The Downtown Farmhouse

The first day we looked at the old house, January 2015, not knowing that one day we would actually own the nasty, disgusting crack house, we stepped into this room.

It was a small room. The windows were covered with dark blue sheets. There was a red couch sitting up again the windows and a woman smoking a cigarette glared at us as we entered. Intimidated would be an understatement. Maybe even scared.  However we keep walking.

There are not a lot of pre-purchase pictures of the downstairs, because truthfully we were fearful and I didn’t want to hang out there for long periods of time.

This room is immediately inside the front door.

Prior to renovation, there was wall which you will see below which held the fireplace. To the left of the fireplace was a doorway and to the right a blank wall. This room has 3 windows.

This pictures shows the lovely tile that was covering up my be-u-tiful brick fireplace. It also shows the giant hole I made when I discovered the brick chimney behind the wall. This was a happy day. I definitely did a happy dance.

The ceiling was covered with at least an inch of plaster. Steve climbed up on a ladder and for DAYS and DAYS and DAYS stripped the plaster off the ceiling. He pulled 1000 nails and exposed the most amazing beadboard ceilings.

There were holes in the floor which will be repaired with new wood and where the new air conditioner vents will soon live.

From the porch, these windows look into the new dining room.

Plaster walls were removed, lathe pulled off piece by piece. All that was left was the wood structure. Bible verses were written on the walls by our small group. This house, as bad as it was is now encased with love. Insulation was installed and drywall hung, walls textured and painted.

Prior reno, the staircase ran the opposite way and there was a wall on either side of the stairs. This wall was in the old Living room/now dining room. There is no longer a wall.

The fireplace was exposed and is one of the best surprises during the whole renovation. Look at the space opening up that wall created? Good grief Charlie Brown. Check out the recessed lighting that will shine on the fireplace!

The big wall covering the stairs was removed.

The stairs were relocated to go the other way

Wait until you see the stairs done. Oh my word, they are beautiful.

My cute chandelier sat on a box for months. I didn’t care because I needed to see it put together and she did not disappoint.

The floors. Oh the floors. One board at a time. My poor back. Totally worth it.

I give you…….our dining room. She is not finished but it’s a great start.

I bought this farm table at a consignment store at least 9 months ago. It sat in storage waiting for its spot in the old house. It’s perfect.

The stairs are still in progress too. Check out the blue tape!!!

The front door makes me smile every time.

I was able to get curtain rods and curtains at Ikea a couple of weekends ago. The windows are being painted as I write and curtains will soon be hung.

My dining chairs were hand me downs from somewhere. White denim was purchased. Mom helped (mostly did) recovered them and put those nail heads in one by one. She is amazing. They sat in her house for a year covered up with sheets. Who has white dining chairs…….me I guess 🙂

I have so many plans for this room.

We have already had many friends and family sit around this table eating and playing cards or games, laughing and making memories. It will be a favorite room.

2 rooms down, many to go. Stay tuned.

Thanks for checking in!

Love,

Charma Dawn

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.

The life of a home renovator while living in the home can be challenging. While I have recently whined about the challenges I have chosen to embrace them instead. There will be NO MORE WHINING!

This week has brought laughter instead and what’s better than laughing.

I have been preparing the upstairs bedroom for an actual bed. Guest, here they come!!  The headboard and footboard needed to be spruced up a little. It has been moved a lot since we sold our home. To the carport it goes. Spray paint in hand. The finished product is now on the back deck ready to be hailed upstairs.

As you see it was almost dark when I finished. Straight to the shower I go.

Maybe painting in flip floors is not the best choice. I now have permanent flip flop marks on my feet until the paint wears off

I have quite the hoard. The hoard is located in many rooms of the old house. Until rooms are completed, I can’t sort through the hoard to use items so the hoard remains intact. Sometimes when I walk by the parlor to go into our room, I feel like I should be on the TV show Hoarders. However instantly I know there are no dead rodents or feces hiding in my hoard. My hoard is glorious and I will not retreat.

I have for weeks searched for white cotton 24″ cafe curtains for our Master Bathroom.This currently is the window minus curtains. Now it’s kind of imperative to have window coverings on the bathroom. However I will not SETTLE! We currently use our bathroom in the dark. We gather our belongings for a shower, turn the light off, step into the lighted shower where no one from the outside world can see, finish up and come out clean and dressed. So maybe not the best of situations but we make it work and it’s better than waving at the neighbors as you step out of the shower.

Another fun thing in our bathroom has been lack of storage.  We really need a place to put our towels. I have a really cute idea running around in my head but until then, the towels live in the claw foot tub.

The floors upstairs all need another coat of paint. I finished the front bedroom or at least I thought they were finished until Kyles dog decided to visit upstairs without anyone knowing. I’ve had a few people tell me to keep the dog prints. Yeah……..no.

Gotta go.  It’s Friday and the coffee awaits. Lots of Reno work to be accomplished today. Since I can’t find curtains the next best thing to do is make them. However my sewing machine is lost in the hoard somewhere.

Make it a great day!

love,

the girl who will soon not have to hide in the shower