Our House: 6 Months Before and After Pics

So much has changed about our house since we bought it last October!

There have been very few weekends without long to-do lists and aching backs, but it’s been worth it. I feel like we are slowly getting to a place where we can actually relax and enjoy the house.

Here are some updated photos and our ever-evolving to-do list!

Foyer

We replaced the 3 pendant lights, partially painted the walls, refinished the floors/stairs, painted the doors, replaced the doorknobs, removed the red pendant light and had a recessed light installed, and added the only baby gate we could find for this type of staircase after Annie fell down the stairs TWICE!

• Finish painting
• Recessed light cover/bulb
• Replace front doors
• Paint metal railing

Living Room

• Remove ceiling fan
• Fireplace mantle
• Paint ceiling
• Hide tv cords
• Caulk around fireplace and fill in the holes in the brick
• Replace fireplace insert

Kitchen

We haven’t done much in here other than removed those red pendant lights over the sink which were recessed lights so we went back to those, and we removed the gross furry/sticky from cigarette tar ceiling fan.

• Paint ceiling
• Install a light where the ceiling fan was
• Paint cabinets
• Change hardware
• New appliances
• Paint walls
• Either paint backsplash, attempt to replace it myself, or try peel & stick to see what happens
• Continue obsessing over how I can remodel this limited space to squeeze in a REAL pantry and an island that I desperately miss having at our old house

Dining Area

• Add light fixture above table
• Paint ceiling

Upstairs Hallway

We had the door to the hallway removed, painted the walls, replaced the light and light switch, swapped the closet door knobs and hinges to brass, replaced the smoke detector, removed the doorbell (we use Ring), and replaced the thermometer.

• Install better shelving system in closet
• Paint ceiling
• Replace closet doors and bedroom doors
• Fix hole in the wall where the doorbell was
• Longer rug needed (this was just one we had at our old house)

Upstairs Bathroom

We gutted this room down to the studs and had someone remodel it.

• Swap hinges to brass
• Swap light fixture for one that was too big for Kensley’s bathroom (I waited too late to return it!)

Nursery

We painted the walls and ceiling, replaced the light fixture and switches/plugs to white, had the floors refinished, and swapped the door knobs and hinges for brass. I don’t love the way the furniture is placed in their room, but this is what we need for right now and it works for us.

• Install a closet organizing system
• Replace closet doors
• Remove rocking chair eventually because it looks ridiculous – but we use it daily to rock our babies!!

Master Bedroom

• Paint window sills
• Install the other curtain and rod
• Replace closet knobs
• Paint doors and around ceiling fan

Master Bathroom

The only thing we did in here was removed a weird pendant light above the full length mirror. It really did make a big difference but I don’t have any photos of it.

• Convince myself it’s 2001 and that this bathroom is my *style*
• Eventually we will do a big remodel to include the closet

Mud Room

We (partially) painted, had the tile floor removed and replaced with hardwood, refinished the stairs and banister, replaced the light fixture.

• Finish painting
• Light switches replaced

Laundry Room

We haven’t done much in here because we were trying to save money on our contractor. They replaced the floors, the doors to the unfinished storage/utility room (not pictured), and replaced some of the sheetrock/rotten wood by the washing machine but left the rest for us to do. Since it’s just the laundry room, we will get to it eventually.

• Sand sheetrock
• Paint
• Patch hole in the ceiling
• Replace light fixture
• Add shelves

Family Room

We had the paneling replaced with sheetrock, new flooring put in, replaced the light fixtures, and painted the walls/ceiling. We also had the doors replaced so they swing open in a way that makes more sense.

• Decide whether or not I want to paint the trim white around those 6 windows – the trim stain doesn’t all match
• Replace fireplace mantle
• Hang the tv
• Paint the fireplace
• Install Murphy bookshelf door
• Paint doors and trim
• Replace air vents
• Replace sliding glass doors (glass is scratched to hell and back)

Downstairs Hallway

We had the weird door to the hallway removed down here too, painted walls/ceiling, replaced light fixtures, and had the small linen closet closed off/removed (this is where we took some space for the bathroom’s shower).

Downstairs Bathroom

We had this bathroom completely gutted down to the studs and remodeled. We added to the size by taking out the hallway’s small linen closet and about a third of the playroom’s closet (the shower is where those spaces were taken from). It still leaves plenty of room in the playroom if we ever need a regular closet and a linen closet just wasn’t needed down here.

• Swap hinges to brass

Playroom

We painted the walls/ceiling, replaced the light fixture, swapped the light switch and plugs to white, and had the flooring replaced. We also took out some of the closet and added a closet system where we put removeable shelves for toy storage.

• Light switch
• Window treatments
• Paint closet doors (thinking about adding trim around them)

Teenager’s Room

We painted, replaced the ceiling fan, turned on of the closets into an office nook, added a built in closet system in the other closet, replaced the floors and baseboards, all the plugs/switches changed to white, and replaced the door hardware.

• Install removable peel & stick wallpaper in office nook
• Replace the ceiling fan light cover that I broke
• Paint doors
• Swap hinges for brass hinges

Whole House Items

All of the flooring has been replaced or refinished, all the baseboards were replaced, most of the plugs/light switches changed to white, the light fixtures have all been replaced, most of the doors were replaced (we have 2 interior doors and 2 closet doors we still plan to replace).

• Replace windows
• Paint doors and trim
• Replace recessed light covers
• Figure out a way to make the backyard nicer without spending $64k (yes, that is the quote we got)
• Resurface the driveway
• Paint the outside storage building
• Paint the garage door and side door (they’re still orange!)