Before the House Remodel

Well, we did it! We took the plunge and had our entire first floor gutted and re-done. Would you like to see before the house remodel and what it looks like now?

I’ll be taking you on a journey throughout the remodel process. I was amazed at how it all fell together; however, we did have one hiccup. If that wouldn’t have happened, the entire project would have been done in just ten days. What? Yes, ten days. You may ask how we were able to take down a wall, remodel the entire kitchen, put in new flooring covering a span of 2,900 square feet, run electrical, resurface a fireplace, and complete the whole project in two weeks? (breath) It was quite a ride.

During the process, I learned so many tips and researched like a student, day and night, finding out that designing a kitchen is not an easy task. Even for me with my experience of interior design classes and working for designers it was a challenge.

What I can say? – there isn’t one place to go to get all of the answers. Not one!

I studied and searched because I did not want to make ANY mistakes. I spent hours upon hours making sure I had the perfect surfaces and put the pieces together in the correct order. Are there things I would have done differently? Some things, but nothing major that I would change.

If you are doing a remodel and want to do it yourself or sub out your own contractors – I hope this helps you! Maybe what worked for me will help you too, keeping in mind that every scenario and house is a little different.

So… I am going to take you through the journey as though you are right along beside me.

Let’s get started with the before pictures…

Here is a picture of the front hallway facing the front door.

This house wraps around a center courtyard. The two large windows on the right give an amazing amount of natural light. My initial thought… the flooring needs to be replaced, paint lightened up, and the front door lightened in color.  

 

The front office also has a view into the courtyard and the front yard.

This room didn’t seem special.  I believe it needed some shelves and personality.  I don’t know about you, but being inspired in an office area makes me more productive.

Across from the office is a living room with high ceilings and an unfinished fireplace.

The previous owners splattered paint all over the floor. Therefore, the floor needed to be replaced, walls repainted, and the obvious… the fireplace needed a new surround.

Adjacent to that room is the dining room.

The previous owners used this room as a massage/workout room. I’m thinking this would make a better dining room, don’t you? 

Moving along…

Here is the kitchen.

I laugh at this picture because my husband, Joe, is walking with his hand on his chin. The “I am deep in thought” posture. After this moment he came up to me and said, “I don’t want to buy this house. It needs so much work.”

And it did. Almost a depressing amount of work.  I wanted to remove the floor, paint the cabinets, reconfigure the island, paint over the green, and lighten up the space.

There he is again…  same posture… deep in thought.

The butlers pantry connects the kitchen to the dining room.

This area begs for a little coffee bar area.  I wanted to remove the cabinets and replace them with open shelving, paint the cabinets, and get new countertops.

Did I mention the stairs…

There are two sets of stairs.  One in the front of the house and the other in the back hall of the house.  They were poorly cut and the finish work was something I couldn’t live with.  What could I live with?  White risers, thick treads, and a better seam where the tread meets the riser… ha!

The powder room is located off of the back hall…

Don’t you just love the position of the drop down shade?

If you’ve followed me for awhile, you’ve seen this room complete.  

I still can’t believe it is the same space.  I actually enjoy going in this powder room now.  You can check out more about the renovation by clicking here.

This is the main floor guest bedroom.

Looking at this room is like looking at a blank canvas with endless opportunity. There is no personality in this room and I wanted to get in there quick and make it comfortable for my guests by painting, adding a new window treatment, replacing the flooring, and getting a comfortable bed.

And guest bedroom bathroom…

And lastly, here is the laundry room.

A little overwhelming, right?

For that reason, I will stop there. Don’t worry, it turns out good in the end. I can’t wait to show you!

Are you in a house which overwhelms you? Well, I am here to tell you, take your time and enjoy the process. The end result is so rewarding.

Until next time…

Enjoy!

Every. Single. Moment.

Angie

Don’t forget to pin this page for future reference.

Want to get all of good stuff delivered to your inbox?  Don’t forget to subscribe.