Open Concept kinda...

Im about ready to install that second french door in real time..but

Meanwhile...another project I've worked on and was on hold is now beginning to move again....it all started here in the before shot IT is this wall that separates the dining room from the kitchen! An awkward entrance from the back porch you turn immediately to your right and enter via this doorway (FAR left corner) ..the first french door I refinished used to be here in this doorway...as you see there was upper cabinets and the dishwasher and one base unit was under those and the little breakfast bar was angled in here.. the chandelier is in the dining room.
The purpose of this project is to give a more open concept and create  better traffic flow.

the french door, the bar, dishwasher and cabinets removed...that butterscotch door is the rear entry off the screen porch but in reality its the main entrance since the front of this house faces the property NOT the road..or parking area you drive up and enter the rear of the house longgg story.  I have made a lot of change to give better curb appeal to the rear entrance which is the front entrance..lol yes its backasswards. 

SO I wanted to change this up---with a more open concept and move the entrance  straight into the dining room.  Now the back door (butterscotch  with doggie door) used to open directly into the laundry room and I never liked that so the plan was this 

1. remove the laundry machines---Done
2. repair water damaged subfloor----Done
3. remove the plumbing, pipes, etc --------Done
   (I watched a You Tube on how to "sweat copper" pipe and I cut the pipes and put caps on 'em!) everything I needed to do this job was in the old tool shed! Its a treasure trove of 38 yrs of collecting tools, gadgets, and the coffee cans of  "stuff" that every DIY'er accumulates over the years! I had the lead free solder, the flux, flux brush, the soldering torch, the sanding tool, all I had to buy was the brass caps got a pack of 5 for a couple $$ dollars. 

This is where the machines were...on this wall...Gone!! (still have not decided on where the laundry will now be :0/ BUT I'm sure it will come to me soon!  This foyer is about 5 x 10 ft.  

So now the entrance comes into a foyer/mud room and then into the dining room... This is a great spot for a coat rack a bench to sit down and put on shoes, and a place to stash keys and cell phones by the door! 

The paneling will be painted... it kinda gives the appearance of bead board once its painted...this room will not get hardwood it will get Laminate floor...the door is too low to use the 1/2 thick plank and due to the doggie door being cut so low in the back door (my x did that) I cant trim any off the length....and  a new door  is NOT in the budget!! The thin laminate will have to do. AND the right turn doorway was closed up on both sides.

Next step to better traffic flow is to...

5.  Cut a new opening through the dining room wall!-----Done

you need a saws-all to do this! 

that shelf unit holds my tools and stuff so I can be somewhat organized on my job site! (its a complete mess right LOL) I see a ceiling fan on the top shelf so that's where that fan ended up if only I could find that pair of lost door hinges~

I used the trim that I took off the walk through.  Nothing is going to waste ...so the trim was reused around this new opening it matches what is in the rest of the house..the half way paneling is staying, it sort of ties the panel room to the dining.

Here is this opening from the other side the entrance/foyer side...I used some of the 1 x 4's taken off the ceiling to make trim for this door embellished it with some of those cute bulls eye wood discs on the upper corners.

To continue with open concept in that kitchen wall the old door entry was closed up..AND the wall where the overhead cabinets were was cut through to give more light and the header over the walk through to the dining room was removed up to the ceiling to give the room the appearance of more space and height...the old ceiling tiles have been removed and the kitchen and living room will get new sheetrock ceilings, the tile ceiling in the dining room may get sheet rocked too not sure yet depends on the budget IT did have a leak and some tiles were removed and I HOPE the roof will be repaired soon it has been very hard to get a roofer to do that job for me!! Ive had at least 4 promises and NONE have come to do the work!! Estimates have ranged form $1470.00 to $400...wth? The header is gone, the pass thru has been opened up...

from the other side standing in the new doorway.

the pass through was NOT what I wanted but this was a load bearing wall and I couldnt do a big heavy beam...so in the future if my son wants to go that route I've done half the work for him!

My sister and BIL are coming on Saturday and we plan to sheetrock the ceiling so another update is on the way!!  then I can finish trimming out this new  walk through, and start on the kitchen.....These changes are giving a more open floor plan and hopefully not taking away form the charm of the 1950's house...

It seems to be never ending---

OH there's lots more to come!!!

    

PEACE

Eleanor Roosevelt: You must do the thing you think you can not.