Our Fixer Upper Before Pictures
Welcome to our (currently cringe-worthy) abode! Last weekend we went in and took a ton of pictures before they started demo - and I'm glad we did, because one week later, this place looks totally different! So without further ado, here is a before picture photo dump! Everything marked with an orange "D" is getting demo'd - so you can see, we're losing quiteeee a few walls. Yes!
Welcome to our (currently cringe-worthy) abode! Last weekend we went in and took a ton of pictures before they started demo - and I'm glad we did, because one week later, this place looks totally different! So without further ado, here is a before picture photo dump! Everything marked with an orange "D" is getting demo'd - so you can see, we're losing quiteeee a few walls. Yes!
As you can see, we have a lot a lot of work ahead of us! Here's a breakdown of everything that's happening to our casa...
- Demo all walls in the main room
- Rip out entire kitchen
- Turn in-law suite back into a garage (sorry mom & dad! ;) )
- Knock out in-law suite bathroom to extend utility room
- Demo master bathroom
- Demo floors in the entire house
- Repair drywall/ceilings where walls were removed
- Clear the scary back yard (get rid of all the crazy overgrown plants & vines, remove trees, level ground, lay sod....the list goes on!)
I feel like there are a million more things, but those are the biggies. Everything on that list except the yard is in our contractor's scope of work. Whew. Soon I'll be posting an update of our reno one week in, and boy are we pumped about how much has been accomplished already! (I'll give you a hint - our walls are g-o-n-e! Insert party horn emoji here!)
Hopefully you guys got a good sense of how our house looked on the day we bought it - it's going to be completely different soon enough! Check back soon for week one progress. :)
We're Officially Homeowners!
I have some great news to share - we are officially homeowners! After all of the obstacles we had to navigate on the way, we finally signed a million papers today, and have our very own fixer upper! (With very scary landscaping...eeeek)
I have some great news to share - we are officially homeowners! After all of the obstacles we had to navigate on the way, we finally signed a million papers today, and have our very own fixer upper! (With very scary landscaping...eeeek)
And boy, what a fixer upper it is. Every time I walk through the house, I remember just how scary it is right now. It's a little overwhelming, but I can't wait to start working on it. We did a final walkthrough with our contractor yesterday, and he let Ryan go to town spray painting everything that's getting demo'd - which is a lot.
Don't you love our fancy range & hood? Ha.
Our contractor is getting started on Monday, and his part of things should take about 4 weeks. We're so excited to get things going, and to start seeing walls coming down!
Now that we've gotten through the insanely painful buying process, it's time for the real fun to start! Stay tuned for a slew of before pictures.
Won't be needing this anymore...
That Time Our House Fell Through...And Then Came Back
Oh, home buying. What a royal pain in the ass you are!
If you'll note the date (April 19), we are 6 days after our second supposed closing date. Spoiler alert - we still haven't closed on the house. I originally started writing this post when I was pretty rage-y, but time and a situation change have lead to a more level-headed post. Ha. So, here's the ramble-y story of our current house status.
Oh, home buying. What a royal pain in the ass you are!
If you'll note the date (April 19), we are 6 days after our second supposed closing date. Spoiler alert - we still haven't closed on the house. I originally started writing this post when I was pretty rage-y, but time and a situation change have lead to a more level-headed post. Ha. So, here's the ramble-y story of our current house status.
Our original closing date was set for March 23. When our contractor didn't work out and we had to hire a new one, our closing date was pushed to April 13. At that point, we signed an addendum to our contract extending our closing date, and the seller...didn't. Which we found out just a few days before our new closing date. Cool. He had gotten it in his head that he could get more money for the house, and wanted to re-list it... even though he was about to get foreclosed on? Oh, and the house has been on the market since July with no takers. (Because trust me, no one is walking into that scary, scary place and declaring it their dream home... except us, of course.)
Trust me... it is in scary condition right now. Shiver
The whole thing was beyond frustrating and both Ryan and I were so disappointed. We'd already run into so many issues and jumped through so many hoops on the way to closing, only to find out that we'd never actually cross the finish line was enough to make us want to scream. I'm completely of the mindset that everything works out how it's supposed to, etc. but in that moment I was just angry.
So what happened next? We started the whole house hunting process over again from square one. It was slim pickins out there, but we found one house that we liked a lot. It had tall ceilings, a ton of natural light, and overall good vibes. It was also in one of our very favorite neighborhoods. We put an offer on it, and waited to hear back from the bank, since it was a foreclosure. That was on a Wednesday.
Can't you just feel the good vibes? The light in there is pretty amazing, and that fireplace?! Love. Let's just call this the one that got away.
Monday came around and I got a call from Ryan. Long story short, our realtor had contacted him and said that the seller of the original house had thought things over (ahem, come to his freakin' senses) and wanted to offer us the house back. To which my response was - are you freaking kidding me?! We had finally come to terms with not getting that house - we had moved on! And then there it was, knocking at our door again. Ooof.
Since this is already epically long, I'll leave you with this: after much discussion and ado, Ryan and I decided to go back with the original house. So we are once again under contract, set to close on or before May 16. This is beginning to feel like the closing that will never actually happen, but I'm crossing my fingers and toes that this time around things go as planned.
Looks like maybe I'll be getting my hands on this ugly little kitchen after all!
I'm almost afraid to post this because I don't want to jinx anything... but I'm doing it anyway. If you've made it through this very wordy post... bless you!
Anyone have any good (and by good I mean bad) stories about delayed closings or house nightmares? Let's hear them in the comments!
My Favorite Farmhouse Style Kitchen Pendant Lights (for under $200)
One thing I definitely want in our new kitchen is some awesome pendant lighting over the island. In addition to brightening up the space, it's a chance to add a unique design element to our kitchen. Without further ado... here is a round up of my favorite kitchen pendant lights. I'd be thrilled with any of these hanging in our kitchen - and they're all under $200!
Good morning and happy Friday! (Can I get a party horn emoji up in here?!)
As you may have noticed, it's well past March 23rd at this point... so we should be official homeowners, right? Wrong. As can be expected, our closing date was pushed back. Then, we had to fire our contractor and find a new one... so it was bumped again. At this point we're looking at April 13, so fingers crossed that one works out!
In the mean time, I'm drowning my we're-never-closing-on-this-house sorrows with online shopping! (Which has been surprisingly effective ;) )
One thing I definitely want in our new kitchen is some awesome pendant lighting over the island. In addition to brightening up the space, it's a chance to add a unique design element to our kitchen. Without further ado... here is a round up of my favorite kitchen pendant lights. I'd be thrilled with any of these hanging in our kitchen - and they're all under $200!
Savoy House Alden 1 Light Pendant - $168.30
Addison 1 Light Pendant by Napa Home & Garden - $143.99
Waltham Pendant by Birch Lane - $189
If you need help pulling together the design of your space, don't hesitate to reach out! We offer both full service design and e-design, and would love to help you!
*Some affiliate links were used in this post - as always, I only post about products I LOVE and think you will too. Thanks for your support! :)
New Kitchen Inspiration
One of the biggest changes we'll be making in the new house is the kitchen. The whole thing is being gutted and redone. New configuration, new cabinets, new floors - the whole nine yards. I've been pinning inspiration photos like crazy (are you following us on Pinterest yet?) and wanted to share a roundup of my kitchen inspiration in a post! Enjoy!
One of the biggest changes we'll be making in the new house is the kitchen. The whole thing is being gutted and redone. New configuration, new cabinets, new floors - the whole nine yards. I've been pinning inspiration photos like crazy (are you following us on Pinterest yet?) and wanted to share a roundup of my kitchen inspiration in a post! Enjoy!
I love this kitchen! White cabinets with copper/rose gold hardware - yes. White subway tile backsplash - yes. Open shelving - yes! source
Love the cabinets, subway tile backsplash, and wooden open shelving! source
This is our plan - white cabinets with a light gray island. Loveeee! source
The beveled subway tile ads a little more interest. Love it with the gray grout and white countertop! Source
This wooden vent hood is great for contrast against the white cabinets and backsplash. I definitely want a cool hood in my kitchen! source
So there you have it! Some photos that we've used as inspiration when designing our new kitchen. I can't wait to see how it actually turns out!
What does your dream kitchen look like? Are you as in love with (mostly) white kitchens as much as I am?
