Demo: Done!

We closed on the house last Thursday, got a text from our contractor on Friday saying they were going to start the demo and within about 4 days, it was down to the studs. We couldn't believe how quickly it all came down and what a difference it makes. We hardly remember what it looked like before!

So here is where we stand today.

Kitchen Day 1 (Closing Day)

Kitchen Day 2

Kitchen Day 3 - I somehow can't find the pictures of how the kitchen looks now. They've ripped all the floors since this picture was taken.

Laundry/Pantry Day 1

Laundry/Pantry Day 2 - They've since removed all the walls in there. Once the electrician moves that box, we will open that wall up.

Master Bath Day 1

Master Bath Day 1

Master Bath During Demo

Master Bath After Demo

Master Bath After Demo

                                     Guest Bath Day 1

Guest Bath - During Demo

Guest Bath - During Demo

Guest Bath - After Demo

                                     Guest Bath - After Demo 

So there we are! The next few weeks will be a little slower as we have electrical, plumbing and HVAC going in. Then, they start putting things back together! Can't wait to see more progress!

Kitchen Design Ideas

We are going to design our kitchen layout and pick out our cabinets tomorrow. Here are some ideas of what I'm thinking.

Let's not forget the "before" picture...

We plan to keep the layout of the appliances the same and just remove the random peninsula over in the corner and add an island. Something like this:

Here is my "inspiration board" I put together for our contractor so he could get a better idea of what I wanted. 

1 - Want to use a dark brown/espresso color for the island cabinets

2 - White or slightly off white for the rest of the cabinets

3 - Paint (Sea Salt by Sherwin Williams) Currently have this color in our sun room and just love it!

5 - White subway tile for the main back splash

4&6 - Accent back splash for over the gas cook top. Love Penny Tile!

7 - Accent wallpaper for the half-wall

8 - Granite: Want a grey granite with specs of brown/black/white in there. 

And here are a few pictures I just love!

I was a little worried our kitchen would be washed out by using a tile with white cabinets but this picture proved me wrong.

Love everything about this kitchen! 

This gave me a good idea of what our layout would look like. Also love the glass cabinet doors on either side of the window. Almost makes that window look twice as large.

This is the look we are hoping for with the half-wall we are cutting down between the kitchen and den. We want to still keep some division in the space but keep a full sight line. 

Week 1: Progress

While we haven't crossed a lot off the list this week there was A LOT done! It doesn't even look like the same house and it's already hard to look back on the pictures of the "before" so I can't imagine what it will be like in a few more weeks. I will share some of the demo pictures next week.

Next week the electrical and plumbing are getting done and we are quoting out the tree removal then the following week is HVAC.... nothing exciting but important nonetheless!

Happy Friday!

Kitchen/Laundry: GUT!

• New Cabinets
• New Countertops
• New Appliances
•  Backsplash
• Flooring
• Add Island
• Take down top half of wall between kitchen and den
•  Expand doorway in laundry
• Add pantry shelves in laundry
•  Add upper cabinets in laundry
• Add a dryer vent

Den:

• Redo/build new built-ins for TV
• Add 2 new windows on either side of door
• New sliding glass door

Guest Bath: GUT!

• New Tub
• New tile surround in shower
• New flooring
• New vanity
• New toilet
• New Fixtures

Master Bath: GUT!

• Take out extra closet in guest room to expend shower
• Tile new shower
• New flooring
• New double vanity
• New toilet
• New Fixtures
• Switch placement of toilet and vanity

Outside:

• New entry porch Roof and Railings
• Remove Trees
• Add Gutters

Misc:

• Paint (every square inch of the house)
• Refinish hardwoods
• Update Electrical
• New HVAC
• New closet doors throughout
• New Front/Back Doors

DIY:

• Remove Interior Shutters
• Install new closet systems in bedrooms
• Initial Landscaping
• Install new light fixtures in house
• Update hinges and doorknobs throughout house
• Replace outlet covers
• Install blinds

The LIST!

So now that I have shared with you all the before pictures of the house, now it’s time to know what we plan to do with her.

Here is our detailed list of items our contractor will be taking care of:

Kitchen/Laundry: GUT!

• New Cabinets
• New Countertops
• New Appliances
•  Backsplash
• Flooring
• Add Island
• Take down top half of wall between kitchen and den
•  Expand doorway in laundry
• Add pantry shelves in laundry
•  Add upper cabinets in laundry
• Add a dryer vent

Den:

• Redo/build new built-ins for TV
• Add 2 new windows on either side of door
• New sliding glass door

Guest Bath: GUT!

• New Tub
• New tile surround in shower
• New flooring
• New vanity
• New toilet
• New Fixtures

Master Bath: GUT!

• Take out extra closet in guest room to expend shower
• Tile new shower
• New flooring
• New double vanity
• New toilet
• New Fixtures
• Switch placement of toilet and vanity

Outside:

• New entry porch Roof and Railings
• Remove Trees
• Add Gutters

Misc:

• Paint (every square inch of the house)
• Refinish hardwoods
• Update Electrical
• New HVAC
• New closet doors throughout
• New Front/Back Doors

Yes, we do plan to do a few things on our own:

• Remove Interior Shutters
• Install new closet systems in bedrooms
• Initial Landscaping
• Install new light fixtures in house
• Update hinges and doorknobs throughout house
• Replace outlet covers
• Install blinds

And of course, there is always a “down the road” list that we like to call “Phase 2”:

• Pave Driveway (would love to do a circular drive once those trees are out)
• Replace Windows
• Add Interior Plantation Shutters on front of house
• Wainscoting in Dining Room and down the Hall
• Crown Molding the rest of the house
• Add a storage shed out back (for Brett’s beer fridge)
• Fence Back Yard
• Add a patio/deck

So there you have it! We’ve got a long way to go but our contractor and his team has been busy with the demo which should be done by the end of the week. Should have a post coming soon with some pictures from that! 

We bought a house!

Yep - it's officially "official". We've found our dream home. The house we've always wanted. One we can spend holidays all together in, have lots of guests in, entertain in and grow our family in.

So... without further adieu here she is in all her glory.

Yikes, not much to look at is she? No, not now but once we are done she will be a beauty!! We've got a TON of work ahead of us (errrr well our contractor does) but we are so excited for this adventure ahead of us.

So you may ask yourself, why would anybody want to renovate an old 1960s house? Well, here is our answer. It is the exact location we wanted (Lake Katherine if you are familiar with Columbia), exact square footage and bedrooms we wanted (2500 with 4 bedrooms) and the layout was almost perfect (minus a few walls that are coming down)... and it was the right price. To buy a house that was already completely renovated we'd be paying a whole lot more for it and get none of the benefits of picking everything out to our liking. This way, we may have a lot more stress involved but we will get to pick out and customize everything. It will be like a brand new house when we are done with it.

I've already got a TON of ideas floating around in my head (thanks Pinterest and Houzz) and can't wait to share all of them with you. I hope to keep the blog updated throughout this whole process so if we ever decide we want to move we can look back at all the blood, sweat and for sure tears that went into this project and we may never want to move again.

So buckle up... I know we are in for the ride of our lives over the next few months. Wish us luck!