Can you believe it?

It’s been a year since we purchased the old house.

September 22,2015 we signed on the dotted line after a long wait. If you want to catch up on the story you can read here Day 1

Our friends and family joined us on Day 1 and took a scary tour of the old house. Masks were worn and gloves provided for all.

The renovation has probably been the hardest thing I have ever done. But it’s also been the most rewarding. To  watch something so gross, so unloved, so dilapidated in so many ways and watch it transform into our home is truly a miracle.

There are so many improvements that I want to show that one post would be 1 mile long. Instead I am going to break it down into pieces and spread it out over a couple of weeks. Some disgusting before and glorious afters.

Now don’t get all like “I bet it will look like an HGTV home and should be in a magazine.” Cause it ain’t. There are so many things not yet done and won’t be done for a long time. There is window trim not yet installed, floors not yet completed, paint that needs to be finished and so on and so on and so on some more. For goodness sake I have barely started to decorate. I did make a good dent at Ikea this weekend and CAN’T WAIT to start with the pretty stuff.

However what you will see is blood, sweat and tears that have turned the nasty old crack house into the old house we are proud to call home.

Today I want to start with the porch. One of my very favorite parts of the house. Even when it was n.a.s.t.y. I still loved the porch. I am so very excited to welcome trick or treaters in a few week as we sit on the porch. There isn’t any furniture yet but just wait friends, it’s going to be the prettiest porch on the block. This girl doesn’t play when it comes to design.

So the porch was quite ugly.

The porch was the entry to 3 different apartments.

The door to the right in the below picture was the entry door to Apartment 1

The middle door led to the stairway that led to apartment 2 and 3

and the door to the left led into apartment 4.

We removed all doors and reframed the entry door to be one door with 2 sidelights and a transom. The aluminum siding was removed, siding repaired or replaced and painted a beautiful creamy white.

This is our friend the inspector. Yes the inspector, not really our friend.

The flooring was in pretty bad shape so it needed to go. Thankful for friends who love demo. Timing was imperative since we were hosting a wedding on this porch just weeks from the day this floor was removed.

You can see the finished front door in the below picture as well as the haint blue ceiling. Do you know the story of hainte blue ceilings? Painting the ceiling blue is supposed to keep away evil spirits and bugs. I am not so sure about the evil spirits but it really works on the bugs and it’s pretty too.

Days before the wedding, the floors was painted.

I think we did good.

This is our daughter Courtney and her new husband Justin. Our son Kyle officiated the ceremony. It was a great day. The porch was not the star of the show but she showed off perfectly.

And now a view of the beautiful porch

Close your eyes…can’t you see the hanging porch bed to the right? And the wicker chairs with the pretty cushions to the left? A rug. A table? Yes I see it all.

Soon. Very Very soon.

Stay tuned the old living room/new dining room is next.

Love,

the girl who has really big bruises on her arms from the lockers who fell on her.