Tag: fixer upper

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So, I’ve really dived deep into the KonMari effect. I’ve changed the way I fold. I’ve thrown away more shoe boxes than is reasonable to have found in my closet. I’ve donated 5 large bags worth of clothing, and I haven’t even touched what is hanging in my closet. I’m working through the kitchen now and finding so much space. It’s amazing what gets pushed back in the pantry. Plus, those baskets are key to organizing that mess. I’ve found that keeping things together in families helps me see what I’m looking for rather than hunting for it.

After (plus color coding)

I mentioned last week that I was working on my T-shirts. I was able to purge down all of my dresser drawers to where I have 3 empty at the moment. THREE! I can’t wait to keep going and see what I’ll get rid of. My house already feels like its lost 30 pounds of nonsense.

 

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Who else is Marie Kondo-ing their life? I just started watching the show after hearing about her book several years ago and seeing several posts about it recently. While I don’t think I have quite the problem as most of her clients, this has been so helpful to spark me into my annual purge. I usually try to clean out my closet each year, but this year I think the entire house needs a once over. Every drawer, cabinet, and closet will get reorganized. After finding all of those plastic bags at the beginning of the year, I decided that I can probably end up with an empty kitchen cabinet at the end of this.

I. Can’t. Wait.

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When I moved into my house, the first order of business was to paint. The house was spotless (Thanks, Elizabeth Turner!), and I was able to run straight to the paint department to start selecting shades of gray for every single surface. I was excited to paint the chocolate brown dining room a bright shade of gray to lighten the space. We found that the cabinets used as book shelves by the previous owners were actually better suited for china cabinets since a plate rail was on each shelf. Once we got into the process and did a little digging in the attic, we found that the glass doors to the built in cabinets were in perfect condition. They just needed a fresh coat of crisp white paint and to be rehung. This may have been the easiest face lift we have completed to date.

Before (as shelving)
After (as cabinets)
Filled to the brim.

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So, what is my house missing (besides a dishwasher and actual en suite bathroom)? A fireplace. I feel like every home needs a mantle. And since I grew up in a home with a brick fireplace as the focal point of the living room, it was something I wanted somehow in my chimneyless house. Luckily, my Dad is Mr. Fix It and was able to build a mantle for me.

I had the perfect empty wall in my dining room, so for my 27th birthday, dad built a mantle into my house. We spent hours in the molding department at the hardware store trying different layers. Corbels versus none. Details versus simple. What we ended up with looks like it should have always been there. Hopefully I will find the perfect iron grate to place in the hole where the fireplace would be. I’ll keep my eyes peeled in the mean time.

Before
During
After

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Since celebrating 6 years in this little house on Auburn last week, I’ve been looking through the before and after photos I have showing some major changes we’ve made over the years. So, I thought I’d share a couple of those projects with you.

When I bought my house in 2012, we found wall furnaces in so many rooms that were no  longer in use, actually removed the ones in the bathrooms and kitchens right away, and covered the holes they left. However, there was a pair of furnaces in the living and dining rooms that were in the wall and the floor that posed quite a problem. However, after a couple of years of thinking, dear ole Dad came up with the perfect Mr. Fix It fix. He was able to recreate the look of the built-in china cabinets into matching book shelves  to cover not only the holes in the walls but also the missing hardwood floors. Plus, who doesn’t need more built ins?

Before. What an eye sore!
After (sort of). A little white paint made them livable.
After (for real).
In the dining room side, the shelve acts as a nice “dry bar.”

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Yesterday marked 6 years as a homeowner, and I have loved my relationship with my little house on Auburn Avenue. We get along nicely, and it doesn’t mind when I continually make it change and update its style. Over the past year, it’s seen a new coat of paint on the shutters and doors. It’s now got a nice pair of bathrooms that match. The blinds are slowly being changed out. (20 windows takes time and money.) We even got a little update in the laundry room (and some shiplap). I’d say it’s turning out nicely.

Hopefully over the next year we will see a fresh coat of paint for the siding. I wouldn’t mind a little hail damage either (hint, hint Mother Nature).

Happy Birthday, House!

September 17, 2012

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I think everyone knows I’m a fan of HGTV. I’ve always been a follower of Trading Spaces and While You Were Out; but now with Fixer Upper, Hometown, and Property Brothers, I’m pretty much glued to that particular channel.

Luckily, I have quite the fixer upper of my own and have slowly been going room by room and inch by inch changing, re-changing, and changing again the look of my house. Some rooms were easy: paint, floors, lighting. However, some rooms needed (and still need) some elbow grease and a budget. Two springs ago, we tackled my “master” bath. Since there isn’t a master suite in my house on Auburn, I dedicated one of the two identical bathrooms (the one with actually 6 more inches of width) as my own. After shiplapping a wall, subway tiling the shower, and bricking the floors, I had a bathroom that Joanna Gaines would gladly call her own.

 

Before
After

Don’t worry, I’ll admit that I was a bit of a design diva throughout the process. This was a DIY project that my entire family helped with in some form or fashion throughout the 2-month timeline. Dad was the “Chip Gaines” of it all with his crowbar and nail gun within arms reach at all times. I did throw him for a loop with the niche I just had to have in my shower. I’d seen them on all of the renovation shows and really thought it would be ideal in my shower. No harm, no foul. Right? No. Major harm. Major foul. We were able to tile the entire shower within a couple of days, but that damned niche caused weeks of turmoil. There was thinking. There was Pinteresting. There were times we were all thrown from the premises so that Dad could think it through on his own. I have to say it turned out perfectly, and every time I grab my shampoo I think “Hmm, that’s a might fine niche.” 

 

Mid Demo Day 1
End of Demo Day 1
Amount of Demo
End of Demo Day 2
Adding Insulation to Outer Wall
Adding Shiplap Wall
Roughing in Backer Board and Sheet Rock
Roughing in Sheet Rock
Tile Experts applying the first (of many) subway tiles.
The Niche Before
The Niche After
Ceramic Brick Floors
A toilet and shower door to go!
Finished shower

With bathroom two on the horizon by the end of March, I’m excited to get to tiling again and see what this version of shiplap, subway, and brick looks like. I have given up the niche in the guest bath. Sorry, future guests, baskets will have to do.