Our New Addition

Last summer we had a bathroom added onto our small house and it was such a good addition. Even though it's a small room, it makes our house feel so much bigger. We had flirted with the idea of adding another living space onto our house for a while and once we saw how much adding a small bathroom effected the feel of our home, we knew that adding more living space would be a huge benefit. In January we signed the construction contract and put down a deposit, securing our spot in line with the contractor. Our contractor came by the week of March 13 to drop off some paperwork for the permits and then the world changed. Construction was supposed to start in March, but of course that changed. Everything was up in the air.

The project officially got started the week of June 10th, coinciding with the kids' last day of online school and our 13th wedding anniversary. So much change! We watched them tear down the awning, bringing light into the kitchen for the first time. I love it so much. We watched the excavator break  up the patio and dig down for the foundation. They built the concrete forms and the city inspector said they were "Beautiful."  The day the concrete was poured we skipped our usual hour of quiet time because it we didn't want to miss a moment of it. Last Friday they put on the sub flooring so we had a very large deck, or stage, for the weekend. Today, Monday, they put up the frame for two of the walls! Each day gives another glimpse into what it will eventually become.

It is exciting, stressful, and very inconvenient. Essentially shutting down the backyard during a pandemic when we've already been at home for four months, and everything we would normally be doing (swimming, library, etc) is closed, is hard. We set up a play area in the front yard, but it really doesn't make up for the freedom of being able to tell your kids to go run off their energy in the backyard! I'm not complaining, it's just lousy timing. I know we are very privileged to get to do this. I grew up in apartments and rental houses where we weren't allowed to paint the walls or do any gardening. I never dreamed that someday I would be in the position we are in now. I feel very fortunate and don't take it for granted.