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I am obsessed with a wall. This wall separates my kitchen from my living area. My obsession with it has come on slowly, taking years to ferment into a frothy head of steam.
When I first moved in seven years ago, I hardly noticed this wall. 
I used to put big showy vases of flowers on it…but that blocked the view out the back windows. I also put framed pictures on it…until I learned how easy it was for those to get toppled off to shatter on the wood floor.
About three years ago, I was looking at the wall one day and wondered why it was there. I guessed that it was a load-bearing wall, and they made it a half wall so that the rooms would at least feel open. It doesn’t help. Then, my brother-in-law, who is a builder, told me that wasn’t it. He said there was plenty of support and they didn’t need the half-wall. He said it was a design feature. 
A design feature. Meaning, someone put this half wall in my house purely for aesthetic reasons. Presumably someone who thinks barriers are aesthetically pleasing. If you are in the living area, you can’t see who is speaking to you in the kitchen and vice versa. Children try and climb it. Dogs rub against it. Things fall off of it. It is useless, wasted space. Thanks, architect.
About a year ago, I began to obsess about that wall. And when I say obsess, I mean, hate it with great passion. I regularly think unkind thoughts about the architect who thought it would be cool to build a nice house and then ruin it with that stupid half wall. I have sat at my kitchen table staring at the wall and marveling at the sheer ineptitude, the sheer stupidity.
I would kick that wall down if I could, but there are things to consider, such as electrical outlets. So I am going to hire someone to come in and take it OUT OF MY HOUSE. I don’t care how they do it. I don’t think I care how much it costs. I am that obsessed. It. must. go.
I’ll let you know how it all unfolds 
. Do you have an obsession in your house you want to tell us about? Have you ever started with something you scarcely noticed that blew into a full-blown, crazy-lady obsession? Have you worked with contractors and renovators? Any tips for me?
Sorry, Julia, I’ve never obsessed about anything in my house. There are things I’d like to change to be sure, but not in an obsessive manner! I’d like to paint the inside and maybe screen in or at least put a roof on our deck, but if I did that I wouldn’t be able to sit outside in the sun when I read.
Never had to deal with a contractor.
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 6:30 am.
Is it just me? Am I one of those crazy women?
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 9:06 am.
You had me cracking up! I must say I bought this house a couple of years ago, and have not really obsessed about much. Recently though a reminder as to how short life is opened my eyes and now I obsess about selling it and moving out of this state. In due time, Julia. Your wall will be gone in due time! Good luck!
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 6:53 am.
Kelly, isn’t that the truth? You start to think if you don’t do it now, when will you, and you probably won’t, and you’ll die in that state, or for me, I’ll die staring at that wall.
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 9:07 am.
Wow, exactly! I hope you get rid of that awful thing soon.:) I’m looking forward to the 27th!
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 12:58 pm.
a friend of mine has at least 8 of those so called design features. she loves them but I think they look odd.
I have a half wall/breakfast bar that separates my kitchen from the livingroom. my landlord has the same feature in his apt. he had a friend build them long before I moved in. the problem is that his separates his dining room and kitchen. Technically, I suppose my living room should be used as a dining since it has linoleum flooring, but if I used it as that I’d essentially have no place to sit, watch tv or read a book, other than my bedroom. the only other space available would be my inside entry way and there is no way I am cramming furniture in that small space. I would then alternate between looking into my bathroom or a tv crammed into a corner 3 ft away. uh no thanks.
So the way it stands, a rug covers the linoleum which designates the space livingroom-ish, my breakfast bar is used to hold cookbooks, a clutter overflow basket and the cats’ only high perch.
Makes for fun surprises when they come down. I’m usually sitting in a rocker slightly underneath the lip so they walk down me instead of jumping. oooof!
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 7:23 am.
as soon as I finished typing, Sweetums landed on my chest for a snuggle–oooof!!!
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 7:26 am.
Another half wall madman! Those things are nothing but junk collectors.
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 9:09 am.
I had a wall like that. It was between the dining room and the pantry. We finally knocked it down and made a much larger dining room with a bay window. I like that MUCH better.
Luckily IV is a contractor and he knows lots of contractors so he talked to them and I didn’t have to. They seem to have a flexible system of time as far as I can tell.
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 7:58 am.
I am fully prepared for that, Lori. So do painters, lawn guys…
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 9:09 am.
I really, really hate the way that the kitchen here is set up. The sink faces into the lounge room, there is no kitchen window to look out while I wash up and then there is where the antenna point is situated. It really should be on the wall by the front door so then the lounge can be set up better. My biggest obsession other than books is cats. I would be quite happy to end up as a stereotypical crazy cat lady.
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 8:09 am.
Kelly, I think I could do it, too, only with dogs.
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 9:10 am.
Haha, I had a dream once that you bought a farm and decided to breed and raise labs. I don’t think I ever told you that one.
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 9:59 am.
That sounds like a hell of a lot better dream than the one I had the other day. Serial killers are no fun in my dreams and then there was this odd ball one about this guy liking me and me freaking out over it and trying to hide in a public toilet but I couldn’t hide in the right one. Yes, I have just a small issue with public toilets in that it must be one by an outside wall or I will wait. Yeah, I’m somewhat odd.
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 10:17 am.
I feel your wall hate, Julia! I have 3 of those in my house. The separate the livingroom and kitchen, livingroom and diningroom, and the diningroom and kitchen. Like you I tried to dress them up with fancy frames or vases, but with kids and their need to throw things in the house, things were always falling off and breaking. For me, these are load-bearing, and need to stay. I hate them, but I am at peace with the fact I can’t change them. I am not at peace with my white kitchen cabinets, however. I hate them. They show everything, and once again, I come back to the kids. They touch them with dirty hands or hands covered in marker, and I feel like I spend half my day wiping down cupboards. I would love to do a kitchen re-model, but I know it isn’t in the cards for a few years, at least. I will try and live with them, but the hate simmers below the surface.
We had our basement finished a few years ago, and our contractors were great. They did such an amazing job, and they stayed right on budget. We did alot of research to find the right one. So, that would be my advice-Do your research.
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 8:14 am.
Amy, I haven’t had this job bid on yet, so who knows. I have an idea of what it is worth to me, but if it’s way over that, forget it. I will resort back to thinking, it is just a wall. ha
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 9:11 am.
I haven’t worked with any contractors, so I have no advice, but I do have an obsession.
I HATE my kitchen floor. I don’t think the linoleum has been replaced in over twenty years. It’s so freaking old that it is shrinking away from the seams where it meets a new piece. It has no seal left, so what is supposed to be white with pretty pink flecks is actually a dingy tan, from the grime that I CAN NOT remove no matter how much I scrub with bleach. There are a couple of deep scratches too, just because it just wasn’t hideous enough.
You’d think “Well, that’s an easy fix. Just rip it up and lay down new linoleum. Done!”, but it’s not that easy. We bought a house for under market value because the owners didn’t want to fix it up before selling it. We thought it was a steal. We were right- for them. We had to replace 2 tubs, 2 toilets, 3 sink fixtures, all the carpeting, the stove, the washer AND the dryer, paint the outside of the house, paint the INSIDE of the house (Pepto Bismol pink, really?!) and when we pulled the Laura Ashley wall paper down in the kitchen, half the wall came with it, because they had STUCK IT TO THE DRYWALL. And we need to replace the water heater this spring.
So, yeah. I’m obsessed with this stupid, nasty floor. I hate it. I hate the people who lived here before and took such poor care of the house. I do love our house, though, because it’s charming and sweet. I just wish it wasn’t so much work!
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 8:20 am.
Dana I lived in an old and very charming house once, which we eventually sold to buy this one. I loved that house. But there was something wrong with every part of that house, and after redoing some parts, we just said forget it. Our whole life was a remodel project!
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 9:13 am.
I’m one of those people who loves having the barriers (walls) seperating different living areas…of course I am one of those people who has to put furniture up against walls because having it in the middle of the room drives me batty.
As for dealing with contractors…
Hint, leave the house while they are working there because if you stay, it will drive you insane! It always looks 100 times worse than you imagined while they are doing it but it is definately worth it when they are finished. If leaving isn’t an option, I suggest baracading yourself in another part of the house with headphones and really loud music.
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 8:40 am.
Good advice, Wendy!
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 9:14 am.
Oh, yes. When I moved in with my beloved, there was a row of cabinets over a counter separating kitchen and dining room. I finally got them down last year, and it’s amazing what a difference it made! Now everyone gatherers at the counter to Kenosha and talk. I adde skylights, too, and now the whole space feels open and welcoming.
Go, Julia! Post pictures when you finish.
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 8:56 am.
Nosh, not Kenosha. (Seriously, autocorrect?)
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 8:58 am.
haha! I was wondering if kenosha was a regional word. You have inspired me! Now I can’t wait to get it down.
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 9:15 am.
Nope Kenosha is a town in Wisconsin, definitely an odd autocorrect.
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 10:33 am.
I’ve had the obsessions, the problem is that usually my DH says “we can do that” and it turns out to be a lot of work! But the contractor idea sounds great!
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 9:01 am.
This project is a little too involved for any do-it yourselfers. I used to be more of a doityourselfer, but now, meh. Let a professional do it
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 9:16 am.
Give me a time and day and I’ll be over with my sledge hammer to get the destruction started. My obsession has always been with space and use. My fantasy is about adding a huge room to be my study, mine alone, a room which doesn’t also have the guest bed in it.
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 9:40 am.
I have a big playroom I wish I could convert into a huge office complete with a chaise longue. I love to say that.
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 9:46 am.
I have one of those between my kitchen and dining room, which unfortunately is part of a load bearing wall. It also has the radiator for the kitchen on it, which becomes a well loved perch for the cats, esp in winter. The wall is part of the original house and a large open area was made when they added the dining room off the back.
We are talking about having it structurally removed and redone, so I can have one big open area, but the cats will be totally annoyed. They love to sit there and bat the dog on the head while he eats. And their food is on the other side. LOL
It’s a slow process but someday I will have the kitchen I want. but yes, I obsess about that and a few other things.
You are not alone!
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 9:43 am.
Thanks, Ev. I know I should be grateful for all that I have, but I’ve never been one to get too far into the clutches of gratitude.
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 9:47 am.
I have been in your house! I know that wall! And I can tell you that it is functional. Sometimes I like to cook without people looming over my shoulder or watching my every move, but I still like to be part of the action in the other room. Aha, half wall- the perfect solution. I’m thinking that’s what your architect had in mind. It’s a visual separation without being an actual separation. For me, the wall makes sense. But if you want a true open space, knock it right on down. I removed doors that separated my kitchen from my dining room, and it was a great decision.
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 9:53 am.
Well there we have it — I don’t cook! No wonder I didn’t get it, LOL
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 11:36 am.
Julia — Rip it…Rip it good!!!!!! Get rid of that irritation and put a smile on that pretty face! From personal experience (after firing a contractor midway through our HUGE remodeling project) ask real estate agents you know and friends who’ve managed their own home projects. This inspiration came to me when I was standing in my living room staring at the HUGE hole the wall where the fireplace USED to be…. talk about SHOCK personified. That was me. Breathless. Incredulous. (You live and learn, right??) I made those calls and found a wonderful company. We’ve used them over 20 years. We trust them explicitly. They’re like family now.
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 10:06 am.
That’s the tricky part – finding someone who is really good and reliable.
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 11:37 am.
Nothing major about my house that I dislike. Some small things I would like to change down the way. We have had our house for almost 11 years, so it is mostly up keep things. Your wall does look like a pain in the rump. Hope you get it taken down soon. You know if you would just watch HGTV, after a couple of shows you really feel like you can do any home project, LOL!
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 10:08 am.
HGTV is a monster. It puts all kinds of ideas in my head!
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 11:37 am.
I had a 1/2 wall for no apparent reason in my living room and it made me nuts! I finally talked the hubby into taking it out when we were replacing the carpet. From the markings on the wood floor under the carpet it looks like it was part of a bigger wall/divider at some point. The removal of that little 1/2 wall opened up my entire room! Go for it!!
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 10:08 am.
Thanks colleen! That’s what I am hoping, is that it transforms the room
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 11:38 am.
We had a bad storm that drove rain into a previously unknown crack in our family room sliding glass doors. The doors led out onto this old ugly 10′x20′ deck. The doors needed to be replaced and instead of stopping there we added a large screened-in porch and two-level deck. We really didn’t understand how much we didn’t use the backside of the house until we could. The new french doors open out onto the porch and give us so much more room.
I was not working at the time and spent my days bothering the contractors. As design issues came up I was there to handle them and get exactly what I wanted. OCD? Yep. But I love the results!
Best of luck with your wall project Julia!
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 10:13 am.
Kez, I need someone like you to come here and handle it for me.
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 11:39 am.
I’ve only had rentals so far, but they have convinced me that I want a medium to large well-ventilated bathroom, and a bloody huge kitchen with heaps of counter space. Also, while dealing with home issues can be a pain, at least for a while I wouldn’t mind hunting up the people to get er done myself instead of waiting forever for a landlord to do it. I might just take a lef from my dad’s book and attack a lot of them myself, I like playing with tools anyway, and the teardown process can really release frustration.
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 10:43 am.
I do wish I was handier with tools and common sense
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 11:39 am.
When a contractor tells you he’ll be back to finish Monday, make sure you know which Monday. Because you might be thinking the following Monday and he doesn’t show up for two Mondays.
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 10:44 am.
Good advice!
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 11:39 am.
When I first saw my townhouse with my realtor, I fell IN LOVE with it. It was spacious, it had laminate flooring in the main rooms and carpeting on the stairs and in the bedrooms, the kitchen was large enough to fit a table or island, I could see my son (and future children–I was pregnant at the time) playing in the living room, etc, etc.
What I didn’t see, was that the only bathrooms were on the TOP FLOOR. There’s the main bathroom, and then our en-suite. But none on the main floor. (I live in a three story townhouse) So, while I was in my last trimester with my second son, I had seriously contemplated using adult diapers versus climbing up and down the stairs to use the restroom every 15 minutes. I HATED it.
What I also failed to realize, was that while my kitchen was in a large space, had plenty of room for a table and chairs, it didn’t have ANY cupboard space. We have now piled our plates and bowls on top of one another, our cups are squished (half now broken due to falling out of the cupboard), and we have all our appliances on the counters or stacked on the floor at the back door. We still have 3 boxes of kitchen gadgets, gizmos, and serving plates sitting in our garage. We also do not have a pantry… so everything that does not fit in my fridge sits in a rubbermaid bin on my kitchen floor.
We had THOUGHT that our garage would be large enough for all our stuff… but then my husband’s ’65 Fairlane broke down and is being stored in it. The thing is a MASSIVE vehicle. Now we can’t reach our bikes, the kids’ outdoor toys, our stored kitchen stuff, our outdoor clothes… the list goes on.
Never will I ever purchase a house that I had not SERIOUSLY looked over for practical reasons. I’m driven crazy on a daily basis in this house. ug.
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 11:11 am.
These are tips that come from living, Cheri. What I wanted in a house 20 years ago and what I want now? Vastly different things.
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 11:41 am.
Amen! Preach it, Julia!
We lived in a little house that we loved. Gorgeous, tree filled yard, huge kitchen and living room…two tiny bedrooms and one tiny bathroom and no closet space. We made it work, but now when I look back, there is no WAY that would suit. The one bathroom thing would be murder!
Now, I still want the big kitchen, but also a large closet and at least two, if not three, bathrooms so we aren’t fighting. 
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 1:20 pm.
I understand about stupid walls that serve no purpose other than to irritate.
The weird corner pantry in my kitchen, I hate it! My sister hates it, we want it gone! But in order for it to go away we must have something functional to replace it with. What we want to do, time & money permitting, is tear it out and put in floor to ceiling cabinets with pullout drawers. We will gain nearly 30 sq.ft of space by taking it out. Backup plan if floor to ceiling cabinets are not on the books is extending the cabinets we have on both walls and put in a carousel to make it easier to reach the back corner. We have already moved the island to the outer wall, raised the window behind the sink, and laid down flooring throughout the house.
The closet door leading into my bedroom used to be an issue because it was three feet from the bathroom door so that wall was awkward and wasted.When we had the bathroom redone a couple of years ago we moved the door into the bathroom and closed the bedroom opening. Now I can get dressed before I leave my spectacular bathing facility.
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 11:39 am.
Ooh, Evlqn, that sounds heavenly
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 11:41 am.
It is, I love my bathroom, Abel made the tile shower to my specs and he made granite shelves for the shampoos and such. The tile in the shower matches the floor tile in the bathroom and closet. We took an office credenza and installed a vessel sink on it and my sister and our 14yo g-son used fix-all to stucco the walls to disguise that ugly vinyl wallpaper.
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 4:03 pm.
I began to HATE my kitchen cabinets. We built our home (yesp… no builder… but two 19 year olds that wanted to own and not rent) 30 years ago and the kitchen cabinets were U. G. L. Y. So I googled how to paint them and forged ahead.
One thing I should’ve thought of was not to do this in the dead of winter. It was below freezing outside but I had all the windows open ’cause the paint fumes were making me high-as-a-kite. Cabinet doors were all over the garage drying for days. The topper was our cat, Handsome, walking through the paint pan and leaving me little kitty paw flowers all over the house. But, it was worth every bit of trouble I had because they turned out great.
Remember, it’s only paint. If you don’t like it, start over.
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 11:39 am.
That’s my next project – painting walls that look gray now where little hands and fat dogs have rubbed against them
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 11:42 am.
We bought our house from my fil, who at some point in the early 70s, removed the front windows and enclosed the porch. For whatever reason – probably because of the lack of light, walnut paneling in the living room and they are load bearing, he left these 2 2×4 (which we replaced with a 4×8) about 3.5 feet away from the outer wall. He made them into a “column” by encasing them in wood. So we lived with this gap for about 10 years before we finished the wall. What a vast improvement! Of course, we added the 8 foot window back to the front of the house for more light.
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 11:41 am.
I fear I might end up with a column, too, but I have plans for it if I do.
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 11:43 am.
Just make sure it’s not a load bearing wall.
My sister changes her house constantly – my brother in law is very gifted so he just does what she says. Although the last wall she wanted knocked down was load bearing so my brother in law had his work cut out for him.
We don’t change much as we rent, but I go to my sister whenever I want advice on what colors would be good for the walls or how to place my furniture in a room. She is very talented.
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 11:45 am.
ooh, that is a luxury I would love to have – an interior decorator tell me how to do my house. It’s a hodgepodge now but I think it must have so much potential!
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 1:46 pm.
I spent the last year living in fairly crappy, extremely overpriced apartments (stupid LA real estate prices) and loathed something about each one of them. At first it was not too bad, but then the more I was there, I became like you.. until it spread to be a pretty intense dislike of the whole place. Since they were apartments, I couldn’t do anything about it.. there are a few things about The Geezer’s house that are not my favorite, but it is not my house, so it doesn’t bother me overly much.
I can’t wait to see how your place looks without the wall!
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 11:52 am.
me too, Sheridan!
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 1:47 pm.
If I may be so bold; the area is enclosed so it is considered a “pass through” feature. I too suffer one of these between the eat in portion of the kitchen and my family room. The only difference with mine is it’s arched next to an arched walk through — this too makes absolutely no sense. They were even kind enough to place a recessed light fixture above it as if I’d display a priceless family heirloom there. This begs the question, which side of the pass through should do the “admiring”? One side or the other always gets the “back” of something.
Until one day at work (I used to have a small antique business), I was hanging a large stained glass window and said to myself, I can’t decide which side I like better, the distressed and repainted side or the original side with its polished wood. Viola..Inspiration struck!
I had an antique leaded glass window in the space for a while and got theeee best compliments (it allowed the light from both sides to pass through and the different designs could keep your eye wandering forever). I’ve since painted and the place is now empty, and although I don’t obsess about it, I am on the next great “find” to hang in the space.
If it makes you feel any better, I even carry the space’s measurements with me in my purse and a mini tape measure in case I run across the perfect hanging piece.
However, if it’s the bane of your existence, and it sounds like a close second after Lucifer, then by all means, grab a sledgehammer and go for it! Save the money for the clean up crew!!
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 11:54 am.
I thought about that, Nitty. But I decided I would rather have the open room and be able to see.
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 1:48 pm.
I despise our landscaping in the front of the house. What ever I plant is fried by the next week. It’s so hot that cute wreaths have melted on my front door. Wish I could move the whole house to face east.
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 11:58 am.
My house faces west. You would think I would know better at my ripe old age, but no, I didn’t think of it. Never again!!
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 1:49 pm.
Also, it just hit me. Wasn’t it you who had that lovely sculptural ironwork done in your entry way? If so, why not consider carrying it through to this space and have something similar done to this space? If it wasn’t your place, forget I just said anything
LOL
Please keep us posted!
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 12:11 pm.
I have an iron piece in the entry, if that’s what you mean. And the staircase has iron thingies (spindles? I used to know what those were). But nothing fancy. Must be someone with really good taste, LOL
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 1:50 pm.
But of course
Hahahahaha!
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 10:08 pm.
I have no experience or advice to offer. From the picture, it does look like a strange thing to do. Good luck getting rid of it. It will feel like a whole new space!!
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 12:13 pm.
Thanks Lisa
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 1:51 pm.
Yes, Julia there is something in my house that I am obsessed with. My hubby(who you met)is a professional “pilot” not the kind who flies airplanes but the kind who piles stuff everywhere. I clean stuff off and am proud of myself fir having one pristine spot in my house and not 30 minutes later I come back to find my lovely clean spot filled with car magazines,unopened mail(addressed to him) car keys,checkbook,change and thing he will probably never pick up again.While it was a cute little habit when we first got married it has now become a “sore subject” with me especially when he comes to me and asks honey,have you seen my keys or the checkbook? ARGH!!
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 12:29 pm.
Oh yea, I know what you mean about piles. The more surfaces you have, the more places other people have to pile things.
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 1:52 pm.
The thing that drives me nuts is where the builder put outlets and cable. I want to rearrange and can see a difference in how just moving certain pieces would be much more pleasing and even be in a better role (such as lamps). So instead I find myself thinking and hoping that truly just with my will and concentration it will magically change (maybe I should twitch my nose or bob my head with my arms crossed). Do I want cord extensions, oh, Yuk, no. So I just find myself attempting to make it better, I can find myself obsessing, but I refuse to pay the amount people want to do it. Makes me wonder if the builder and contractor get together and try to cause a bit of insanity and further future income. Oh, well, I digress.
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 12:58 pm.
Okay, seriously, what is with that? Every room in this house is wired to the nth degree — but usually on the wrong wall!
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 1:53 pm.
I am totally like that, Julia. I’ll stare and stare at something, then BAM I have to do something about it. NOW. Lately it’s been the playroom. I added a wire bookcase thing to stack toys on, but there’s still…something. I just can’t put my finger on it yet. But I will. (I feel like Ahab going up against the White Whale.) *g*
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 1:02 pm.
I know what it is. It’s a chaise longue for afternoon naps. I know, because I have one, too. I THOUGHT it was toy disorganization but no…it’s the need for a chaise longue.
I love that word.
chaise longue
chaise longue
chaise longue
chaise longue
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 1:54 pm.
I feel your pain. I have one of those between my living area and my formal dining. One pole and a half wall, so if you are sitting in the formal dining, which we admittedly don’t really use other than to play family games at get-togethers, you can’t see in the kitchen because of the pole. I’m sure they meant it to be a division of space, but I just find it unnecessary. I haven’t gotten to the point of no return that you have come to yet, though.
Good luck with your demolition!
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 1:24 pm.
Sit there and look at it for awhile and tell me you don’t get obsessed, Julie, LOL
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 1:54 pm.
Girl, I’m not home often enough to look at it for too long, thankfully! When I am home, I have too much other crap to do, Mount Washmore is usually at the top of that list. But, if I were home enough, I can guarantee I would likely find entirely too many things to obsess over.
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 2:38 pm.
We have a tiny extension on part of our house that I think is adorable, but we couldn’t open the windows and doors. Confused, we finally got a contractor to come and look at it and they explained that the little extension was sinking slowly into the ground! The contractor helped us fix it all back up, and now the windows and doors all open. He’s coming back this spring to reframe the door and finish cleaning things up.
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 2:45 pm.
Ooh, I have been there with sinking house parts. Fortunately where I am now is built on limestone. Nothing moves!
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 3:09 pm.
Many years ago, my mom washed the walls in the entry. Soon after the drywall, flooring and windows were all replaced. A laundry sink was added and the washer & dryer were moved there.
Very handy because a few years later the kitchen, only bathroom, stairway and office (dining room) were completely remodeled. The locations of the windows and toilet stayed the same, but everything was upgraded. Dad started the project by shoveling dirt around under the house and jacking it up.
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 2:46 pm.
A very handy man, it would seem
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 3:09 pm.
My dad spent 10 years building houses for his brother’s construction company. Uncle helped with the remodeling.
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 5:48 pm.
Hysterical!!! I wonder, if they hadn’t put a “window” in that wall, would it have grown to an obsession? Or would you simply have never thought about trying to see and/or to talk to people from the room on one side to the room on the other?
Taking it down will be such a relief to you… you’re going to have to figure out the flooring issue, but that’s just another thing to add to the electrical outlet list.
In our condo, there’s a big support beam in a traffic area in our living space, but as it prevents the entire building from collapsing, I’ve learned to live with it.
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 2:55 pm.
Good question, Susan! And how self-sacrificing of you to hang on to the thing that supports your entire building, LOL
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 3:10 pm.
Mine is the island in my kitchen. I like islands I really do. But this one divides the kitchen. Sink, dishwasher, and refrigerator on one side. Stove and cabinets on the other. Where was the thinking in this. If two people are in there you are playing ring around the rosie or squeezing past each other. Unfortunately my DH loves it. So I can completely understand your frustration.
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 3:28 pm.
That’s crazy! We looked at a house before we bought this one – it had this gorgeous kitchen island. But it was about ten feet from the rest of the kitchen. I couldn’t understand what that was all about. Like a free floating piece of furniture in the room with no real useful purpose because it was so far from the fridge, stove, sink, pantry. Weird.
I am seeing another blog post: The most bizarre things we’ve ever seen in a house.
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 3:30 pm.
I had a half wall in my house, too, that separated the kitchen from the family room. It always bothered me that the wall was not functional in any way and served no purpose other than to separate the two spaces. When we remodeled the kitchen recently, I had the contractor remove the wall and install 36″ cabinets in its place. Now I use the half wall of cabinets as my pantry to store canned and dry goods and I love it!
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 3:48 pm.
Now there is an idea. Hmmm….
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 4:15 pm.
He also installed electrical outlets on the back side/family room side of the cabinet wall so I didn’t lose my outlets.
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 4:19 pm.
OH MY GOSH! I have a stupid half wall between my kitchen and living room TOO! I hate it TOO! I can’t take it out because it has the cold air return and electrical outlets on it TOO! My brother-in-law is the architect who thought it was a cute idea…. I thought so too, until I had to live with it. Mine is about 7 feet wide so at least it’s a little open, but I can’t put anything on it (cats knock everything off) and it just sits there in the way. I’m saving up for the day when I can get rid of the stupid thing!
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 4:06 pm.
A woman who hates her half wall with as much passion as me! Teresa, we should have coffee in each other’s house and talk about the stupidity of architects! Well…okay, since he’s your BIL we won’t do that. But we could go on and on about useless half walls!
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 4:17 pm.
I’m there with you, but I want a diet Pepsi instead of coffee.
Posted on March 16, 2012 at 11:10 am.
I hated hated hated my back porch for years. Eventually, we hired a contractor who turned it into a room. All mine. With a recliner chair for reading, a bookshelf, a small table, and my laptop. Heaven!
We found the contractor through our homeowner’s insurance, they recommended him for small fix-up jobs.
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 5:40 pm.
Homeowners! I never thought of that. Good idea Susan!
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 6:18 pm.
GOOD FOR YOU!! I have obsessions like this often—it’s so much fun to be me.
And I’m a joy for everyone around me as well.
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 7:47 pm.
Sorry I didn’t come in here earlier. Because I have several obsessions, one of which was getting rid of the wallpaper in my kitchen and bathrooms. Hubby wanted to repaint. Next thing I know, I’m buying granite and tile and new faucets and built-ins and…
Yes, I think I know a little something about obsession. But it’s going to be gorgeous when it’s done! Now if only I could finish the book … *G*
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 9:38 pm.
Yes!! ‘specially since my second obsession is Sabrina’s books!!! Now see what you made her do?!?
Posted on March 16, 2012 at 12:34 am.
I totally understand. Some walls simply must go. We ended up making a ledge in our house that made the acoustics weird. It looks like your sound may change. Maybe someone has already mentioned that. I’m here very late today.
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 10:03 pm.
Get references. Have a firm start by and finish by date.
Penalty involved if dates not met. Final payment due when job is complete.
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 10:11 pm.
My advice with the contractors & renovators is don’t let them do it their way without consulting you first. WATCH THEM!! Mine went off on a tangent when I was at work – that was fun!!!
Posted on March 16, 2012 at 3:49 am.
I took an entire wall out because my tiny kitchen resembled the inside of a pea pod. Actually, I had the kitchen completely remodeled from the walls out. Best money I ever spent. Now the front area of my small house is one great room, with lots of light coming in (and a straight path for the dog to come barreling in from the backyard to nearly run into the tv in the living room, but I digress).
Posted on March 16, 2012 at 11:24 am.
I’m obsessed with daydreaming about renovations. I blame it on HGTV. I would want to renovate the kitchen since it needs some major redo due to the hindrances that the person who most use it (NOT me) encounters; also, the person needs the kitchen to suit her needs.
Another one for me is my bathroom. I have this bath/shower combo, and I REALLY don’t like that. I’m a shower person, and I rather have a shower stall than a bath/shower combo. I would want to get rid of the bath altogether, but for resale value, I see why the bath/shower thing is necessary.
Another problem for me is the flooring. I understand that in the Midwest carpet is necessary, but I prefer hardwood. Easier to clean, and if I want something comfy under my foot, I can always get a rug.
Eh, I think that’s it for now. Sorry for the rant and having no tips to give you, but at least I got it out of my chest…for now.
Posted on March 16, 2012 at 6:00 pm.
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Posted on March 18, 2012 at 5:38 pm.