I feel as though we have been talking about popping the top of our little rambler since we bought the place. Good friends know we've been in the design process for nearly one year, and loyal readers of this blog know that we have firm architectural plans in hand and have moved out of our house. Well, we closed with the bank on Friday (thank goodness) and our interior walls came down yesterday (hello, crazy asbestos, our contractor said), so there's not much left to jinx (knock on wood!) in terms of our project moving forward. In other words, I'm ready, dear readers, to share the basics behind our Arlington pop-up. Because yes, yes, YES, it's really happening!
First, a few photos taken early yesterday afternoon:
These pictures are of the hallway to our former master bedroom, the entryway/living room, and the area leading into our former family room. Granted, these picture don't look like much more than a big mess if you aren't (weren't??) familiar with our house; but each and every time I look at them, they make my jaw fall wide open. This is where we lived, after all. And now ... well ... there's no going back.
Jon and I snuck in later in the evening (bad move, people; that air was not healthy to breathe) and everything was stripped to the studs. The remaining portion of the interior walls came down today, our contractor told me, and the roof comes off tomorrow. Then it's three weeks of masonry work, raising the roof (hey-oh!), and covering the whole thing back up. Our plan is that the entire exterior will be done in brick so that the second floor doesn't look like a rogue helicopter plopped it down on top of the original house, and then the whole thing will be painted a creamy white. On the first floor, the kitchen will be where the family room once was, and the family room where the kitchen once was. We're moving the laundry room upstairs, along with our master suite and two other bedrooms. Our original master suite will become an office for Jon and a playroom/guest room. Here are the floor plans (and electrical schedule, in case you're curious) of both the downstairs and upstairs:
^^First floor.^^
^^Second floor.^^
So there you have it. It's a very exciting time for our family and our future home. Pray to the weather gods for us these next few weeks--say NO to a white Christmas!--and I'll do my very best to keep you up to date with our progress.
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