A New Home for Our Food

It's been a tough summer for my blog and I. Because the heat outside has put so many house projects on hold, I don't have much to say! It's been nice to go to work so I can take pictures of flying and post them. So I'm tickled to inform you that we are currently right in the middle of a project in the house that is going to make me so very happy indeed.

Our laundry room is massive, and I love the open feel. After you walk into the room, the washer and dryer are on the right, next to a door that leads outside to the pool. Just to the left of the laundry room entrance was our old pantry. I say "was" because on Saturday, it was torn down!

We had a dinky little pantry with awful, used-before closet shelving. It was hard to get to things tucked away in a corner, and the shelves didn't even reach the back of the wall. Having a huge gap back there gave the opportunity for all sorts of things to fall behind. Perhaps the worst part is that the pantry doesn't live up to its purpose of adequate food storage, and I've been dreaming of a better option for months. 

Because I knew drywall would need to be fixed after the old walls were cut out, I immediately knew this was a job larger than Hubby and I. Luckily, it's still only been the second job we've had hired out. The first was installing the medicine cabinet in the master bathroom. I didn't know how to move an electrical outlet and decided letting a professional play with fire was probably the best option. However, I watched him very closely so I can do it next time! This pantry project was also a perfect time to bring in a professional, and our neighbor just happens to be a general contractor who can have it done this week! Who knows how long it would take us if we attempted to do it on our own. 

On Saturday, Alan showed up with a big electrical saw to cut out the wall and ceiling that formed the tiny pantry. Our goal is to shelve this wall, floor-to-ceiling, more efficiently and with shelves that actually reach the wall. We are also shelving the adjoining wall up to the light switch. Behind the pantry, just to the right of the washer and dryer, we will also be removing the cabinet currently housing things like paint and frequently-used tools. We will be tearing this out to make room for an entire wall of shelving from floor-to-ceiling once again. It will be partitioned off to avoid being seen from the laundry room entrance, and it will also be partitioned off in the middle to provide a barrier between tools and food storage. I can't wait!

We will more than quadruple our food storage space, which will give me plenty of room to acquire the food I want. You never know when food will come in handy! Supposedly it's necessary to sustain life, so I think this is a justifiable desire to have a bigger pantry to store everything.

Today, the drywall professional is coming to patch the walls and ceiling. He will lightly texture it to match the rest of the wall. It might be a two-day process to allow the mud to dry before the texture is applied. Hopefully he will be finished tomorrow, which will allow Alan to return on Wednesday to shelf the entire room. That will allow Hubby and I to paint it all on Thursday, with drying time overnight so I can put everything back in the pantry on Friday. Just in time to host a dinner with neighbors on Saturday! Of course, this is the schedule going on in my brain, and I can only hope it happens. Hubby tried to assure me that it would be fine if people saw a project-in-progress, but I think it's much more fun to show a finished product! Since the timing is out of my hands, I will just relax and enjoy what's done this week. I can hardly wait for the end results!

Knowing what we were about to do, I've spent the past few weeks gathering storage containers, metal baskets (that will be spray-painted, of course), and air-tight canisters to help me pull this pantry together. All of the shelving will be open, but I know that my Type-A skills can make the pantry look neat and organized despite a bunch of cans being exposed to everyday view. All pantry items are currently living in the guest bedroom while construction is in progress. You know that doesn't bother me one bit! (Nervous laugh). It will be amazing when everything has a proper home with room to add even more!

To finish this room, we will eventually stack the dryer on top of the washer to make room for an upright freezer. We are building the shelves to accommodate the freezer down the road.

A new pantry is being born this week, and I'm giddy. Not many homeowners show a pantry on a house tour, but ours will certainly be a highlight after this week!