Building the Butler Pantry

Last Sunday, our friend Steve came to help us build the butler pantry wall. For months, a plastic trash bag (okay, a large plastic sheet that strongly resembled a trash bag) has hung between the former dining room and current living room. Because we intend to convert the living room into a large, formal dining room, we want to separate it from the cozy kitchen/great room that we're currently constructing.

The first step was to finish removing the hard wood flooring from the former dining room so that only plywood remained. We also had to put in some new plywood where there was none.



Next, we built the frame for the new wall and moved it into place.

(If you've never done this, you have no idea how difficult (and smelly) it is to use a propane-propelled nail gun, especially with your non-dominant hand.)

The last steps were to put up dry wall and add a pocket door. Obviously, there's more work down the road, but we accomplished a great deal in just one day!

More Windows

Christmas Eve saw the installation of five more windows in the back of the addition. Only one more window remains to be put in, and that's the pantry window on the side of the house.

Merry Christmas To Us!

On December 22, Mike and I received an early Christmas present from an elf driving a Penske truck. The windows finally arrived, and here they are in their boxes, complete with a green ribbon on each one! We received 12 of them, one for each day of Christmas!


Six of the windows were installed today, and the others will be installed tomorrow. The windows were easier to put in than expected, but it was cold outside.

Waiting on the Windows

Back in October, Mike ordered 12 windows for the addition. We expected they would arrive within two weeks, but it is now the middle of December, and we are still windowless. The manufacturer is completely overwhelmed with orders due to the tax credit being offered if certain types of windows are installed before the end of the year.

Even if we receive the windows soon, installation will be difficult. Here's why:

Some of the materials used to install windows (like sealants or adhesives or other stuff I don't know about) are only viable above a certain temperature. If we don't experience a thaw, then Mike plans to cover the addition with a tarp to heat the space. And that will be a big pain!