Hawkins Homerama Est. 2013

Yes #demoday Phase II because like I mentioned we are basically building a new house. After the back was torn down and cleaned up a mini digger was brought in to build out our trenches where the new foundation was going to be poured. The existing slab of concrete where the breezeway and garage sat was kept since the new foot print was larger and it wasn't going to interfere (there was a small part of me that was going to miss the black & red tile floor). Also it was helpful that the team was working on that vs dirt and rock. Trenches were dug so concrete could be poured for the foundation and footers. During the design phase Matt and I went round and round on whether the new addition floor should be the same height as the existing or if we should do a sunken great room. There were benefits to each, mainly a sunken great room would allow for a higher ceiling height and potential for vaulted ceilings. We ultimately decided the entire first floor should be on the same walking pl

Everybody loves a good #DEMODAY Thankfully we were able to start our timeline of work while still living in the house. The longer we could stay the better. We were also extremely grateful for my parents letting us bunk up with them for the renovation, it is a HUGE blessing. Thanks Mom & Dad! October 15th was the start of this journey. The timeline had the demolition and removal of the breezeway and single car garage. Once that was removed the new foundations and footers could be poured for the footprint of the addition. The yard would be graded out and the framing of the addition would begin.  Technically our first demo was the removal of a tree in the front yard. We did this in the Summer. A very large, old tree that happened to be right in the middle on the front door walkway. It was old and on its way down and wasn't going to take the chance of it ever falling. And of course it completely blocked the front facade of the house. Our plans included adding in some architec

Planning & Dreaming, Dreaming & Planning back and forth we go. We knew the drafting of house plans would take time and we were OK with that because we wanted to do it right. We wanted to thoughtfully address all of the wants and dreams, realistic or not, but we wanted to plan for the best and for the future. Remember this house is the next several chapters for us. This is where we want to be while our kids begin their school journeys. This isn't a flip or a transition for us, we know we are going to be here for a bit and that's how we looked at it and looked at every decision. First things first, finding an draftsman to put our dreams to paper. Our Heady Avenue house I was able to do this part since we stayed within the original house structure. This one was gonna be a full gut along with a fairly large addition. Structural engineering, roof pitches, etc needs an experienced professional. You also have to permit your plans along with inspections throughout and c

Ooops we did it again! Most were calling us crazy but we found another project. The days of watching our kids walk to school are here. Being  able to give them the opportunity to grow up in a neighborhood where their fellow classmates (and lots of family!) are a bike ride way is something special. The next few chapters in our family's life will revolve around meeting new friends, school events & activities and we want to be present for it all!  Rewind almost a year Ago........... This house came into our lap literally out of nowhere thanks to our realtor Jon. We knew we were "looking" for the next but wouldn't say we were hard core house hunting. Maybe Matt and Jon were but I wasn't ready, at least not with a 6 month old at home. Matt was persistent on moving and a phone call from Jon led to an immediate walk through that evening and we knew we couldn't pass this one up. We made an offer that night even though they had another from a friend so se