Making the Sycamore House Ours

I know, I know.  You were wondering what I did all weekend, right?  What my husband was up to?  Well, if you know us, you know that we weren't sitting on our laurels.  We have an old, sweet house that must be bent into the shape that we like it.  That's what we do around here.

Ralph at the top of the "old" staircase. 

So here is one photo.  But wait a minute!  Resist the urge to scroll down so I can tell you a little about this house and it's history.  

Our home was built in 1944.  It was one of many that were built in our little town when folks were hired to build what they thought was a factory, rumor has it, a toilet paper factory.  Anyhow, this "factory" was actually the first Nuclear Plant.    

The house we live in is labeled an "A" house.  There are many houses that are identical in our little town, many A's, B's...and all the way to Z.  

Below is a picture and description:

A	1943-1945 | 408 built | 3br, 1 bath duplex 1087 sq feet (each) | Neocolonial (loosely)
	The A-house is a two story duplex with basement. Typical examples have wood clapboard siding horizontally on the top floor and shingles on the bottom floor. Interior floors are softwood fir with linoleum in the kitchen and bathroom.

Our house was a duplex.  When we moved in, it had already been remodeled and converted to a single family home.  Yeah!   And now, we are working (husband is demo crew, reconstruction, detail work and I am clean up & cheering crew.  I make a yummy dinner too, at the end of the day.

I digress.  When we moved in, our house had just one stairway going up stairs.  My hubby recently realized that the other stairwell was still there all along.  Several of the stairs were taken out to build a coat closet.  But Ralph and I decided that we'd really love to have a wide, open staircase.  So this weekend, he pulled it all out.

Standing at the top of the stairs, the new-old stairs revealed.

The boy part of the clean up crew and I tossed wood and junk out the front door.  See the cute house across the street?  That's an "F" house.  :) 

  

One of the best parts of the newly opened stairwell:  Light.  We get so much light from those windows at the top of the stairs.   Light!

Taking out the entire wall!!  Light!!  Oh, and dry wall dust.  Humpf!

Oh, my goodness, I can hardly stand it!  So much light!  So airy!  I'm spoiled, I am.

And this is what I see tonight standing in the Living Room.  The slide was my idea.  It's been sitting in the yard waiting for a tree house but for a few days it will camp here, much to the boys' delight.  Ralph's friend came over for a few hours today and they (literally) threw up some handrails and safety rails at the top of the stairs while we wait for the next step.  A lot of progress this weekend!

From the Living Room, looking into the Family Room.  The wall that divides the two will all come out eventually, the carpet removed.  That's all I can say for sure.  Much construction to come.  But these things must be done in phases.  I am content with a little change at a time and much time to clean up all the drywall dust.