my house is a wreck

I love my house. I love being a stay at home mom. I love that this is my life. But my house is a wreck.

We currently live in a Craftsman style bungalow that was built in 1918. When we bought it, it had 1900 sq ft, 3 bedrooms and 1 bathroom. When we moved in - it was the two of us and our 7 year old son. Now, five years later, we have 3 children and us - see the problem? We are currently a bedroom short. The boys each have a bedroom and we have the little princess in our bedroom. Her - along with her crib, changing table and dresser and OUR bed, dresser, chest of drawers and other assorted crap - and I'm beginning to feel claustrophobic. To say there is a need for 4 bedrooms is a giant understatement. She is almost mobile and her toys are beginning to take over the house simply because we have nowhere to put them. Also - I flat out want to have our bedroom back; just me and my husband; a kid-free zone.

That means either move or add on.

Because we are Masochists, we have chosen to add on. We are not new to the addition process. Our home now has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms thanks to our last big renovation undertaking. So here we are again; there are but two options.

Option 1:
We have an attic space that runs the length and width of the home but with steep sides from the pitch of the roof. There is only room to stand straight up in the very middle of the attic. We could add on up there - another bedroom and bathroom - possibly an office. This idea will add another 400 sq ft to our home. But it will also add a new roof line, dormers, re-run HVAC, and plumbing. And how cool would it be to be a teenager with your own room and bathroom upstairs and away from the small people?!?!

Option 2:
Our home also has a basement that runs the length of the home - a real rarity in Oklahoma. The basement is not finished and it is not water tight: the water seeps in from the floor when we get a lot of rain. We could finish it and add *almost* another 1000 sq ft to the home - I think it would add 890 square feet to be more precise. We could put, in theory, 2 bedrooms, a play room for the kids/craft room for me, laundry room AND storage room down there. BUT we would also have to do a french drain around the perimeter of the existing basement floor. And dig out the windows, and seal the floor and walls, and add HVAC and probably a wood stove.

I want to do the basement.

My husband wants to do the attic.

This past week he tore out part of my mudroom (that we just finished in October)
and put in 3 stringers for a staircase leading up to the attic. The stairs will be nice when they are finished - I'll give him that. He maintains that this is to make it easier to store everything up in the attic while we are doing the basement. I think it was really his weaselly way of beginning his project..."well, the stairs are already in baby"....uh-huh...

So anyway - my house is wreck. Not just the typical wreckage from Christmas and the holidays. But now from the next huge renovation project as well. I can't believe we all don't have asthma there is so much dust.

Not much of a post today because I am going to attempt to clean this place. I can't even focus on organizing it yet - I just need to get the layer of sheet rock dribble and sawdust OFF of everything.

I'll try and get back to more interesting posts tomorrow.