The fireplace gets a facelift...

For those of you who have seen our previously hideous fireplace, you know that there used to be several decals of the fleur-de-lis...aka the same symbol the Saints use.  Here is what it used to look like:

First step, remove the ugly crowns and whatnot off of the face.  We decided, being that it didn't match anything in our house, that we would paint it white.  

After 4 coats of paint, it finally looked MUCH improved!

A Few Updates to the Exterior

While the inside has needed quite a lot of attention, the exterior of our home was in desperate need as well.  We decided to make a few simple changes to start with. Our shutters were previously a nice variety of white and green and looked like this:

We decided to go darker and make them all one color.  Here they are now:

We also have begun painting our railing white.  Unfortunately, one coat was not nearly enough!  With the heat of the summer and our new-found hatred of painting, we have put this off until cooler weather.  

I also threw in a few pictures of our hydrangeas this year.  We were excited to see that they bloomed so well since the previous owners had done absolutely NOTHING.

Round 2

Each week we try and do a few more small repairs on the house.  The yard is a work in progress as we clear all the debris and begin to prune all the plants.  We have several dead trees and stumps that we need to remove.

Timber.....There was a dead tree in the yard that we needed to cut down.  One day after work, I was informed it was time to cut down the tree.  I must admit....I was a little nervous.  My job....waiting on the porch, ready to call 911.  Tuck's job...using a tiny chainsaw to cut down an 80 year old tree.  After a short while, the tree began to sway.  It came down in a huge thud that shook the ground and rattled all the surrounding tree.  We knew we had done a good job after we heard the neighbors across the street come out of their house to applaud.  

Next project.  Sanding and staining the wood floors in our entry way.  Tuck spent the week sanding the wood down to prepare for the new stain.  This photo really shows how scratched the old floor were.  

Here is the floor sanded and ready to go.  Already a big improvement, even without the stain.  

We were a little nervous when we started putting the stain down, because it smelled and looked like motor oil.  

This is after the stain had been applied.  

Then it was time for the polyurethane.  Someone, who shall remain nameless, wanted to add a third coat to make it look like a basketball court.  

Just another picture of the nice shiny floor from another angle. 

Dining room with new light fixture.  Please excuse all the boxes...eventually we will actually unpack them.  

Kitchen with appliances and new lights.  We still need to install the new hardware, but we will get to that. 

1/2 bath with a few updates.  A patient of mine gave us that mirror, and Tuck spray painted it to match our other fixtures.  

Renovations Begin

We started with the basics...new locks, hot water heater, door from garage to kitchen, a few coats of paint, new flooring, and a whole lot of cleaning.  The previous owners were kind enough to destroy anything copper, take everything not nailed down, and breed puppies inside.  Here are a few pictures from the first round of repairs.

New Kitchen Faucet

Scraping the floors to prepare to get all the old backing off.  

First Room Painted

Marley...wondering what the heck we are doing and why we are keeping her up all hours of the night.

Dining Room painted and we scraped all the popcorn off the ceiling.

The Den Again

The master bedroom with a new coat of paint, carpet, and new ceiling fan.  

The Office

Guest Bedroom

Bonus Room

Hooray for new toilets!!  The other ones liked like someone had died in them. 

The First Few Weeks

    

  

  

  

Our goal was to move into the house within a month of purchasing it.  With this said, we needed to get the house in liveable condition.  Although we have big dreams for this house, we had to keep our initial goals attainable.   Here are some of the original photos.

Kitchen

Stairwell off kitchen

1/2 Bathroom Downstairs

Master bedroom

Hole in master bedroom cieling

Living Room

Dining Room

Office

Guest Bedroom

Other Extra Bedroom

Guest Bathroom

Bonus Room