Day 2: The wall comes down, the door disappears

Half of our first week is done, when you consider that we're on a four-day reno week (having begun the job yesterday). So far, so good (though we did eat at McDonald's, which I don't think is the best sign, given that it's only day 2 . . .).

Here's what we saw part-way through the day. First, that wall is now gone:

(Note the lovely new support beam -- those are some powerful pieces of wood!)

Next, one of the doors that used to lead into the kitchen is being built over, giving us some great new wall space for cabinets. This is what it looked like when I saw it in the middle of the day:

This is what it looks like now (it used to be to the right of the other door):

Other adventures for the day included removing an overgrown shrub, choosing tile, thinking about paint colours, enjoying a visit from Denis the kitchen guy, and having the fridge moved to the basement (kudos to a man named Troy, his co-worker, and what can be referred to only as brute strength!).

Before moving the fridge, we washed all the removable shelves in our lovely BIG sink (formerly known as the bathtub). The last thing I had to wash was the tempered glass bottom shelf. Picture this: I'm on my knees beside the "sink," wearing soapy rubber gloves, and I reach over beside the toilet to remove said shelf from its clever and very safe hiding spot. In hindsight I have only one thing to say: tempered glass, soapy rubber gloves, and a 1956 cement tile bathroom floor are not the ideal combination . . . .

Have you ever SEEN how tempered glass shatters? It's quite incredible. I figure that if that's the only thing I break in the course of all of this, we'll be doing pretty well. (Having said that, perhaps I should add a quick "TOUCH WOOD!" to that little statement, just to be on the safe side .)

The dogs were good, though very happy to get a couple of opportunities to run in the yard in the course of the day, and although the contractor asked me, "Have you ever tried one of those bark collars? They don't hurt . . . ," they really haven't barked all that much.

Tomorrow? I'm not sure, but I think he might start painting the living room. In any case, the adventure continues!