Sid dropped off the promised flythroughs the other day (created by the very talented Rob), and wow—what a difference they make in my understanding of how the house will look when it’s finished. From looking at the blueprints, I certainly got that “this wall will go here” and “these cabinets will go there.” But I really had no idea what things would really look like. Well, that has changed … and I’m more excited than ever. The flythroughs even include suggestions for paint colors and cabinet and countertop finishes. Their choices are certainly nothing I would have chosen on my own, but I do like them a lot! They give a very clean, retro-yet-modern feel to the house.

Click on the image below to start a slideshow with several perspective sketches and three videos.

Since we received the initial design concepts from Sid about a month ago, we’ve “mixed and matched” several ideas from all three drawings and came to a final conclusion on what we’d ultimately like our house to look like. Sid came back with a composite drawing — and a preliminary budget estimate which indicated that, of course, we could only afford half of what we really wanted! So, in the spirit of compromise, I gave up “my” remodeled bathroom in favor of some of the other items on our wish list. (Roger’s quote: “I can poop in a $10,000 bathroom as easily as a $30,000 bathroom.” Nice.) So, here’s what we’ll be doing:

• Remodeling the kitchen: This will involve pushing a wall about 18 inches into our living room to create more working space, and lots of wonderful cabinets and drawers. We’ll also get a new walk-in pantry and a counter-top height eating space.
• Creating a mudroom: We’ll put up a 4′6″ wall in the family room to create a mudroom-like entrance with (we hope) a bench, shelves, hooks and storage for shoes and bags. We’re also taking out the fireplace (which we don’t use).
• Reconfiguring the family room: While we’ll actually be making this room a bit smaller to get rid of its existing “bowling alley”-like feel, we’ll knock down another wall to open up the space.
• Making the living room “livable”: This space, which we currently never use, will become a multipurpose space for dining, entertaining, playing piano, reading in a comfy nook and more.
• Finishing parts of the basement: We’ll demo the office to create a new workout room for Roger, and also finish the main area to become a rec room, with his and her office-like space. The storage area and laundry room will remain unfinished.

Yesterday we met Sid to go over the blueprints, elevations (drawings of what the different walls, cabinets, etc. look like), and the electrical plan. Sid has also promised a “flythrough” of the space, which, if the technology gods allow, I’ll try to add to the web site this week.

The biggest stressor right now is trying to figure out what to do with all our “stuff” in the next month before the remodel begins. We’ve decided that most everything (kitchen supplies, furniture, books, etc.) can get stored in our garage, but figuring out how we’ll watch TV or fix lunch over the next three months might get interesting.

…. and I like to do drawrings!

The drawings are here! The drawings are here!

Sid came to our house Friday morning and presented three design concepts to us. Well, actually, he presented us two and a half concepts. The first two included both upstairs and downstairs concepts. The third concept (the Taj Mahal option) included only the upstairs. And all of them, of course, are over budget. Sigh. Big decisions lie ahead.

Today we had our initial interview with Sid Levin and Rob Aldecocea from Authentic Construction. Oh, in case I didn’t mention: We definitely aren’t doing this remodel ourselves. While we had plenty of offers from both our families to help fix up the place, we decided it was in our best interests to leave it to the experts. So, we’ve decided to work with a design build firm, who will oversee the project start to finish.

We first met Sid and Rob during the 2007 Fall Remodeler’s Showcase, where nearly 100 recently remodeled homes throughout the Twin Cities are open for three straight days for yours and our voyeuristic pleasures! We weren’t exactly looking for a contractor at the time (rather, some fixer-upper ideas), but one thing led to another and the next thing we knew we were checking out contractors. Our first interview with one contractor was quite exciting, considering he told us he could make our house “smokin’.” But, after we met him in his office a few weeks later and were asked, “Why are you here again?”, we decided it wasn’t quite meant to be. So, we put in a phone call to Sid, whom we remembered from a Showcase home in Edina (he and his design partner Rob had been playing Scrabble at the house, which we found quite amusing). After the two of them visited our home in December, and after further conversations with Sid, it was pretty easy to tell that Sid and Rob totally understood us and would be a great fit for. Plus, they sent us flowers.

So, it wasn’t a surprise that our interview with them today was a blast. They asked us some general questions, like, “So, what’s the first room you’d show off to guests when they see your new home?” (Duh, the TV room), and “What do you do in your bedroom other than sleep?” (Uhh, mostly dust). It will be quite interesting to see how our “his and her” answers come to life in the concepts they’ll be presenting in a few weeks.

Since we moved into our home in January of 2002, Roger’s done some pretty amazing things to make the place ours. (I say Roger, because I merely supervise and then tell him all the things he’s doing wrong.) He finished a section of fence and the timber window wells that the previous owner left undone; painted nearly every room in the house (most of them twice, because someone, who shall remain nameless, changed her mind); laid carpet throughout the basement; created an amazing playpen for the dogs; wired our new TV and sound system (with some help from my dad); installed our outdoor canopies and put in a huge perennial garden (with help from his mom and dad); and is constantly fixing things around the house …

… except that once piece of trim.

That unfinished piece of trim—due to the fact that Roger hasn’t quite been able to figure out how to match original woodwork with the cheap crap from Home Depot—has caused a few moments of tension in this marriage. And, somehow, it led to, “Well, if we just ripped out the wall with the offensive piece of trim, then our problems would be solved, wouldn’t they?”

Which brings us to today. After more than six months of deliberating, today Roger and I signed on the dotted line to undertake a remodel to our little 1954 rambler in east Bloomington. While my folks have told us we’re crazy to throw a dime at this place, and Roger’s folks looked at us cross-eyed when we told them how long the process will probably take, we’ve decided to plunge in and spend the next several months eating off paper plates … and building a place we’ll stay in for a long time. We’re planning to finish the basement, fix up the bathroom, remodel the kitchen, and of course, while we’re at it, move a few walls around (maybe). We’ll be starting the design process soon and expect to start getting dirty this summer (the perfect time to be outside). So, stay tuned for remodel updates along the way!