Recently Nikos, from 'Nikos Out of this World' blog, posted up about his bathroom remodeling project. This got me to thinking about all we have remodeled in our home.
When we closed on our house in June 2006 we knew it needed some renovations. It had been vacant for 9 months and prior to that a rental and the renters had two indoor dogs. Just how much we would renovate I don't think we imagined when we purchased it. No contractors have been engaged, 100% of the work has been done ourselves. Family did assist in replacing a kitchen and living room window though.
(2006: 2 bedroom, 1 bath, 912 sq ft, built in 1970)
One of the first things we did was paint the exterior and do some landscaping. Then came replacing all of the windows.
(I think Spring 2007)
(Fall of 2011 - plants have grown up)
By November 2006 we were ripping out the nasty carpeting in all but the two bedrooms and painting the sub flooring. Over the winter holidays we used our time off to renovate the bathroom right down to the studs. In order to make it larger we took out a hall closet that was invading the bathroom and a half wall in the kitchen. This also opened up the kitchen so that the fridge could be moved away from the patio door.
(kitchen prior to moving in - half wall on left has to go)
(kitchen after moving wall - which prompted bathroom remodel)
(bathroom when we moved in)
(bathroom after remodel)
(half of living room when we moved in)
(the same corner after remodel and installing pellet stove)
(the kitchen prior to remodel and fixing ceiling issue)
(And kitchen after remodel - one day I'll buy a black fridge to match)
For those of you that are interested or are bored have too much time on your hands, take a peek at the following two videos Troubadour painstakingly put together two or so years ago to document the process.
Part 1:
Part 2:
After these videos were made we built a walk in closet in our spare room so that we could wall off it's second closet, which was back to back to the closet in our room. We have just started remodeling our closet. We've torn it all apart and are pushing it back into the old closet to make our bedroom larger and the closet a little larger too. We've scraped the ceiling and ripped out the last of the carpeting. Soon we'll rebuilt the closet and paint the floor, walls and ceiling.
After that is complete all that is left is installing the cork flooring throughout the house, installing and painting all of the baseboards and trim, and ordering and installing a few more doors that need to be updated. It's a good thing we work well as a team.
One day we will be finished and we can't wait. We are really getting tired of renovations.
I hope you enjoyed this little peek into our world and what we do during the cold wet winter days that aren't always great for riding.
- Au Revoir
"Teamwork is the ability to work as a group towards a common vision, even if that vision becomes extremely blurry." - Author Unknown
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You have done a terrific job, you have done your selves proud.
ReplyDeleteThank you good sir.
DeleteWhat a great metamorphosis from an average house into a beautiful home and a real estate gem. Definitely a keeper, and I love what you did with the garden.
ReplyDeleteThank you Sonja. We've done more in the yard since the videos were made and of course the plants have grown more, but it is a work in progress.
DeleteAhhh...I remember those days. Nothing like that sense of accomplishment. And feeling better that yu know the job is done right. Great job and I love the kitchen.
ReplyDeleteThank you. It is a sense of accomplishment, but at the same time we are getting really tired of renovations.
Delete...I'm going to boohoo in a corner
ReplyDeleteDon't cry, it's okay. We're almost done.
Deletegorgeous! personally i love home renov...the little updates we do make such a fabulous impact, and can help rejuvenate the surrounding community. be proud! you both have done a fantastic job with the home!
ReplyDeleteThank you. We started out enjoying the renos, and still don't mind them too much, just getting tired of them is all. I am not looking forward to sanding the drywall mud in our bedroom closet, but at least when that is done we can move our bed back in there.
DeleteI'm tired. You have been busy. I, too, like the garden. Now being a condo dweller I do miss a yard. Of course, when I had one I complained about how much it took to keep it up. Oh well, no pleasing me.
ReplyDeleteLike the photo of Troubadour with the kitty on his chest.
Thank you Keith. A yard is a good thing but at the same time it does require a lot of upkeep. We try to put low maintenance plants in, but without underground sprinklers it is a pain to water in the summer. We complain too, but we'd miss it if we were in a condo. Don't think we haven't thought about condo living though, because we have. Less yard work, more riding.
DeleteThat was Baxter, our old cat who passed away a few years ago. He was a snuggler and loved to follow us around the yard. He really liked being on the swing with us, either on us or just beside us.
Wow your house looks awesome! So much more curb appeal & the inside looks fabulous. We have yet to start on our house, seems last summer I was too busy scootering or motorcycling.....
ReplyDeleteThank you. We think it looks a ton better than when we moved in. At least we could see the potential. We've done pretty good doing the renos on a budget too.
DeleteThe key to getting the inside renos done is to do them during the crappy weather months. The windows we replaced during the summer but all other inside renos were done over Thanksgiving long weekend or between Christmas and New Years and a little later if it was a big project. That way our summer is always free to ride.
That's a serious amount of work gone into that. Looks very good now. I bet you 2 are as proud as punch with what you have accomplished.
ReplyDeleteWhen you've finished you'll have to drop in at my place and help me renovate mine too :)
Thank you. It was a lot of work. Sometimes we don't remember how much until we start looking at pictures. We are pretty proud of it. Good thing Troubadour is so good at that kind of thing. The tiling in the bathroom was the first time tiling for either of us so it was an adventure. Especially since it is our only bathroom. Time was of the essence with that project.
DeleteSure we'd lend a hand, if only we lived closer, lol.
A lot of work but the results look great. But where's the huge shop going to go?
ReplyDeleteHuge shop? That's a good one. Needed but no room. Sadly our one-car garage will have to do.
ReplyDeleteWow, love all the reno pics. I'll have to come back and poke around when I have more time.
ReplyDeleteThank you m'lady.
DeleteWe finally ordered all the cork flooring on the weekend. Once it comes in and we install it, the place will seem so much more finished. I can't wait.