Rennovating Plans

After spending so much time interviewing contractors, we have been slowly tweaking what we want to get done and what we can afford in our budget. We still haven't picked a contractor we're going with yet but we have interviewed about 10 of them and gotten their quotes and have about 4-5 in the running. They all have very different personalities and bring something new and fresh to the table with their ideas, which I love. They definitely bring up aesthetic and technical points in terms of future resale value, cost effectiveness or structural possibilities with the house that are super helpful.

We want the following done with possible pics as examples of how we want it done:

• Replace Kitchen cabinets to a beige/offwhite cabinet scheme. Get a custom built island with matching dark brown or beige speckled granite and chairs to pull up to. Replace baseboard heating somehow? Knock the wall down between the kitchen and living room to open up the space.

• Create an arch and a little entry leading into a dining room from the living room, possibly with pedestals on the dry wall entry. 

• Staircase Leading up to Main Level - get custom fit carpeting on it, put a wooden cap on the iron rod banister and put up a low dry wall to replace the iron rod bars at the top

• French doors to be installed off dining room leading out to deck and in lower level leading out to back yard
  
  
  

• Get the Kids/Guest Bathroom redone on the Main Level - not so sure how I want this to look. Maybe something like this??
  

• Make the Master bedroom closet a Master Bathroom and build a master closet in bedroom
  

We've decided that all the extras we had in mind like wainscoting, new carpeting, hardwood floors, the kids' rooms etc can all be done later and possibly done by us tackling DIY projects. I think it'd be fun!!