Renovation Day 8

The house seems like a totally different place with most of the interior walls taken down to the studs and the dark carpet removed. We're lucky to have had no real surprises other than a hidden metal support pole in the basement. Our original floor plans should work well for the space.

We acquired a few things (found mostly in the two attics) when purchasing this house "as is". These include an extension ladder, a portable basketball goal, a few golf clubs, boxes of unused tile, a giant shop vac, and one naughty DVD someone had hidden in the attic.

Renovation Day 3

We visited the house today to see the demolition progress, and I must say that simply removing the dark carpet has really brightened up the place.  We had fun spotting remnants of the original finishes--  a piece of orangish shag carpet that was hidden under a built-in bookcase and a piece of green and yellow linoleum flooring that was hidden under the newer kitchen tile floor.  

Renovation Day 2

Day 2 included more demolition and a phone call informing us that the house is not safe for children to visit as the deck has been ripped off, and there's a great deal of exposed "stuff".  We will check out said "stuff" this weekend.  The kids and I did a drive-by as we were in the area, and I was trying to let the baby sleep in the car before more errands.  The place looked busy.  That's good.  Our current home is under contract, and we'll be forced to live in an apartment for a couple of months after our sale closes in the very near future.  So, we like to see things happening at the house.  It means less time in the apartment. 

We've been working to pack up and store as many things as possible instead of cramming the contents of a five bedroom house into a three bedroom apartment.  I got four more boxes packed today.  That means we likely only have to pack about 100 more. 

Below are pics of the basement walls coming down and what is left of the kitchen, laundry room, and powder room.

Renovation Day 1

The proper permits were obtained, and demolition started.  I think the dumpster was actually dropped off on closing day.  Our general contractor doesn't mess around.

On that note, he had me meet him at a kitchen and bath  showroom to discuss cabinets with his favorite designer. I think I made some decisions.  I'm not exactly sure.  I had a four-year-old tag along.  Despite having a LeapPad, MobiGo, iPad, and three snacks, he still wanted to run around.  All future appointments will be adults only.  Luckily, school starts on Monday.

40 Years Young

So, we bought a house.  Unlike our current home and the condos we each owned before marriage, this house is old.  And outdated.  And full of 90s decor.  But, it's on a golf course.  It's in a great country club community, and it's in one of the state's best school districts.  And, despite the house being outdated, it has good bones.  It's been maintained pretty well, and it has a nice yard.  So, we bought it.  We spent months searching for a lot on which we could build a custom home in the same area.  We had no luck.  We started looking at renovated homes and new construction, and nothing we saw had the right combination of an efficient layout, the right finishes, a nice yard, and a quiet community.  So, we looked at this old house with our realtor and general contractor.  With their approval and without too much thought, we made an offer.

Now, almost two months later, we own the house.  We spent a frantic couple of weeks going back and forth with our architect to get the ball rolling.  It was a crazy, rushed process.  We finally decided on a 5/5 layout with an open floor plan on the main level and a finished basement.  We're also tackling the exterior.  New roof line, new porch, new deck, new yard, new everything.  It's a MAJOR project.

Below are the before photos.  We look forward to the day (three or so months from now) when we can compare these to the after photos.  I'm certain there will be far less hunter green, burgundy, and brass.  The home was redecorated twenty or so years ago, and it is a perfect snapshot of the 90s.  I'm tempted to break out my Bass Bucs, Nirvana CD, and Seinfeld quotes each time I enter. 

I was planning on mentioning the changes to each room/area below the photos, however, everything is going to be changed.  Even the way the yard is graded will be different. 

I do have to say something about the photo below.  This is not wood on the basement steps.  It's carpet.  Carpet that has a parquet wood pattern.  Seriously.