Come on in! This is the entrance to the storage room off of Mom’s outdoor porch. The plan is to convert this room into an office for Kay. She’s planning to move here near the end of May. There’s a lot to do, let’s get started!
First…this is what the storage room looks like as we get started. It’s going to take a lot of work to clear out the room and get things ready for the new remodel. But we’re pumped and full of energy – Let’s do this!
Step One: We need to move Mom’s office into her bedroom so Kay would have a room for her new bedroom. Mom went with the flow and really helped – but she had reservations (about how this could ever come together). This was a hard day for her thinking through all the changes and ramifications.
Mom was amazing! She gave us great input and accepted new ideas. At the end of the day – she had a smile on her face and a hug for us. She really wants a great place for Kay and is excited things are coming together!
Step Two: We need to empty the storage room so we could start the construction. So we made room in the outdoor storage shed to move and “downsize” a lot of stored items. This was another full day for Mom to process where and what to do with everything. (Having gone through the downsizing experience, we knew this was an emotionally draining day for Mom).
Another full but productive day. Mom had enough drive and energy to keep going all day! She constantly amazes us with her stamina and perserverance. The stored items were all successfully moved or given away – the empty room is now ready for the remodel!
End of day rest! Was Dennis napping or was he watching YouTube videos on how to do it? Hmmmmm…..
Step Three: The remodel! Lorree and I needed to plan, decide, and install the ingrediants of a fully finished room that can serve functionally as an office. We were in constant communication with Kay for ideas and decisions – she was so helpful to us as we worked!
So…we started by building a new wall. The room would be insulated and sheet rocked. The rest of the room was already framed out, so this would compete the walls.
Then the electrical needed to be installed. Lorree drilled the pass through holes in the studs and Dennis ran the wiring and installed outlets. Fortunately there was already a good 20 amp circuit coming into the room from the breaker box. So thankful!
While Dennis finished up the wiring, Lorree got busy and installed the insulation. She’s good at this! We looked and looked for an electric staple gun and finally found one, Lorree was overjoyed! Those COVID masks sure came in handy dealing with all the insulation.
First time to cut out and install a window! (this project had a lot of firsts for us!) Carl came down to help for a few days, he was a blessing, came just in time to help do the hard stuff. It was fun working together.
Yea…more help! Gary and Wanda came the next day and helped us finish up the insulation in the ceiling. Perfect timing – it was great to do a project together!
Another first – install sheet rock on a ceiling! We were able to rent a floor jack to lift the heavy panels then we just had to manuver them into place and put in the screws. We really needed all this help – there was no way we could have put this together by ourselves!
The walls were next. Lots of measuring, cutting, lifting, mudding, taping, and fastening the sheet rock into place.
As you may have noticed, Mom was always interested and observant of what was going on. She was very encouraging to us, “looks good! I didn’t know you kids knew how how to do this stuff!”
We had “fun” (but really felt our ageing bones). We worked hard and were surprised at the how things were turning out – not too bad for 60+ old amatures!
Finishing touches! Mudding, sanding, blowing on texture, painting, smoothing the floor – more hard work but feeling good about how things are turning out.
We are SO thankful for our family, we are experiencing an adventure of our siblings and our kids working together for a profound goal – ultimately to give love and great care for our mother/grandmother Elsie. She deserves the best from all of us (Dad would be proud!) – she has always prayed fervently for each of her children/grandchildren. We are blessed and spiritually equipped because of her prayers, love and faith in Jesus … her’s and our Saviour!
And another first – leveling a floor and installing vinal floating floor panels. Dennis is thankful for “YouTube University”! There is so much to learn and then put into practice from watching Youtube. We had a low spot in one of the corners of the room. Self-leveling cement took care of that, then the flooring install went pretty well. It finished out great!
13 days….the transformation…. no words!
Oh the lady in the background….check her out! She is an amazing woman, wife, mother, grandmother! At 93 years she still sets a godly example for us. So glad to have a part in this this adventure/remodel. We’re praying for more opportunities to share our love with Mom / Grandma LC!