The Search Is Over

View from the driveway

Yes, the search is over and reality has set in.....we closed on this little "cottage" (cottage sounds so much better than "foreclosure" or"fixer upper") 1 month ago and we are in full renovation mode!  I have always wanted to remodel an older home and usually would just brush people off when they would say "DON'T DO IT" or "you might want to think twice about doing that!"  I understand now what those people meant....it is fun, challenging and a HEADACHE.  Just being honest!

Here is a little  "Before" tour....

Front Entry and Dining Room...Notice the wall to the right, it's gone now :)

 Kitchen....yikes!  Just sold those cabinets and appliances on Craigslist!

Master...the door opened to the Kitchen!?!  Not anymore!

Master bath.....gutted completely! Thank the Lord!

Family Room....I don't even recognize this picture, it already looks so different!

Front Bedroom...wow!  needs something...don't you agree? :) The back bedroom looks just like this.

I have much to share, but this post is just about what we started with and to give you a rundown of the things we have done in this first month....

~All trim, doors, flooring and light fixtures are gone

~ Two walls down...one separating the dining from the family room and one separating the kitchen from both the dining and family...basically, went from rooms sectioned off to an open floor plan...Love that!

~Door moved in the Master Bedroom and master bath gutted (Speaking of the Master...guess what the foreclosure company did...PAINTED OVER WALLPAPER!!  It had to be stripped which was SLOW and AGGRAVATING!) More on the Master, later

~ Gutted the Kitchen and added a little wall which I will show you about in the Kitchen post

~Started installing the TONGUE and GROOVE  BEAD BOARD CEILING!!  So very excited about that....we are putting it through the entire house!  No more popcorn ceiling!

 ~ Moved, took out, added lights and outlets...behind the scene things that have to be done but don't really seem too exciting

~Drywall where needed, Patching and Sanding

~Moved the air conditioner unit from the closet in the dining room to the attic

It has been therapeutic for me to make this list because some days it seems like we aren't getting anywhere but in reality we have accomplished a lot considering the 3 children running around and it being the beginning of pool season here in southeast Georgia.  My husband is going wide open trying to balance his business and all this renovation! Fortunately, we don't have to live in the mess...

So, this is where we are right now....when we sold our other home we really didn't know what our next move was going to be...we went from building a new home (even had a contract at one time on 5 acres) to putting a contract on a large move in ready home...to a contract on a large Pink Victorian that needed an even larger amount of work ( God Bless, our Realtor).  In the end our our frugal (Dave Ramsey) side won out. We opted for the smaller, foreclosure in an older established neighborhood, with lots of trees and a constant marshside breeze, and with an even smaller price tag! The best thing is  that we are going to be able to transform it into a warm and inviting haven for our little family. 

I am excited to be seeing all my ideas coming together.....and, I hope you will enjoy the journey with me! 

Rhiannon