Our House: Before & After (The First Year!)
This past weekend marked our 1 year anniversary in our house! Well, the house itself is quite old but we’ve been in our house for one whole year! Where did the time go!? I thought it would be fun to do a little look back at what we’ve done to the house so far. Our house was built in 1923 and we love the charm of an old house but with great charm comes great… uh, challenges. It needed a bit of a facelift. Some of it was just a coat of paint and some of the less glamorous updates included things like replacing pipes and creating a dryer vent.
There are 3 things I learned:
- Every single project takes 3x as long as you think it’s going to take.
- If you send your husband 1,497 of things you like on Pinterest, he’ll get overwhelmed.
- Marrying an engineer is a good idea. Having a father who is also an engineer and owns lots of tools is an added bonus. (And a husband & father that get a long really well is probably the best overall strategy.)
Ok, so let’s jump to some of the before & after photos! We are by no means finished but I think it’s fun to look at the progress! Most of these before photos were taken during the home inspection, so the quality isn’t great but you get the idea!
Here’s the living room when we first looked at the house. Did someone say potential? 😉
Here’s the living room now! I think painting the fireplace was probably the biggest part of the transformation. I also love the rug we just got. It’s so fluffy and soft! It really makes the whole room feel a little cozier.
I loved how the dining room opened up to the kitchen, but it looked sort of blah when we first bought the house.
Luckily, the space was perfect for a big dining room table. We even have a piano in there! We added the wainscoting to the bottom half of the wall and painted the top half “Gray Matter” (Sherwin Williams).
This bathroom was “fine”. The fixtures were fairly updated but it needed a little something.
We added the medicine cabinet for more storage and painted the walls “Tranquil Aqua” (Sherwin Williams) which I love. It’s darker than I would normally pick for a small room but with all the white tile, I think I like it! I also used Grout Renew on the floor which takes a loooong time to do but it really makes the floor look fantastic!
All of the upstairs rooms were this buttery yellow color. It was fine, but definitely not what I was looking for.
We painted our bedroom “Grey Clouds” (Sherwin Williams). I love how light and airy this room feels. Next on the list: find a headboard and something for the walls!
Earlier this year, we stained the deck. This was right after power washing, which actually made a pretty significant difference.
This was one of the more satisfying projects! We stained it with a solid stain and it made quite the transformation. We snagged some patio furniture on Craig’s List and have enjoyed quite a few meals outside.
There is still so much to do (you should see the basement) but it’s kind of nice to look back on the progress we’ve made so far. This house has been a lot of work but seeing the transformation from a house to a home has been an exciting whirlwind!
Have you done any house projects this year?
Wow… such a gorgeous home!! My boyfriend and I love and dream of living in an old house like that one day and getting a little glimpse at yours is totally reinforcing my desire. Must be so satisfying to look at these pictures after what must have been SO much work!
Your place is absolutely gorgeous!! I love how light everything is. My favorite part about houses is the natural light. Mybe its the food photographer in me 😉
Can you help me decorate when we move into our own house?
Looks great, Liz!!
I completely agree with you about having an engineer for a husband!
Love the pics! We bought a new house in September, but haven’t sold the old one yet. So we’re juggling projects at both. I feel like a regular at Home Depot. 🙂