A Rather Large House Project

B and I have been in decision limbo for the past year over our home.  Do we stay? Do we move? Where could we move to? What could we do to the house to make it a home we could continue to grow into?

It all started around the time Luke started crawling and all of a sudden it felt like the walls had moved in on us.  Babies have tons of stuff to begin with, and then they start walking and doing laps around you in the very small living space you have, and then the weather gets colder and you're stuck inside a confined space on the weekends and, well, we need more space.  Add to the mix discussions of adding a new baby in the near future and our timeline went from someday to let's get the ball rolling!  Construction or moving are not options I am open to with a newborn.

So, we tossed around a lot of ideas, did some research and ended up deciding to stay in our home and make it our dream home with room to grow.  We love Danville, we love our neighbors, our close proximity to downtown, the surrounding parks, schools and family and friends nearby.

We started the process 3 months ago working with an architect and contractor coming up with a design and floorplan that worked and fit our needs.

Need 1 - Office - I am working from home almost full time now with the occasional trip into the city, and the dining room table is not the best work space.  It's also very challenging when both B and I are working form home as we're both on the phone constantly.

Need 2 - Spare Bedroom/Office #2 - We love having family and friends visit, and it's so nice to be able to have a spot for them to stay.  The room can also double as an office for when both B and I are working from home.

Need 3 - Bathroom - Our existing guest bathroom is right across from Luke's room.  Whenever we are entertaining during Luke's nap time or after he goes to sleep for the night, I hate having to constantly tell people to be quiet or have the bean woken up due to people congregating outside the bathroom.

Our new floorplan doesn't give us a ton of additional square footage,(around 600 sq feet) but it's the type of space that we need and I know it will make a huge difference.  We'll be moving the entryway to face the street, and then tying a wrap around hallway around the kitchen to the new rooms making it the true heart of the home.

B and I are really happy with the final plan and now we just have to go through city planning, structural engineering, and have our contractor put together a formal bid for the work.

I am not looking forward to 4-6 months of construction, but in the end, I know we'll love the final result.  More updates to come!