3pinktrees-thanks so much! Im actually in the Northeast-Upstate NY to be exact...in a very country area! ILoveRed-thank you, I’m glad you got to see it! I had no idea this thread even still existed :). It’s amazing, as it took me 5 years to build and I’ve been in it for 5 years (and I am still not finished) so this thread was started about 1 year into it! shwshw- thank you as well-my goal was to build a simple, small, cottage like home :) Did you see the rainbow in the one pic? :)

We just had demolition recently & kitchen reno work actually started today, so I know what you are feeling. Our kitchen was actually similar to yours -- minus the island (not wide enough). Temp kitchen advice: keep extension cords & multi-outlet power strips handy -- where you can find them if you suddenly realize you need them. I had one wall in our study (next to kitchen) with a long table where I set up our temp kitchen. But in demo (relocating position of laundry room door), some wiring had to be cut, which shut off power to the side of the room with our temporary kitchen. We moved the table across the room, moved all appliances (microwave, Breville Smart Oven, Cuisinart griddler, toaster, coffeemaker). So, today, the electrician is here -- and guess what? -- cut the power to the side of the room we moved everything to! Eventually, we can move the table back to the original position, but have two large armoire-type cabinets in the way (all wood floors downstairs were replaced with new wood last week), plus my husband is at work. I'm staying home to "supervise." I found a lot of good frozen meals at Trader Joe's if you have one nearby. It should only take a couple of weeks more for us to have the kitchen functional (cabinets next week, granite the week after), but I plan to do some outdoor grilling, too. If our temp kitchen had to be used longer, I would probably look into a hot plate, but I think we'll be OK without one. I'm going to try Boca burgers on the Griddler tonight, I think (haven't used it much previously except for Panini & grilled cheese). Stay flexible and optimistic. Everything will work out, and you'll have a beautiful new kitchen before you know it.

Can't wait to see more. Lots of progress. Treasure these moments with your dad. Mine, too, was an expert carpenter who helped us a lot and I miss him.

We've converted two attic spaces (same house, opposite ends) to living space, with low ceilings. From my experience, the first thing to do, after determining whether you can safely/legally finish the attic, is to run the electrical wires. To avoid running duct from a furnace/AC, I'd run 220v for a couple of baseboard heaters, and use the portable AC units which sit on the floor and vent through a window. I can see some natural light, so it looks as if you have dormers, which might be fine for egress and the portable AC units. We used foam baffles between the roof and insulation, then sheetrock as usual. If you are not confident about finishing sheetrock, and don't want to pay to have it done, you can tape it, then cover with inexpensive sheet beadboard. I like your floors as they are, but you'd want to seal them, if not paint. Those are much nicer floors than I've ever seen in an unfinished attic. I'm impressed that there are floor boards at all--I've see a lot of attics with a few pieces of plywood laid across the joists to store boxes. Since the knee walls wouldn't be structural, I think you could frame them yourself, with some research, and basic tools. You might as well frame them in, since that space is too low to use as living space, and if you feel confident enough, you can turn the space into recessed storage--shelves or converted dresser/drawers--very convenient if the space will be used as an office or craft room. If you choose the portable AC option, you could even tailor a storage space to the unit(s), for the off-season. Following are pics of some of the kneewall storage in our half-story attic addition. I did most of the work myself, with limited construction experience. (Left the electrical work to the pro.) The white walls, and closet doors, are the sheet beadboard I mentioned above. I also had to work around closet space in adjacent bedrooms, and the old roof supports, which is why the recessed shelves in the first pic are so shallow. If you can find cabinets, drawers, and chests on craigslist, Goodwill, and the Restore, you can keep the cost down--but only if you have more time, than money, to invest in the project. It would be very difficult to estimate the cost. Our neighbor is a master electrician, and we traded him a strip of land that he'd been asking about, to wire the whole addition. We already had all the tools needed. A chop saw/miter saw, set up in the space as I was working, was invaluable. Circular saw for angled cuts on 2x4 framing. Reciprocating saw for cutting existing framing, and a jig saw for small cuts is also useful. Framing and finishing nail guns are convenient, but I don't like using them, so I did all the nailing with a hammer. I love hearing a nail 'sing' as it's being driven into the framing. :) If you have friends or relatives with construction experience, who will do favors or trade skills, then you can keep the cost down. Kneewall storage ideas/google Portable AC units on Amazon