Did I mention

Houzz.com? I'm pretty visual but have to be in the space to see it in my head.  Houzz.com solves that problem.  We have both been whiling away hours looking at kitchens, porches, master baths etc.

This is brill...

Kitchen Products

This is the sort of hilarity I would go for, if I were making decisions solo.  Fortuitously I am not and D is visually brilliant.

Tropical Kitchen by Indio Tile, Stone & Countertops Sullivan's Stone Factory

This is more along the lines of what the voices of reason have in mind.  Notice the clean lines and lack of ceramic birds, and overall ambience that does not shriek, I can't decide whether to make this look like the Moroccan Restaurant at Epcot, or a peaceful sanctuary of a kitchen.

Traditional Kitchen by Flemington Architects & Designers Pickell Architecture

Also this, though the columns are a little too 'bring me back to ancient Greece for a lesson on columns" for me.

Traditional Kitchen by Woodbridge Architects & Designers Huestis Tucker Architects, LLC

Stuff we are going to do

This is the view from the back of the first floor, in the vicinity of that window will be a window seat, and the wall to the left, which is the front of the house will come out (when we get the damned variance) and the butlers pantry will be there.  Legend has it that we own every small appliance known to mankind.   It's not true of course we don't have a compound miter saw yet, which I realize is not technically an appliance, but I digress.  So the front of the house will have butlers pantry on the left and sunroom into the living room on the right.  There will also be a coat closet for the ninja blending gear and grappling hooks and bat.  Because nothing says welcome, like someone wearing a ninja hood opening the front door.

This is the view from the garage of the back of castle fang.  The back door will be gone.  The mudroom will be going there.  This will be an integral part of castle fang, because here is where Fang will get leashed for walks, demudded, and where Catcatraz will be set up. Because the boys torment Puppy the cat, they are caged, as is she when we are out of the house.

did I mention the fireplace?

Lights, camera, action

and we've got some action at Castle Fang.  Happily there was an earthmoving machine of some ilk in the driveway at Castle Fang, the stairs to the back door were demolished. And we had this action...

 I like a semi permanent form of communication.

 The earthmover is hot, no?

 This will be some crawlspace action for the room of mud.  Yes, this will be a posh joint where mud has its own room

So Castle Fang is a 2 story dutch colonial currently 3 bedrooms, we will make it 5 so that everyone in the family has a space of their own.  

We plan to add a mudroom in this portion of the house.  

D brought three kids to the party, and of course I have the 3 cats.  Castle Fang is a reference to the dog we shall acquire once we move in.  He/She will be named Fang.  He will have to grow up with his own kittens who will be Spleen and Eleanor.  Yes, we have the pets named.  These details are important.

The front porch will be part sun room and part butlers pantry once we get the zoning details worked out.  Butlers pantry will be part of the land a plane in it eat in kitchen that we have planned.  

Castle Fang

Circumstances being what they are and the universe having impeccable timing and such, we inherited a house from the spouse's paternal unit who went to the Great Chinese Buffet in the sky.  Or to hell.  It's hard to know, apparently there are no outside lines, but I digress.   The house was in a state of disrepair and disarray and requires extensive rehabilitation.  So here are some photos of the interior demolition.  More photos as we progress.