I love the look of the existing structure so we are wanting to repurpose as much of the materials in there.  We are keeping one of the stall doors to use at the bottom of the stairs and two more as a gate at the front of the driveway.  The meeting was very productive and I could barely sleep last night because I was so energized!

I made my way to the barn this morning about 10 AM and these are the first of the demo Pictures!

Tearing wood off walls

Taking off stall doors

Taking down garage walls

Stall door removed

I had to leave and start the fun, but yet taxing task of picking out cabinets and granite countertops.  Jay says he is going to leave this part to me and that he trust my judgement...LOL!  That being said,  I know nothing about picking out cabinets or what I wanted for countertops so this was a little overwhelming for me.  I set out on my crash course of learning all I needed to know!  I had NO IDEA how many options there were or the price ranges involved.  After looking at what seemed like a million choices I decided on off white cabinets with dark glaze and a black island with beadboard.  I want the kitchen to have some contrast.

Now for the granite...believe it or not this was more difficult than the cabinets! While deciding on all of this I realized ,more than ever, that I have really have expensive taste.  I was picking out the most expensive items... not surprising.  So I asked the salesperson about going with a less expensive option and low and behold they have a "remnants" area in the back. This is where they put the granite that they have cut and haven't used it all. So you can buy the remainder of the granite slab.  Turns out there are a lot of rich people in this area that buy a full slab of granite and cut out tiny pieces, then discard the rest!  That works out well for me because I need a big piece because the island is 9ft x 4 ft.  I found what I needed at HALF the cost!  Per my friend Courtney, you want it to "pop" so I am going with black granite on the off white cabinets and a color called "Crema Pearl" on top of the black Island.   People...Did you know that they can "leather" black granite?  It makes it so you can't see fingerprints or water marks! Amazing!

Cabinet

Crema Pearl for Island

Black Leathered granite. Ours will have less color than this example.  

Let's get this party started!

Welcome to our Barn!  We hope you enjoy following us on this exciting journey as we turn this barn into our home!  So far this has been so much fun and we literally got to start with an empty canvas! We found an amazing person to draw the plans and he brought my vision to life.  To get started we went to the city and got our building permit.  We also have to get a septic permit as we are not on the sewer line. That should be happening on Tuesday. As soon as we have that, the demolition will begin!! We will also be pouring a 220 foot concrete driveway to make the property accessible.

The next posts you see will be of the demolition! Who wouldn't want to see pictures of things being destroyed?!

View from riding ring (our new backyard!).

View from gigantic front yard.

Barn overview (from the garage).

Upstairs loft.

Looking into horse stalls (soon to be kitchen and bedroom!). 

Beautiful barn doors.