As I work on things in the house, I often think to myself, 'gloves would be a good idea...' but never take the time to actually go get them, continuing on with the project at hand.
It's hard to see, but the base of my ring finger is a little swollen and bruised from repeatedly banging it taking out these suckers:
The tack strips were keeping this tacky carpet down:
lovely mint green stairs
Smokey likes smelly, yukky stuff
However, a swollen and bruised hand is all worth it when you pull up carpet and find this underneath!
Pay no attention to the orange plush carpeting at the base of the stairs...
I was very surprised when they turned out to be oak instead of plywood! The stairs are so pretty and in such good shape that it'd be a shame to cover them up...so they stay naked.
We may put a runner on them eventually, and I know there's a ton of paint makeovers out there, but we like them just like they are...for now.
All the plans, big and small, are on hold while things like toilets and chimneys get fixed. Having a working chimney that isn't crumbling seemed more important than paint colors.
I would like to say my dresser makeover is done, but raking the yard and picking up downed tree limbs and sticks took precedence. Being able to mow the lawn (or have someone else do it) seemed more important than hitting a thrift shop.
Funny how things like a remodeling schedule get thrown out the window when you realize nicotine stains are on all the surfaces in the house...
...but getting to see the Cherry Blossoms on a gorgeous sunny day and spending time with the one you love is more important than anything in the world.
Another thing on my wish list was a ranch with a walkout basement. Check. Just keep repeating 'Potential...Potential...'
The carpet is orange and plush. The brick fireplace with brass doors is so...yeah. But I've been madly pinning ideas that don't necessarily involve painting it white. Again, super-secret until it gets done. And have you gotten the idea that I LUV that bar? Yep, it's like the elephant in the room but it's too cool to trash. Can you see everyone gathered round while signature drinks are being made? I can :)
The rest of the lower level is only being taped cuz it's a House Tour, and them rooms is part of da house. Kinda like having a kitchen only because it comes with the house.
There you have it! My super-60s, retro-fab, untouched-until-now house. No awful granite to tear out, no funny floor plan 'fixes' to rework, no sloppily painted surfaces to sand down, and lots and lots of projects for moi.
Ready? Ok, you were warned! The yellow and aqua projects probably aren't what you're thinking...they are the colors of my 60s-tastic bathrooms. Oh yes, they're something all right...but first I'll ease you into it by showing you the offices.
My hubs is going to be working from home and wants a 'cool' office. He hasn't exactly defined 'cool', but that's not quite what's happening in here right now:
He does have my cool vintage desk that I painted in Graphite, so he has a start to a pimpin' office :) I'm in a MCM (Mid-Century Modern) mood - think Don Draper of Mad Men...I'll wait for ya... ok? you're back?
Every suggestion I come up with is met with a 'nah'. He even thought the lemony yellow on the walls was ok...um, no just no. The wheels are turning and he'll love what I come up with...he always does :)
Next to what will be Don Draper's office is Fred Sanford's junkyard, also known as Junky Vagabond central. Go ahead and watch the video. Imma go get a drink to hide my shame.
I'm a hoarder. After packing and unpacking this space, it's time to admit it. All this stuff that fills this office is either going to get sold in the shop or made into decor for this house. I swear it (my hubs will be happy to hear that!)
Now for a little breathing room; the Guest Room. Just imagine it without the empty boxes. Are you catching all these curtains in the house? They were made by the original owner...50 years ago I'm sure. They might actually be worth something as they're now 'vintage'...unfortunately, not all of them are cool vintage. Some are just 'oh no you di-n't' vintage.
I don't really think anything but a splash of paint and new window treatments are needed in the Guest Room; it already has new bedding and cool furniture. Whew! One room will be easy!
Watch this and tell me you don't want one:
Isn't that the coolest?? It almost works as we can sometimes get something out of it, but the wiring is old. We'll weigh fixing it with how much it will probably cost. Love it though.
Ok, are you ready? Go get your sunglasses...
There are no words, are there? The counters are truly hideous, and yellow is fine...in small doses. And not in a toilet. Or any other bath fixture.
Moving on. The Master Bedroom, which earns this designation due to the fact that it has an en suite. Sorta. You'll see.
It's big, it fits a king-sized bed, it has double closets, two windows, and has it's own bath. That's what I wished for, but seriously! I should've specified a bathroom that you could turn around in :) I'm kinda digging the aqua fixtures, but not the vanity or that hideous cultured marble top. Got some ideas, but I'm keeping them super secret until the reveal. Not a peep until then.
That's the entire first floor - I'm so excited about the potential in this house! Stay tuned for the lower level!
Here we are, continuing on with the House Tour; I hope you're enjoying this peek into my new home!
First up is the Breakfast Room (and I have no idea if this is what it should be called, but the realtor said it and the name stuck):
Pay no mind to the miscellaneous everything in the house from the boxes, to the cat bed, to the various stuff stuck on random nails left on the walls. These videos were shot a week after moving in and my only goal was to show you the worst Before pictures possible to make the Afters that much more impressive :)
My kitchen has so much potential...take a look and tell me what you think:
The cabinets are in such good shape; it's like no one ever used them! No gunky gunk around the pulls, no broken hinges, no paint has touched these puppies since 1966. Even though I don't foresee keeping them in their current placement, they will stay somewhere in the house (think garage or workshop). The work triangle is terrible and it's all closed off - all I want to do is knock down a wall (or two) and open it up!
Keep turning right and you'll come to the Dining Room:
Having a dedicated dining room seems a little silly for two people who either eat out or eat on the couch, but hey, it came with the house :) I think that window will transform into a set of french doors onto a deck, just don't know when that little luxury will happen.
Coming around from the dining room, completing the circle, this is what one sees from our front door; our Living Room:
This furniture is from our old family room, which is currently swathed in a sea of orange carpeting...don't worry, you'll be seeing that in all its glory soon! The room is going to be challenging in furniture placement - I'll need some help if anyone wants to give me some constructive advice. With all the doors and windows and pathways, I'm stuck.
More videos to come; next up are the rooms that time has passed by, also known as the baths and bedrooms!
Thursday, March 15, 2012
The videos are done! The videos are done!
You have no idea how much time these took; between figuring out how to work the camera, where to look, to how strange I sound/look on camera :) After a lot (and I mean A LOT) of retakes, here are the first few videos of my House Tour - The Intro and The Foyer. (If I capitalize them, doesn't it make them more important? *grin*)
(now that's a great look, isn't it?)
Yes, I said 'giving you a tour of the tour in Maryland' but by the time I realized it, my makeup was off and reshooting wasn't in the cards. And to add something to my perfectly scripted monologue (yeah, right!), selling the house quickly was a result of staging AND pricing it for the market. I talk about that in my post about Moving. Just to make sure that clarification was in here somewhere.
On to the Foyer which is an exciting room to have, coming from a house that opened right into the living room:
The sidelights are classy, no? The deadbolt is the older deathtrap kind - you need the key to unlock it - so while I love the vintage look of it, we may value our lives a bit more :)
What about those closet doors? The doors in the house are all like this - original and never painted, and all the closets have that no-mans-land up top that is impossible to get to, but is a LOT of space. Anyone dealt with those before? What did you do??
So what do you think? Keep the videos coming? I'll understand if you hate my videography, but everyone has to start somewhere, right? My thought is to show you the 'Before' videos now, and add the 'After' as we go, then have a sidebar section for the House Tour. That's the plan, Stan.
As I sit here after another day of figuring out how this house is going to work for us, I'm trying to get some perspective on this move. We moved in record time - drove from Michigan to Maryland and exactly 30 days later closed on a house (click on the link to see pictures).
The house is a fixer and that's exciting...but a little frustrating too in that I keep finding things that don't work, or maintenance that was neglected over the years. Or finding some windows that were painted shut. That's not so exciting. Part of the problem is that we couldn't do things like paint or refinish the floors before we moved in due to the speed of it all. I guess I just want things done quickly and have to stop only looking towards the end product and start relishing the journey :) There, I've just talked myself out of my funk.
Goals for the house? Um...bring it into this century. It's 1966 all the way and just about anything we do to it is going to help. However, I really believe you need to live in a house for awhile before ripping it apart. As we live in it, the flow of the house and its function will show itself.
My first thoughts are to open up the kitchen:
It doesn't have any natural light, but if we open up that wall straight ahead, the dining room has a great window in it.
We do know one of the first things we absolutely have to do is replace this carpet:
It's pretty horrid, isn't it? Plus all the paneling in the family room, and in the breakfast room...
...and that black and white linoleum. I tried to clean it, but it's completely yellowed and scratched up...got to go.
What I really need to do is sit back and look at all the fantastic potential in this place and take it slow as we rehab the tired old bones of this house!
Stick around for all the fun, and feel free to chime in with ideas any time!
Ok, here we go! We closed on the new house on March 2nd and I've been up to my eyeballs in boxes and trying to find stuff - if you've ever moved, you can relate, right?
I have grand plans to post a video house tour, but am having a little trouble with it so I'm going to update you in pictures...cuz Gwen at The Bold Abode told me an update was in order and I listen to Gwen :)
Without further ado, my new house:
Our New House!!
We have an actual foyer :)
living room - check out those curtains
dine in kitchen/breakfast room
old, old, old
before in the extreme, but the cabinets are in great shape
My husband is in constant motion - LOL!
dining room
Hubby's office
Junky's office (help!)
guest bedroom (slash kitty bathroom...jk - we moved that to the basement)
yello-tastic main bath
See what I mean?!
yep, that's right folks...I didn't make my bed and my cat likes it that way
double closets and the world's smallest master bath...with turquoise fixtures
brick fireplace wall - big plans
Moving in :)
So there you have it - a first look at my Project House with capital letters. Working on the video today...wish me luck! (and thanks for sticking with me)
