The Big Room...

The Big Room, which was added on to the house in the early 1970's, it's a long room that runs along the side of the house- and was dubbed the big room at the time - and the name stuck.

This room has been a bit of a pill.  It has paneled walls, and like our old house, we were just going to skim over them and to make it look like a sheetrocked wall.  Well, the paneling wasn't in great shape, and I think a little thinner than our other house.  When we skimmed it, you could still see all the seams, it bowed at each stud, it was rotting and splitting at the floor, and starting bubbling in places.  So basically we were fighting an endless battle trying to make this look right.  So after weeks of being frustrated, we decided to just spend the money to sheetrock it and it would solve all sorts of problems!!

Now the ceiling😩 is another story.  Grandma had her desk in the middle of the length of the room, but off to the side (I say this for my family).  Above that desk she had a flat square light.  Which was perfectly fine as long as you kept a desk under it!!! But remove the desk, then you have a very odd placed light.  So we removed the light, and now have a very odd placed square hole!!! Great😕  So about every 2 weeks I ask the contractor about his plans to correct this..... I'm still waiting for the answer😐  The trouble is the stippling, just like in the kitchen.... and as much as I would LOVE to sheetrock the ceiling, it ain't happening, so I pray that it can be fixed and not be noticeable.

Does my Ray family recognize the love seat???  For anyone who doesn't, this love seat belonged to my grandparents.  I have a picture of my dad, at age of 5, along with his parents and brother and they are sitting on this sofa!  And with this fabric!!  That is the original upholstery! That picture was taken in 1947!!!!!  That love seat held up well :)  When I grew up we had it in my house with a slip cover, so that helped.  I have always planned on recovering it, but.... It is no longer with the family....sniff sniff (just don't ask what happened) 

First of the skimming

Gone with the gold carpet- whoop!!

Once we decided to sheetrock, we then had to rip out all the paneling.  When we did, we found a fun surprise!!!  When this room was being built, Candi and Cindy were in the 8th grade and had a spend the night party.  They wrote messages and names of friends on the studs in one area of the room!!!  Because of the insulation (that we were not removing) we were unable to see all of it, but here are a few we could - Tim even got to participate at the party 😃

Sheetrock in progress:

Finally a picture of the oddly placed hole in the ceiling!

A little story about this opening:
Not the story of...  this is where Meredith, Mackenzie, and I usually stand and visit while everyone else is cleaning the kitchen (because we have no idea where any thing goes or what to do) - not that story, another......
One day after we made the opening in the kitchen to the den, I was showing it off to Candi, and she turned and said you should have raised the opening of that doorway - I haven't even noticed that it was a lot lower!!!  Geez, ugh, really.... now it's too late😣
Then I saw Parker standing under it, and realized that his hair touches the top!  Man, I hate I missed the chance to fix that.  I asked Tommy if he had to dunk, and he does - Oh my this is bad.
Well, when we decided to sheetrock - we got the chance to make it bigger (well higher/taller)!!!  Whoop whoop - victory dance!!! I was so excited, it makes such a difference! Amazing!  and I had never even noticed it before!! Thanks Candi for mentioning it!