Here we go...this is what our kitchen downstairs looked like before the demolition...

Standing in the family room soon to be dining room looking into the kitchen.

Looking into the kitchen from the outside.

Standing in the family room/dining room looking into the kitchen.  This picture pulls in the coat closet that will be removed.


Can you believe how tiny this kitchen is? You get more than 1 person out there and you couldn't move without bumping elbows.  Next, you will see the demolition of the closet and bathroom, which is left of the closet.

 Let the fun begin!!!!

Setting the Stage....

My husband and I bought  Our DIY Lakeside Retreat.  This is what you would call a fixer upper.  It really just needs some updating, but, we have decided to make some major changes.  This is a 2 story home that sits on the lake.  It has a small kitchen and family room downstairs, which is ground level to the lake and is great for entertaining during the summer with the lake.  But, it sucks to carry groceries upstairs to the main kitchen, plus I would much rather be on the ground level with the lake.  So, what we have decided to do is to turn the 1st floor into the main living area and turn the upstairs living room, dining room & kitchen into a master suite, giving us 3 BR upstairs.

This will be our 3rd home we have purchased and turned them all into our home with our touches.  Jerry and I love to do things ourselves.  I like to have the ability to make changes as we progress.  

So, when we started this latest renovation, my daughter suggested that I start up a blog and share it with friends and family.  So...here we go.  I'm sure it will be a little scarey at first, but I promise it will evolve as all of my DIY projects have.

This is the side that faces the lake.

Standing on the porch looking down to the lake.