Welcome to my home! So glad you could make it. Traffic wasn’t too bad, I hope? Let’s begin the tour (by the way, you may want to take a look at this floor plan in case you get lost)…
When I first moved in, the exterior was in decent shape in that it wasn’t falling down… but just barely. The previous owner put a new roof on just a few years ago, so all I needed to pay attention to was the cedar siding. There was considerable termite damage and wood rot around the front bay window (hidden partially by the bushes), but after several tubes of caulk, things came together. If I had to name the paint color, I think I’d call it Sick Dog.
Thanks to a little family help, the wood rot has been replaced and other damaged areas have been repaired. I also chose a new color scheme for the siding and trim, gave the front door an entirely new look, resurrected the old house numbers, and I can finally see the finish line on this project. Only it’s twelve feet above my head and it’s not such a great idea to be on a ladder alone.
The front door area (I call it a stoop, but it’s really too small to have its own name anyway) still needs a little sprucing up with some matching paint on the cement slab and a coat of sealant on the stone facade. Before long I hope to add a bench on the end as well (how else will I admire the garden that doesn’t yet exist?).
The back yard has a loooong way to go, but received a new gate and by next year should have some additional landscaping. The ivy on the trees has since been killed off, a temporary fire pit replaced an ugly stone bird feeder, and I found a clever way to get rid of pine straw without lifting a finger. When the interior makes enough progress this year, I’m hoping to add a graveled area to extend the patio area and create a multi-function outdoor space (with a new fire pit and seating area, grill and dining set).
The entryway is a small nook which includes a coat closet. The addition of a chalkboard and new laminate floors make this entryway area much more welcoming than the way it looked before.
When first walking into the house, the living room is first on your left. I painted this a warm tan (Valspar’s Sandy Shell) and the trim white. With some new flooring, 2″ white blinds, and new furniture, this room looks so much better! After living in it a while, I realized that despite how lovely the tan color is (I still really like it and recommend it to friends), the room is too dark at night, so I plan to change it within the next year or so.
In the half bath, he wallpaper was a combination of “country” and “psychedelic” – the walls would almost start to move if you stared too long at the tiny pattern. But, thanks to a visit from my aunt and uncle, this powder room got one serious upgrade!
This dark and dated kitchen is next on the To Do list. So far, I’ve upgraded the appliances and moved some cabinetry to make way for a bigger fridge and a microwave over the range. With the addition of the dark laminate floors and recessed lighting, this kitchen is being phased out of its late 70s style.
Even though the makeover of the dining room has taken a while (and I’ve yet to get rid of the stripes), I’ve actually made quite a bit of progress in here. Now that the floors are in place, a new dining table and chairs were purchased, but I’ve still got a little more to do – the wallpaper has come down and I’m in the process of patching and repainting the walls.
Laundry room: Yuck, yuck, yuck. I loathe doing laundry, and this room made it that much harder to get an unpleasant chore finished. This room had the trifecta: old water damage, a shelf that didn’t fit, and linoleum flooring. So far, I’ve repaired the water damage, painted the walls, replaced the ill-fitting shelf, added a bar for hanging clothes, and added a small media shelf to serve as additional storage space. New tile and appliance upgrades are slated for later this year, which may prompt me to paint again (I’m always changing my mind!).
Garage: As of late, the garage has been overrun with simultaneous projects going on in the house, which delays them as I spend lots of time searching for lost materials. Someday (far, far off in the distance), I’ll finally have the space I’ll need to feel like a true DIYer.
Back down the hallway, and up the stairs: Once the carpet was gone and I’d painted the hallway, this area looked a lot cleaner. Broken treads were replaced, gaps were caulked, the project stalled, and then I picked it back up again (thanks to a little friendly competition). Some afternoon in the not-so-distant future, I hope to not only finish these stairs with a runner, but to create the gallery wall I’ve been daydreaming about.
Upstairs guest bathroom: more wallpaper! New tile on the floor replaced the linoleum, and after adding a new vanity and shower curtain, the room is much more ready to welcome guests (and while I work on the master bathroom, serves as a temporary fix for me too). Since moving in, I’ve fallen in love with the beigey-gray (“greige”) tile, and it has served as inspiration for other rooms like the master closet.
To the right of the hallway landing is the guest bedroom. While the floor plan hasn’t really changed, the walls have been painted, new bedding has been added, and the carpet has been replaced - but I still have a long way to go!
To the left of the guest bath is my “study-o”. Even after new paint, new flooring, several design changes, and a new name, this room has been dumping grounds for everything else in my house that didn’t have a place. All of that is changing once I finish with several of the bigger projects downstairs (kitchen trumps craft space any day).
Back into the upstairs hallway, I did a quick-change of the hall’s linen closet by painting the inside to match the living room paint color and painted the shelves white. Despite its small size compared to the scale of the rest of the projects going on in the house, a small change like this has major impact. Instead of feeling like everything around me is in chaos, I can be stress-free about where the clean laundry goes and eliminate clutter.
Master bedroom: Once a vivid blue, it is now a serene driftwood gray and a relaxing place to sleep. It’s big enough to have a potential seating area near the window, but until then, it’s Charlie’s sleeping space.
There’s a small hallway in the master, which leads to the master linen closet (which got a similar treatment as the hallway linen closet). It currently houses my shoes and extra bathroom supplies.
Master bedroom closet: This room saw a major upgrade from three planks and a pole to a fully redesigned custom closet. Thanks to a HUGE clearance sale at Lowe’s I was able to keep this under $500 for all of the units, drawers, pulls, and extra shelving. Unit made by Sauder HomeVisions (discontinued). With a coat of paint matching the bathroom “greige” tile, this space is one of my favorites in the house (and the only one that is off-limits to the dog!).
Master bathroom: This bathroom has the same tile as the guest bathroom, which is just about the only thing that will stay in this room. Instead of replacing the mirror, I repainted it since it has a medicine cabinet behind it (and is expensive to replace). I also removed the old and busted towel bar, removed the yellowing wallpaper, patched things up, and am currently working on the tile floor.
The house is still a work in progress, but I’m working hard and getting things done little by little. I’d love for you to follow along and see what happens next!
