Stair remodel: Progress

Our contractor wraps up work on our stairs today, but we still have lots of work ahead of us (and you know we're not nearly as speedy as the pros - just cheaper). While we're still a long way from finished, I couldn't wait to share some shots of the incredible progress so far! 

 

 

Here's the view from the entry at the end of days 1 & 2. Obviously, some lighting changes will need to happen down the road, but we're not there yet. Now if only we could figure out a solution for that awkwardly-placed fridge (someone buy me a SMEG fridge, please).

 

And the view from the kitchen. We thought we might install a railing on top of the half wall (Day 1), but we decided to just make the wall higher instead (Day 2). The treads and risers are of course temporary until we figure out the flooring situation. You can see that they also knocked out the doorway to the upstairs hallway. That was a last-minute decision that I'm so happy with!

 

 

Removing the doorway helps the high ceilings really stand out (and yes, we've got some brick painting to do).

 

Downstairs, we'll need to install a handrail along the wall. Again, temporary treads, but you can see that our contractor was able to move the stairs back by more than a foot. Now Adam doesn't have to duck to avoid hitting his head when he walks downstairs.

 

 

 

One neat find: when our contractor enlarged the opening in the wall, he revealed the house's old siding. The main floor is actually an addition, although I can't believe this house was once smaller than it is now!

 

 

So, lots of taping, mudding and sanding in our future (although we may hire that out too for speed), and of course now we have to pick out new flooring and make a decision about permanent stair treads/risers. We're still debating whether we'll install the stair treads and risers ourselves, or hire our contractor back to finish the job. He's been awesome to work with - and fast - so we'd love to work with him again. Sean from Streamline Construction if anyone local is in need of a contractor.