Ding dong the load bearing wall is gone!
I’m going to level with you. I was having some major anxiety while the guys were taking out our wall. What if they just leave part way through? Are we making a huge mistake by even doing this reno?
Of course, everything was fine. Better than fine in fact – it’s amazing! I can’t say enough good things about our contractor Bert and his team. It’s so exciting to see the space opened up!
I mean, let’s remember what that same view looked like a couple of weeks ago:
Amazing.
Okay sure, we have dust everywhere, wiring hanging from the ceiling and an exposed subfloor. Oh yeah, and a do list that is getting longer every minute – but you know what? Right now I’m just enjoying that there is no more wall (and no more pillars)!
Seriously, look how big it is in here now!
We did, of course, have some surprises – the biggest being some HVAC we need to move. There was both a heat run and a cold air return going through the old wall. Our contractor Bert was able to figure out a solution for the heating without ripping up the ceiling in mum’s bedroom (in the basement), but now we have to box some ductwork.
Bert’s suggestion was to turn it into a pantry – an idea I love – which immediately made me think of this Pantry from the Scrivano House on Fixer Upper.
I love when Joanna incorporates vintage doors into her designs and I would love to that here. I was lucky enough to find some at a local antique market and (fingers crossed) we can make them fit!
Right now we need to focus on finalizing our layout, relocating two cold air returns (not sure how exactly) and getting our electrical work taken care of. Then it’s time for my most favourite thing ever – drywalling! Just kidding, I hate drywalling – Chris gets the honour of doing that bit.
So that’s my update for this week! If you want to see all our behind the scenes fun make sure to follow along on my Instagram stories!