Current Events
I started painting the garage and now there is rain in the forecast all week so probably not a lot of progress on that. Here is a before/after on the side I DID get work done on yesterday.
I haven’t fully disclosed all the details of our lives but along with trying to finish some fairly big projects on the house, I am now homeschooling our two daughters. I’m immunosuppressed and there just didn’t seem to be any safe way for me to send them to school so we launched into homeschooling and they are doing so, SO well with it! It’s definitely added to my weekly load of tasks though!
I also run two businesses in addition to this blog. I run a small store in my local town and Babe has a small side gig which I run the admin/bookkeeping side of. Neither are HUGE undertakings, but it definitely limits my availability to work on projects at home.
I do have a few indoor projects I can work on while it rains this week so I will attempt to do that and get some of those posted soon! Many of the projects in the house are half complete so I’ll try to dig up old photos to show the total transformation! Here is one I’m particularly fond of – our downstairs bathroom reno! I will try to always preface this with the fact that we bought this house for $50k as a foreclosure. We knew it had problems when we bought it and we were ambitious. Kids slow down progress and it's taken us 7 years to get where we are now. We've definitely hit some speed bumps but it is by far the best investment we've ever made and the equity available to us has been tremendous.
The downstairs has had a lot of changes since we took ownership. Originally, this house was designed to have a “maid’s quarters” I believe with direct access off the kitchen, dining room, and a back maid’s staircase. The two closets of that room were converted to a shower room and separate powder room I believe to make the house more accommodating for an older couple that used to reside here. The stool and sink were in the door on the right (see following pic). The shower stall was in the door on the left with a basic insert and sliding glass door. Neither were pretty. We knew the shower likely had leaks. The stool side seemed to all be in working order so we put that project on the back burner. The turquoise wall color was not my favorite but with a brown bedroom, pepto pink bedroom, and all things gold kitchen, the turquoise could wait.
We used to have laundry in the basement and with a 2 story house and kids on the way, that did not work for me. I don't even have pictures of it in the basement because it was one of the first things I required we change. With the help of a plumber friend and Babe’s skills, we added plumbing to the “bedroom” on the main floor and converted it into the laundry room. Here’s what that looked like when that was first completed. We were still getting the hang of DIY projects back then. This bedroom was previously BROWN and looked much refreshed with some simple paneling with trim and a light blue color to lighten the room up. I have yet to complete the painting/reno in here - no judging allowed. HA
We left the shower room and powder room layout alone for a few years (bigger projects to tackle) other than some basic painting but last year we finally took on the task of relocating plumbing and making it an official ¾ bath. Modernized and pretty with classic touches. I’m obsessed with the final product. It really feels large considering the size of the room! Here are some photos of the progression of that change.
Another huge project we’ve undertaken is the front porch. The porch was weathered and rotten in lots of places when we purchased the house. When you walked across it you could feel a few of the supports “give” a bit. We decided to tear it all up and fix anything with damage and lay brand new porch floor. Here is the before:
Pretty beat up and in desperate need of some attention. Our porch is pretty unique; the basement runs all the way out under the porch. Normally basements in the area stop where the porch begins. It’s a cool feature when you consider the extra storage space in the basement. However, it did present some challenges while we repaired it. Once the floor was up, the basement was exposed overnight until we could get the new floor installed. Luckily nothing happened but it was an uncomfortable night.
Following the demo, we installed the fresh supports and then it was time for the new floor. We went with a basic car siding and we coated each board with a waterproof oil based paint prior to install. It was some extra work but we wanted to make sure they were as weatherproof as possible.
Once installed, we used a basic grey garage floor paint. I ADORE the color and it turned out wonderful. My only complaint is that we didn’t really think the car siding grooves out. It’s not a huge deal but water does run up the channels. Still more sound than it was before! No leaks in the basement and we’re about 5 years into the life of the new floor now. Having a new floor has motivated me to get awesome porch decor and I regularly sit outside and enjoy my coffee in the new space. My girls love it too and you can normally find us hanging out on and around the porch.
My porch is my happy place!!
The back of the house has also undergone some changes. Originally, the house had a back porch with a rear side exit down to the driveway. We decided that for our life, an exit out the back of the house onto a deck, with quick access to the yard, made much more sense. Here is the before of the back of the house:
This was an INVOLVED job. It took us a few years to get it where it is now; slowly spending on the project as money allowed. The first task was building the deck. We are by no means professionals but we get the job done. It’s not a huge deck but enough to give you a place to hang out and have a meal if you want. I personally enjoy having a spot to get a tan while the girls play in the back yard.
Once the deck was built, it was time to relocate the back door. Our kitchen had a set of 3 windows so we decided to remove a window for the door install. We also had a radiator to work around under the set of windows. It all fit perfectly! The door now opens to the deck which is perfect for doggos and kids. I can keep an eye on the kids from the kitchen. (Sorry not sorry about the dog butt LOL)
We’ve recently seeded the yard to add some more grass to the very shaded backyard. It has grown like crazy and I plan to get a bit more so it really comes back thick next spring (hopefully for new owners). We have a few landscaping things planned around the garage which I’ll include when that project is complete! Our backyard is where we spend a lot of our family time. Babe created a very last minute fire pit this year which we’ve cooked many smores over, there is a rope/board swing for the girls which they love, and we have a hand-me-down playset from a friend. Doesn’t take too much to keep this clan happy!
More updates to come! Check back soon for more on our journey of prepping our house to sell, downsizing to an RV, and living debt free for life!
XO
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