House demolition part I

We finally caved. Chris and I swore we would be able to live in an 800 sq ft house forever. "We're minimalists" (from an American perspective), "We won't buy a lot of baby stuff", "A family of 6 grew up here so we can do it, too!" were promises we made a few years ago. Then an actual baby came along, and so did all the stuff that accompanies a baby, and now we're cramped. Really cramped. Chris and I considered moving--again--but we're in love with this old "cottage", our neighbors are the best in the world, the location is amazing, and we can't afford to move. Over the past 6 months we've been working with a contractor/friend of ours and have finalized the designs for a second level, screened-in front porch, and the exterior. The front porch is something I have always dreamed of having, so I am ecstatic. The contractors will build the basic structure, install the windows, put on the siding, and install the electric and HVAC. Chris and I will do the rest. This is going to be a painstaking process because if possible, we would like to match the 80 year old molding, wood floors, doors, etc., but it's going to be tough. Chris, in particular, has a lot of work ahead of him. He's going to custom build the molding, room by room, and install wood floors--hopefully antique if we can find them! The roof gets taken off this week, so we'll keep track of the process on the blog. Part I of the demolition involved taking down the walls in the back of the house (in between kitchen and office, and office and Luke's room). This area is completely open, now, and it's where the staircase is going to be located. It's awesome (and surprising!) how open the space is from the living room to kitchen to...family room (?)!