master closet

So while I was gone to Louisville/Bowling Green, my Dad and Leo took out one of the closets from the master bedroom. We did this to give some space back to the bedroom, because we are going to use the bedroom next door to create a master bath/closet area. There will be a door here instead leading into the new closet. So here is the before:

There  are two closets that match on either side of the room. The previous owners also added some type of shelving system onto the closet that tore down. We took that off a few weeks ago. We aren't going to take the closet out on the right because there is actually a brick chimney there, through which the furnace is vented. So we are going to go ahead and keep that. The closet on the left we were pretty sure wasn't original, and we were right. Thank goodness, because if not, the flooring would have been missing. So here it is with the trim taken off:

Then they took off the drywall and you can see the studs (another sign its not original-the wood is newer).

Here is a picture of the room with everything gone. I think it adds more space than I thought it would!

I got an unclose shot of the floor. You can see where the studs were, and where they used caulking and got it on the floor. It wasn't that bad, and hopefully it will sand out. We just keep saying "That will add to the character!!! :) As you can see, you can now see into the other room from a small opening.

On the other side, they took down the drywall. We will be cutting two doorways into this wall (one for the closet and another leading into the master bath). Then, we will close up the door leading into the hallway.

My Dad has almost finished mudding and taping everything upstairs. I think he is going after work to finish it tomorrow. Then this coming weekend, we will cut the doors out.

Leo and I also started working on taking out the landscaping out front. While it isn't awful, we want a new start. It seems that random plants have survived the past year and a half without being cared for, so it is quite mismatched everywhere. We have beautiful bulbs, but random. It seems that one bush has died on one side, leaving a small gap. 

We went today to price the shrubs and other plants that we want, and although it was freezing, windy, and raining, we nailed down a nice, neat, and simple plan for the "new" front yard. Our goal budget is $500 and I think we are actually going to get it done! That is if I can control my impulse to buy all of the pretty flowers that we saw at Watkins Nursery. I was like, "Oh, peonies! I want that weeping cherry tree! And the hydrangeas! Oh, look at those azaleas! Oh, there are the roses! I want a rose garden in the back yard!" Leo was actually quite patient with all of it, and I'm grateful for that! It is all so pretty. Unfortunately, not in the budget. Maybe in a couple of years!

-Katie