then there was the kitchen.

One of the main reasons I've been dragging my feet on really getting this blog going, is that when I'm in the midst of a project/decorating I am HORRIBLE at taking pictures of the process. The 'before' pictures are usually snapped in haste, as I'm so anxious to just GET TO WORK(!). The 'during' pictures are essentially non-existant (who has time to stop and take a picture when you're up to your elbows in paint and saw dust?? Especially pictures with a REAL camera??). The 'how-to's'? You're crazy. Google a demo, I'm sure someone else has already put it on YouTube. And, well... as we all know, those are all kind of a big part of a house blog. So, this little piece of cyber space is still a baby... and I've already failed it hard.

But, before we give up entirely, there is the kitchen! The dreaded kitchen, with it's dated (lime green laminate) counter tops, worn floor, and crumbly wallpapered over plaster walls. It is definitely the room in this home that will require the most work to get it up to par. And *drum roll please*... I actually have pictures of THE PROCESS! Even though I broke my biggest blog 'no-no' and used cell phone pictures... one step at a time.

Here are a few 'before' shots... that are so BEFORE that we didn't even own the house yet. May or may not have stolen these gems off the real estate listing!

(I'm kind of pissed the old owners didn't leave that hutch behind!)

It certainly was NOT beautiful, but it also wasn't the worst kitchen I'd ever seen. The cabinets themselves were quite plain and of surprisingly nice quality. Two of the walls (w/ the windows and door) are stucco, which I like... and the other two are the papered over plaster, which I did not realize would be such a nightmare.

After failing hard with tearing down the wallpaper (more on that to come), I made the cabinets my first real project. I knew I wanted to keep them, as they are actual solid wood, aside from the doors which have a veneer front. The lower cabinets also all have pull-out shelves, which I really love, and maximize the amount of storage we have. I also knew that I wanted the cabinets to be white. White kitchens, to me at least, just scream fresh and inviting. 

I debated between regular paint and the Rustoleum 'Cabinet Transformations' kit, before ultimately settling on the kit. After reading through endless reviews, Rustoleum seemed to offer a more durable/professional finish, which I thought would be key with white in a kitchen and having to scrub them up constantly, with all of the inevitable drips and splatters that go along with cooking. (I think I'll probably end up doing a whole post on Rustoleum alone, as I have such good things to say!)

Initially I was a bit over confident, thinking I'd surely be able to knock the cabinets out in a long weekend... but, I ended up having to use 3-4 coats of white, instead of the 2 the kit called for. So, I had to live with THIS a lot longer than I intended:

(At least it's easy to find what we're looking for??)

It ended up taking me a good three weeks to get everything painted. My biggest hangups were definitely not having enough work surface to lay cabinet doors out on and limited time to dedicate to the project. With no garage, and an unfinished basement, I really only had our dining room table to use, and we ended up with busy weekends, so I had to cram as much work into the evenings as I could. I'm also guilty of getting a teeny bit burned out before finishing the last 2 cabinet doors... something which I think Dave is VERY ready for me to get over.

I did pick out hardware though! After nearly two long intense hours (typical me) at Home Depot, I ended up going with a combination of knobs/drawer pulls that had a slightly vintage feel (honoring the house!), yet still felt modern with the brushed nickel finish. 

So, this is where we stand. The cabinets are WHITE and I LOVE them. It has a huge impact already. The whole room feels so much brighter. My goal this week is to get the last two doors finished, since of course the doors I loose steam on are also the two that hide the dreaded 'under the sink' disaster... 

(GAH! Don't mind the disaster that is our wall! But the stove? I LOVE MY PRISTINE VINTAGE STOVE.)

(I'm going to call this my motivation to finish those damn doors.)

The next stop is obviously to replace the counter tops. We're at a standstill until I make that decision. I'm 99% sure I have them picked out- but alas, all I'm certain of is that they will be black/dark gray. Material TBD. I think it will be a fantastic contrast w/ the white cabinets and warm wood tones of the floors.

After that? Backsplash (which I've already purchased). Walls.  And Floors. OH MY! 

...TO BE CONTINUED...

6 months

In a few days, we will have officially lived in our new old house for six months. It is insane to me that we have already been here for half a year. Time sure flies and it has been quite the adventure.

My entire life I have always lived in older homes... but, never anything quite this old. 113 years is new for me. And so are the little quirks that come with it.

For starters, nothing in this home is perfectly square. When hanging curtain rods, or art work, or anything that requires a level... we just have to laugh. The baseboards don't line up with the windows that don't line up with the ceilings. Interesting visuals. That is for sure. But, this is life when you live in a home that was built before levels were even invented.

To compliment the lack of squareness, the floors also slope and slant and dip and essentially do whatever they want. In most areas it's not noticeable unless you're REALLY paying attention, but in others it can completely catch you off guard. I definitely had a few moments, when we first moved in, that I was convinced the entire house was going to collapse out from under us... but then I would remind myself of that big glorious support beam we installed down in the basement... and now, in all honesty, I barely notice even the most drastic slopes.

Despite the "character" (that's what I affectionately call crooked windows and wonky floors) I think the most... ahem... interesting thing about living in an old house is all the messes that previous owners made. I mean really.... painted over hardware on every window and door? Thanks. Wallpapered over vinyl tile that was glued directly onto the plaster and lathe walls? Oh joy. Paint slopped.... everywhere?BB pellet holes in beautiful leaded glass? Taking on a character home is not for the faint of heart.

But then I look around and things like the 31 windows, all incased in beautiful moulding (I dare you to find 31 windows in a new 1500sq ft house without breaking the bank)... or the 12" wide baseboards... or the original wood floors made up entirely of inch wide "boards" (do we call them boards when they are only an inch wide?). And the warm fuzzies come flooding back. Character becomes charm and I remember why I love this house.

Sooo... what's the point of this long rambling bumbling post you might ask? The fact that this house is a project house. It's not a move in, throw on a new coat of paint, and call it a day house. I wrote out a lengthy "to do" list when we first moved in... and although much of it has been checked off over the course of these last 6 months, there is still plenty more that needs doing.

Eek!

The big project we're working on right now is the kitchen. Though it's not the original kitchen, it's a hot mess of 1960's walnut, lime green laminate, and half peeled off wallpaper over crumbly plaster. Does anyone have any advice for dealing with plaster walls that does not involve ripping them out and putting up drywall?? Oof.

Anyways... as it's already after midnight I should probably wrap this up. Stay tuned for a 'before' (current??) kitchen tour... and a glimpse at the BIG change we've made so far! Get excited people.

that time we bought a house and i sucked at blogging.

WE BOUGHT A HOUSE!! Okay.... so on April 29th we bought a house, and clearly at this point everyone already knows we bought a house. But we bought a house, none the less. I'm clearly just a little behind on this whole 'blogging the purchase of the new house' thing. But, it just kind of happened!

Let me back up a bit... Dave and I really had no intentions of buying a house, nor were we really looking. Our rental house was fine, dear friends lived nearby, my morning commute was minuscule... there was really no reason to move.

But, being me... I would randomly check the local real estate listings, just to see what was out there. I knew there were two very specific neighborhoods, in our city, that I would consider moving too. Both of which are comprised of older homes and walking distance to downtown. New construction subdivisions are just NOT my jam... and neither is having to get in the car any time I want to go anywhere.

The first neighborhood's homes were a little smaller and a little more affordable; think adorable 1920s/1930s bungalows. I love me a good bungalow. But, the area is still considered to be a bit "transitional". If the right house happened to pop on the market we'd want to see it, but it wasn't the ultimate goal.

The second neighborhood was gorgeous. Beautiful stately homes... trees older than the city itself... a charming brick paved road here and there... you could walk for miles and not pass the same house twice. In other words... my dream. When we found out that Dave's income could not be counted towards our mortgage qualification, it felt like a gut punch. We would not be finding a home in this neighborhood... and I had all but given up on the whole idea of buying any time soon.

Yet, one particular early March morning, I logged on to trulia.com, as I'd done many a time before and up popped this house. I'd seen it before; it had been listed for awhile. I always browsed past it as it didn't have a garage and didn't meet Dave's required number of bathrooms. But, it was in the second neighborhood, so I decided to just click through the pictures.

And then we bought a house. Really, it was almost that fast.

I fell in love with the pictures. In love. Even though the house was old and worn and dated and in desperate need of some TLC, I saw something. The price was right. The neighborhood was more than right. The house had all the character and charm and old world details that I always dreamed my home would have.

That very night I drove to the house after work and spent probably a good hour peering in all the windows (now- I'm not THAT creepy, as based on the pictures the house was clearly vacant!).

The next day, and with Dave's reluctant blessing, I set up a showing with a realtor for the following Saturday. Not three seconds after stepping foot into this house did I know that it was ours. I'm not kidding. I know people will just say that... "love at first sight"... but I'm serious. I knew this was OUR house.

Now, there were flaws, that was for sure. The house is OLD (113 years OLD to be exact), so the floors were sloped and slanted and creaky and the windows didn't all open... you know, all those things that go along with an old house. But, I knew that was something we could work with. The bones were there.

Dave how ever... not so much. I think it's fair to say that he hated it.

Luckily, his parents were able to come and see the house the next day, and after seeing his dad's enthusiasm and excitement, he was ready to let me move forward.

We made and offer. Our offer was accepted. We passed inspection. And we bought a house. Just like that. Have I said that enough times yet, in this post?

OH SHIT! WE BOUGHT A HOUSE!

The night of our closing, I registered this blog with the intent to document our road to making our new house a home... and instead completely neglected it. I figured now is as good a time as any to get the ball rolling. 

So here we are... a few months in. A lot of progress has been made, but we still have a long way to go. My plan is to go back and rehash some of the things we've done, while at the same time showing off some new projects. 

I hope you enjoy... and if I know you "in real life".... COME VISIT!