Reclaimed Space

Our office is getting bigger, and, now the house has a butt hole. A couple of years ago I built a new garage behind and off to one side of our house. The closest, most efficient way out to the garage was to go through the guest room, through the sliding glass doors (which I put in), out into the back yard, pass the office to the old car port, then, there it is. We've done this for years, but no longer. On the back of our house is an old storage room, 10' x 5' feet with an exterior door only. No access from the inside. With the garage, there is no need for this room and haven't used it for years. It had shelves for storage that have been soaked with many spills over the forty years of who knows what chemicals the Anderson's has spilled over them. I cleared this room and aired it out for days. Took the old crappy door off and put in a new, energy saving glass door. Hanging doors is not one of my best talents but this one went well, as a matter of fact, it turns out to be the best door I have ever hung, and I have hung many (I have replaced every door in this house). Now I am knocking the wall down that separates this room from the office. It feels so much bigger. I will put in a coat closet and upgrade the electrical, but of course, slowly. To make sure I am doing the right things. Although I like the natural adobe block, this too is stained with years of goo, so I will be painting it to match the other painted adobe walls, or at least compliment them (I'm thinking a nice caramel color). Last night I got this idea that our house now has a butt hole/back door and is no longer hemorrhaging from the side. With the room I built on the front of the house the year after the garage went in and now the new back door, 5o sq. ft. added to our office, this place is turning out to be kinda nice.

Next project, to enclose the Arizona Room. It will be a much bigger project and more time consuming. Rusty can have this office and I will get my new art studio complete with running water.