Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: Cased Opening

There was a large, drywalled opening between the kitchen and the vaulted-ceilinged family room:

Here’s the view from the kitchen into the family room:

Notice the half-wall adjacent to the desk area in the kitchen:

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m not a fan of drywalled openings.  In this instance, I’m going to do something different with the desk area that makes the half-wall unworkable.  Additionally, I didn't like how the kitchen ceiling turned 90 degrees to become the family room wall; I wanted to define the space a bit more.  Also, I thought that enclosing the entrance between the two rooms would create a greater sense of discovery and drama when you enter the family room and see the vaulted ceiling.  In garden design, I learned that dividing a space into smaller spaces makes the whole space seem larger.  I’m hoping that principle applies here, too.

I removed the ledge from the half wall and framed it in up to the ceiling.  Then I framed the cased opening, just coming in about 15 inches from the back wall:

I've never framed anything in my life, until I did this and the powder room door.  What would take a professional contractor something like an hour took me a day and a half.  Level and plumb is tough!  Especially when you turn your head away and cringe every time you fire the framing nailer.  That thing scares the bejeezus out of me!  I confess that a few times I substituted screws for nails when I couldn't toenail correctly.  Live and learn.

Wouldn’t you know, there was an electrical outlet smack dab where the wall was supposed to go, because nothing is ever easy.  So I asked the electrician to move it.  Here’s the opening with the drywall hung (the electricity's off in the kitchen right now, so the photos are a bit dark):

 View from the family room

View from the kitchen

The painters are finishing up tomorrow, I'm continuing to work on #1 daughter's basement bedroom, and the new stair railings are coming tomorrow.  Moving truck comes Sunday, and we're not ready!