Cue the demo dust—we’re finally starting a renovation after more than five years in this house. Of course the timing is the holidays (we like to be consistent). We’ve tackled major projects since moving in—adding a pool in 2021, gutting and rebuilding our kitchen in 2022, and upgrading to hurricane-grade windows and doors two years ago—but this is the first time we’re removing walls and reconfiguring rooms.
That chaotic photo is from early 2020, but some of the open walls hint at the view we’ll create when we open up the kitchen and living area downstairs. We are very excited.
I’ll share a renovation overview here—much of this is already on Instagram Stories (see the Reno 2025 highlight).
Why This Reno? And Why Now?
When we moved in we thought a second bathroom was essential. After five years—one of which was spent mostly at home during Covid—we’ve managed with one bathroom (and an outdoor shower), so that urgency faded. Two other priorities, however, kept nagging at us more:
First, our son needs more room as he grows. His bedroom was once a laundry room—it’s charming but small. He and his friends can hang out there for hours, but it’s a tight fit and he won’t be 11 forever. We always knew we’d eventually try to give him more space.
Second, the pool feels disconnected from the house. You have to walk down a long hallway to reach it, and you can’t see it from any main living spaces. It’s a beautiful view that we want to enjoy from inside, especially from the kitchen and sitting area.
We spent years thinking about how to solve both problems together. One afternoon John sketched an idea on graph paper, taped it out on the floor, and within a few hours we realized it would work. We contacted a trusted contractor and got a quote.
The core of the plan is straightforward: finish the covered section of our front porch and convert it into interior space. Many neighboring houses have done this to gain a bit more living area. We still have a covered side porch, an upper deck, and an uncovered front porch area, so we won’t lose outdoor living. Turning that covered porch into interior space will allow us to:
…transform the front of the house into a more balanced look and create new interior square footage. I sketched a rough visualization on Instagram Stories:
Finishing that porch gives our son a larger bedroom, creates an L-shaped kitchen and lounge area that opens to the pool, and allows for an ensuite bathroom off our bedroom—no more midnight hallway treks to use the toilet. Plus, I get to choose new bathroom tile and fixtures, which I’m admittedly very excited about.
How Exactly Will You Gain A Bigger Living Area?
John’s idea was simple: enclose the covered front porch, move our daughter’s room into that new space (it will be slightly larger than her current room), and remove the wall that contains the laundry closet to create one big L-shaped kitchen and family room. We’ll relocate her windows to the new bedroom and add a large glass door to the new lounge that faces the pool.
This single move will deliver a lot:
- More family space on the first floor
- Significantly brighter kitchen with light from the left
- Additional kitchen cabinetry where the current sitting area sits
- More seating around a floating dining table with a proper chandelier
- Possibly a small work island
- Sight lines from the kitchen to the pool
Removing that wall will really open the first floor—roughly a 10-foot expanse comes down—so light and pool views will be visible from the kitchen and even from the front door.
The glass doors in my sketch will be larger in reality and will face the pool. The main entry sightlines will show a dining area and kitchen straight ahead and a vaulted, light-filled lounge to the left. The kids want a TV in the new lounge, so we’ll likely include a media cabinet and a sofa or sectional opposite it. The ceiling will be vaulted to make the space feel airy.
It’s tricky to convey just how open the new L-shaped room will feel, but imagine turning the corner of the current kitchen into a full lounge that overlooks the pool.
How Does Your Son’s Room Get Bigger?
Without sharing exact floor plans, the basic idea is that his room will absorb the hallway that currently leads to the pool, and the ceiling will be vaulted to match his bedroom. The door to the pool will become a large window. Additionally, space behind the current photo viewpoint will become part of his room, along with a hidden closet area. Overall, his room will grow by about 30% and will be nearly the same size as his sister’s—an obvious upgrade.
Where Will The Second Bathroom Go?
Our bedroom is a large L-shaped suite, so we’re taking a corner of it to create an ensuite. That will leave our bedroom as a generous rectangle. To plan layout and code compliance we worked with our contractor in CAD and taped out the plan on the floor to visualize the space.
That taping step was invaluable. Walking through the taped layout led to a few adjustments that make the bathroom feel larger, allowed for a wall-to-wall shower, and kept our closet intact (we only had to shift one closet for the bedroom door). It’s amazing how helpful physically walking a space can be—so if you’re planning something similar, tape it out and try it for yourself.
Where Will The Laundry Go? (Or: I Have A Question About X!)
We’ve already had lots of questions about the layout and where the laundry will end up. Some details are easier to show once the project is underway, so we’ll reveal more as things progress. Rest assured: we aren’t losing laundry—there will be a spot for it in the final plan.
How Will The Exterior Change By The Pool?
We consider sightlines from every angle. For example, I photoshopped a quick view of how the new window for our son’s expanded room might look from the pool. We picked a window proportion that aligns with the second-floor window so the exterior feels balanced. The glass doors on the right of that mock-up will lead into the new lounge that opens to the kitchen and dining area.
Why This Plan And Not X, Y, Z?
Over five years we considered many options—adding rooms above the kids’ rooms, redoing the roofline, enclosing the upper deck—and none matched our family’s needs like this plan. The right renovation should solve the problems that matter most to your household; for us that was a larger kids’ room, better pool connection, and a more functional first floor. We didn’t rush and saved until the right solution felt obvious. The quote came in lower than expected, which was a welcome surprise.
What If It Takes Longer, Costs More, Or Things Go Wrong?
We know renovations aren’t all sunshine—timeline slips, unexpected costs, and curveballs are almost guaranteed. We expect bumps and are prepared to navigate them. One tip: save 20–30% more than you think you’ll need before starting a project. It reduces stress to build a buffer, and in our case, waiting for the right plan gave us time to save.
Renovations are a marathon, not a sprint. The excitement at the start is wonderful, but fatigue is normal midway through. We’ve been through big projects before—pool, kitchen gut, and window replacements—so we know the cycle: excitement, grind, and then the elation of being finished.
How Long Will It Take?
Our contractor estimates 3–4 months, with breaks for the holidays. Much of the work to finish the porch can be done from the outside until it ties into the house, so we hope to be largely done by my birthday (March 19), but realistically we expect completion by late April after accounting for holiday breaks and potential delays.
How Will Your Home’s Square Footage Change?
The house is about 1,400 square feet now and will be roughly 1,500 square feet after converting the covered porch into interior space. We previously lived in a much larger home, so this still feels like a significant downsize, but adding a modest amount of interior space will boost functionality while keeping the house manageable to maintain.
We love the location and the way outdoor space extends our living area, so a modest increase in interior square footage feels like the right balance.
Yes, I’ll have to get used to cleaning two toilets again, but the trade-off—more usable space for our kids and better sightlines to the pool—feels worth it.
When Does It Start?
We expect permits any day now and hope construction will begin the week after Thanksgiving. We’ll share progress on Instagram Stories and post fuller updates on the blog as the project unfolds. Thanks for following along with this renovation adventure.
Other Posts You Might Enjoy
If you want to read more about our journey with this house, here are some posts from our archive that cover moving, downsizing, and previous renovations.
- Why We Downsized & Moved Somewhere Warmer
- A “Before” Tour Of Our House
- How We Renovated Before Moving In
- Our Home’s Exterior Makeover
- What It’s Like To Downsize
- The Rooms We Miss After Downsizing
- The Cost & Process Of Adding A Pool
- How 1 Bathroom Works For Us
- Downsizing: 5 Year Update