Rooms

The addition we’ve spent the last eight months putting on our house is largely completed. There are still a few details, some major, most minor to address but we’ve begun the process of moving into the addition and making it part of our lives. We’re in no hurry. It will be a slow if not leisurely process. We hope to move prudently rather than hastily.

When Nola and Will first came in to our lives, I wondered who they’d be, what they’d be like. I knew that they’d each have a distinct and unique personality, after all they’re living, intelligent beings. Over the two years since that post they’ve grown and developed. Nola is sunny, lively, interested, engaged, busy, energetic, and, occasionally, infuriating. Will is, as his handler has called him, the Happy Pill. Just being around him makes you happy. He’s warm, content, and supportive, happy just to be with you.

I didn’t realize when we began putting the addition on that the new rooms we’d be adding to our house would have characters of their own.

All of the rooms are full of love. They represent an enormous investment not just in money but in attention, thought, care, and time. I’ve spent the bulk of the last eight months on the addition. Much of the last year has been a sacrifice to the addition.

Contrary to the impression that some have taken away, we’re not turning our home into a palace. This is no McMansion. Before we began the addition we had a house that was substantially below the size of an RS1 house, three bedrooms, bath and a half, a tiny galley kitchen less than eight feet wide and ten feet long. Counters, cabinets, and appliances left an aisle just big enough for a person to walk through.

With the addition the house is still an RS1 house—we’ve added about 30% to the square footage and it’s now a four bedroom house with three full baths. The house is still cozy.

We’ve paid attention to the details and been willing to spend money on them. The tile in the bathrooms recapitulates the tile in the original baths both in style and installation. We sought out decorative trim (liner tiles) that were identical in design to those in our original full bath. The trim, moldings, baseboard, picture rails, doors, and hardware in the addition are identical or nearly identical to those that were installed in the original house 70 years ago. Our objective has been to preserve the essential character of the house while adding modern amenities. For example, we’ve completely re-wired the house—the electrical infrastructure is completely new and nearly completely re-plumbed house. We’ve added a dishwasher to the kitchen—the old kitchen didn’t have room for one.

To my amazement and joy the new rooms have distinctive characters of their own. The bathrooms are happy places, bright and full of light. The first floor bathroom is the happiest room in the house. I don’t know how that happened but it definitely did.

The kitchen and its adjoining family room, essentially one large room with a fireplace, are a remarkably tranquil, peaceful place. I hope that character remains when we’ve moved in completely. Every afternoon I eat my lunch seated at the center island in the kitchen, drinking in the peace and quiet and calm, recharging my batteries.

I haven’t decided what the master bedroom will be like yet. I hope it has the tranquility that the kitchen/family room does. I know it will have an enormous amount of love.

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