Goodbye House.

Our lives have been on hold over the past week as we completed the move out of our house. We go to closing in the morning and right now emotions are very few, we are exhausted.

I remember the first time I walked in the door. Don and I were very newly dating, he had the kitchen sealed off in plastic and I wasn't allowed upstairs. I eventually gained access, half the kitchen floor was gone and the kitchen itself was in no way usable. The upstairs was finally finished, he had carpet installed in the hallway and second bedroom before I ever went upstairs. We would spend the majority of our time on the 2nd floor after that. I enjoyed helping him renovate the kitchen, knocking out horrible 70's cabinets, tearing out the floor, sistering joists, installing a new floor, new cabinets, documenting everything along the way. I have learned so much in this process and I have really enjoyed all the detail we put into it. I have a much greater appreciation for all things old. We put vintage subway tiles in for the backsplash, rescued cabinets, new old stock dishwasher, vintage stove with new guts, a 1920's cast iron sink which dates back to the when the house was built. There is so much detail, so much care and character in that kitchen. But we are happy to leave it behind and let the new buyer enjoy it.

Here are a few fun photos of the demolition.
For reference the stove position in the old kitchen is in the same place as the new kitchen.

And of course it wouldn't mean half as much if you didn't see the final product. If you would like to see more, check out this post.
The kitchen was certainly a labor of love that took years to complete. I plan on gathering all the photos and putting a book together, should have done it a long time ago but hey what can ya say?
We are very excited to begin this new chapter in our lives together. In November we will be moving into this 80 year old farmhouse in Skippack. Its about 40 minutes out of the city. We have just shy of an acre and could not be more excited. I can not wait to garden, sit on the back porch with a cup of coffee, and watch Alma frolick in the yard like a puppy. Fury (the cat) will also be super happy, she loves being outside.
Until mid November we are living in an apartment right next to Eastern State Penitentiary. Its a nice change of pace from Port Richmond, but I will be happy to be in our new house in two months. We plan on hiring movers for the "final" move. I am done schleping boxes up and down flights of stairs. I know everyone out there feels our pain. We need a day at the spa!

So tomorrow afternoon I return to a more normal schedule and I have a ton to catch up on. Oh my do I have a tone to catch up on.