If these walls could talk, they'd say "RIP ME OUT!"

This week we begin remodeling our house. . . installing a new kitchen, taking down a bunch of walls, and replacing floors downstairs. The contractor tells us it will take 6-8 weeks, so I am planning for 12. I plan to post on the progress here, with photos.

So these are the "before" shots. Movers came and took all of the furniture and put it in storage. Now, it's just empty echoing rooms that the dogs like to bark in.

The wall on the left is coming out, and those hideous columns along with it. Ditto for the column you see on the front right.

This is another view of the doomed walls. The kitchen is behind them, once they're gone the room will be opened up, the floor plan will be a little more modern.

Views of the kitchen. The wall with the sink is coming out, everything will be pushed back against the window. The cabinets will run along the wall on the right, and we're replacing them with a lighter wood to give some better contrast. Right now the effect of having cherry floor run into cherry cabinets makes you feel like you're cooking in a cave.

The square island is going, and being replaced by a long rectangular one which will visually separate the kitchen and the living room. It will be roughly where the wall is now.

We're adding three skylights, to bring more light in, and there will be a pantry and grown-up wine storage (Sub-Z, baby) to the left of the window.