Removing the two walls to make one great room was a great resale move. Thanks goes to Architect Reece Carter for convincing us to spend the extra money on that! To see that gorgeous Fireclay tile and stunning white cabinets as soon as you walk in the home really pulls you visually into the heart of the home! We completely rebuilt and reconfigured the staircase, (the original was too narrow and steep), rebuilt the floor joists to get rid of the sloping, put in all new energy-efficient wood windows, lay the pine floors and then finish the floors with tung oil. Rusty and I did the floor finishing ourselves- a lengthy, back-breaking weeks-long project. Glad we did it- but might not do that again! :)