Behold, the New (Old) Home

Ok, remember how I mentioned that we bought this big ol’ foreclosure home last year that needed lots and lots of money and work?  Well here it is.  Home meet blog.  Blog meet home.

I leaked a sneak peak of the completed kitchen on my Facebook page last week, but before I post all the detailed after photos I thought it might be fun to show what the spaces looked like before.  After all, how am I going to share all the awesome projects we’ve been working on to bring it into the 21^st century if you don’t see what we were given to start with?  Saddle up, this is one heck of house.

Let’s start with the positives:

We will never (ever) run out of space. In fact, you could get lost inside if you’re not paying attention.

The lot is huge, set back and wooded.

I love, love, love this neighborhood. Lots of custom homes and prices ranging from starter to mansion.  You never have to leave!  We definitely didn’t.  We just found a home that better suited the needs of our growing family and made the ¼ mile drive to our new digs.

Good bones. Sometimes it’s hard to see beyond the 70’s wallpaper and outdated appliances.  This house definitely has a bit of both.  But the price paired with the fact that it had all the pieces we were missing in our last house, told me that with a little (ok a lot) love, this could be a winner.

I wasn’t setting out to get quite this much house, but for the affordable price we paid, I knew it would pay us back once we made the effort to pretty her up.

The work to be done on this house is crazy.  I don’t think there is a single square inch that doesn’t need to be touched in one way or another.  I’m not going to highlight everything in this post because you’d sprout gray hairs trying to get to the end of the list.  I will, however, toss a couple of the biggies up to whet your appetite.  These are a few of the projects that were first on the list.

The Kitchen

This is the biggest and baddest project we’re tackling by far.  The kitchen in this house was Uuuugly with that capital U being well deserved.

 

Here’s your first glance at the beauty we inherited.  Three different colors on the cabinets, cracked white tile floors with dirty nasty grout, appliances from 1979 and countertops unlike anything I have ever had to deal with.  I mean ever.

How about that JennAir downdraft stove?  Two burners and a griddle round it out.  Not ideal for food blogging. Although I do have to admit that I acquired a fondness for the griddle.  Not nearly enough to want to keep it though.  If you think that tile doesn’t look very level then you’d be right.  In fact, it’s so warped that if you don’t set your drink glass in just the right spot, you may find yourself cleaning up a spill.

The Dining Room (Aka the whipped cream peaks room)

That may sound tasty, but I promise you it’s anything but.  What were these people thinking?  These walls are one of a kind but not in a yummy dessert like way.

The walls will most likely be ripped down to the studs and new drywall put up in its place.  For once, it’s a sweet that I won’t mind getting rid of.

The Powder Room

A little room that packs a whollop of a 70’s punch.  Wallpaper, cracked toilet, vintage vanity.  Enough said.

The Family Room

This room is actually not too bad.  I love the fireplace.  The space is good and the windows offer some great light.

So what do you think?  This is just a smattering of what we’re working with.  There is still so much more beauty to behold.

The reason I show you these rooms first is because these are the spaces that, for the past 4 months, we’ve been diligently working on.  From floor to ceiling, these spaces are becoming completely transformed.  I promise you won’t even recognize the kitchen once I show it to you; it’s incredible!  We’re finally just about finished and there have been many bumps along the way.  My patience has been tested more than once and my pocketbook is a whole lot lighter than I originally budgeted for.  That being said, I can tell you that it was absolutely worth every single dollar, dilemma and delay; even if it didn’t feel that way in the heat of the moment.  I can’t wait to show you the detailed after shots.  Stay tuned!