Remodeling...before and after!

We moved into our house in February 2002. We didn't have any children yet. Hubby was in his first year of practice and I was finishing up my last year of law school. We were so happy to be moving out of our apartment and into our first home. 925 square feet. 2 bedrooms. 1 tiny bathroom. Yes, it was tiny...but it was our's. I remember our realtor telling us, "You think you'll be in this house for more than three years but I guarantee that you won't."

Fast forward eight years. Add two kids, a finished basement (an extra 250 or so square feet), a second downstairs bathroom, a third basement bedroom, a remodeled upstairs bathroom...and we're still in our lovely little home. We love our house and are blessed to be able to live here.

This is all a preface to our last "big" interior remodeling project in our lil' house. While we finished the basement three years ago right before Alison was born, we never got around to re-doing the terrible, icky storage shelves that led down to the basement. That's the only way I can describe them...icky. We stored things on the shelves that were better suited for a garage, like old paint cans and tools. But these were out in the open for everyone to see. Here is what it looked like:




Last week, we (and by "we," I mean our awesome handyman neighbor with the assistance of my hubby on some finishing work) tore out the old shelves and built custom wood cabinetry and shelving leading down to the basement. We finally feel like our little house is complete now. I can't wait to fill the shelves with some nice books and family photos. Here are the after photos:





On a side note, I realized again last week how lucky I am to have the opportunity to not have a job outside the home. During the awful construction process, I was able to pack the kiddos up and head down to my hometown to stay with my mom and dad for a few days. If I were still working, I wouldn't have been able to do that. It was confirmation again that I made the right the decision for our family when I quit my job with the full support of my awesome hubby.