Columns Up!

We had such a productive weekend back around the house.  I kept telling Jeff that it was like we were trying to make up for our weekend out of town!

There was a lot accomplished on the sunroom.  My dad came over Saturday morning to help Jeff, and by Sunday the wall between the sunroom and the kitchen was almost finished!

{hard at work- framing the old window space}

{in progress}

My dad is a (semi) retired architect and had great advice for us on what to do with the wall between the kitchen and sunroom.  We had originally planned to keep the existing brick, add to it, and paint.  But in the end, we decided that even painted, you'd really be able to see the lines where new brick was added.

So we continued the bead board (obviously to be painted to match above) as a pretty accent on this wall.

The openings on the left and right will stay as half walls to keep the views & light from the windows.  There was so much to consider on this wall... And we were really limited by the existing steel header above this opening. 

It would have been almost impossible to open this wall up any more and keep the structural integrity.  So we tried to balance the structural needs of the header above (most important), how it would look best (with opening centered), and what would create the most useful space. 

Finally, the space to the right of the half wall will be built-in shelving for storage!  They won't be too deep, but a perfect spot for displaying a few pieces.

And for fun, a before (post-window removal)...

And after (as of this weekend)...

Now we just need to finish the drywall on the kitchen side, trim out the columns, and add molding to the entire room.  Then it's time to add flooring and paint... Then, we are (unbelievably) done!