A look at our beautiful, leaf free backyard. A few days ago, the backyard looked nothing like this. The previous owners hadn't raked this yard in years. There were three feet of leaves in parts of the yard, and it took us 25 gigantic black garbage bags to clear it all. It made for a fun weekend, and some very happy new neighbors.

The inside of the house is not so pretty right now. We have just finished the electric, a total rewire of the house was required. We initially did not plan to completely rewire, but when we found out that the garbage disposal was merely hot wired into an electric outlet, we thought we might need to take a look at the rest. Boy were we right.

Here is a look at the fantastic recessed lighting that has been newly wired into the kitchen.

And here is a look at the kitchen with new plumbing and wiring added. Sad to say, this level of dis-repair looks much better than the house did when we bought it.

And here is a look at the worlds most expensive light switch. Who knew light switches could cost 6 dollars a piece. About 25 throughout the house, and it adds up quick. (I won't add it for you, I am an English major)

My Mother in Law, Hollie, and I packing leaves into bags the size of me.

Don't let the pictures fool you. This is the one and only time I have done manual labor during this renovation. Thank you husband.

We are working on having the heating and air re-routed this weekend, and also having new doors installed this weekend. Goodbye 4 inch gap under all doors! We will also be having the cabinet maker come to make his final measurements for the kitchen this weekend. Hello American Debt! It should be a busy, interesting weekend.

Holding Pattern

My house is officially an empty shell. The floors are covered in dust, the walls are crumbled where they use to stand. Electric wire and exposed plumbing show through everywhere, and we are in a holding pattern. There isn't much for me to say about the house right now because there isn't much house. I can say that I am very appreciative of all of the help we have received. We have been lucky enough to have one dad who knows how to do the electric, framing, drywall, mudding, etc. and one dad who knows how to do everything else. So things are getting done, slowly but surely.

This week both of the dads are away on business trips. So the little house will get a much needed break from surgery.

I thought that I would share a few inspiring decorating photos with you.

Have a great day.

Inspiration

SO, because I am currently avoiding all things reno, I thought I would focus on some of the fun stuff that I am thinking about. This adorable little table is something I found in Salt Lake City. They call it a shabby farmhouse table, which is definitely my cup of tea. I am thinking about pairing it with the dining room chairs that I already have and painting them to match. The table that I currently own is far too big for the kitchen. This shabby one, is about half the size. My husband will hate this table, he says that antiques are what people call things when they want to sell a pile of crap for at least a thousand bucks. When this baby shows up in his kitchen, there will be hell to pay :)

I absolutely love this print from Pier One. The colors match perfectly with the color scheme I am thinking of for the kitchen. I will have to save up for the hefty price tag of 125$, when I do, I am planning on putting it over my new fantastic kitchen table.

We had a few cabinet estimates done this week. Basically, these are what the cabinets will look like, but on a much smaller scale, and with no granite of course. I am sadly not that rich. The cabinets and formica will come out to be a cool four grand. Ouch! Anyone want to donate to my house renovation?

Renovation stress

It has been a few weeks now, and the stress of renovation is setting in. Who knew you could spend a thousand bucks on things like linoleum scrapers, 2X4s, and power tools just to get the job started!

Lesson #1 in renovating: things will always take twice as long, be three times as expensive, and be a million times more stressful than you initially anticipate.

For example, when we ripped out the bathroom last week, we discovered that the tub had a leak. 2X4s will need to be replaced, and a plumber will have to be paid to fix the pipes. Also, because this is a 50 year old house, there are no grounded outlets in the bathroom (or anywhere in the house for that matter), an electrician will have to be paid. = lots of money we didn't budget for.

Because the tub had a leak, the ceiling in the basement was holding some kind of black sludge from the tub's pee-trap. When ceiling panel was removed in basement, to make room for new dry wall, black sludge poured down onto white carpet. Looks like the carpet I was planning on keeping to save money, will no longer be kept. = lots of money we didn't budget for.

If the pink counter and tile were not enough to induce gagging and wails of protest, the stench would be. This bathroom smelled like something died inside it, and then was buried under the floorboards. The linoleum had a life form growing on it, and every single surface had about an inch of grime and dust caked to it. This room was the first to go when we showed up to demolish on Saturday morning.

Demolition usually requires a muscled, good looking man for ambiance, and a crow bar and hammer.


Stir well, and this is the result you get.

We decided to leave the cast iron tub, it is the only thing that has survived the last 50 years, and is still in pretty good shape.

Now for electrical, plumbing, hardy backer, and tile galore.

Rome was built in a day right?

I hope so, because I already want to see the finished product.

The Barren Living Room

The Master Bedroom

The Dining Room/Bedroom

Let the Renovation Begin

Hello friends,

The wait is over. We finally closed on our 1950 brick cottage. The inside and outside are in rough shape and are going to need lots of love to get back to looking the way they should.

Tyson got home from his business conference on Friday night, and I literally shoved him right back in the car to pick up our keys from the realtor. After eight months of house hunting, our realtor Julie, was practically part of the family. Aiden even plays with her son Simon.

We met Julie, and she gave us our new house keys. Mine was a tinkerbell key and Tysons was a Hulk key. How weird is that?

After getting the keys, we drove straight to the house to have a look. I immediately pulled back a corner of the living room carpet to expose the woodfloors. They were beautiful, but seeing as it was about 9 at night, Tyson suggested we come back in the morning to tackle the rest.

Closing Day... Again

My realtor called this morning.
Our closing date is this Thursday at eleven a.m.
This could not have come at a worse time. Tyson is out of town this week, so even if we could move into the house after we close, we can't
because I have no muscle to help me.
So goes life I guess.

In the meantime,
I am creating a budget for beginning renovations.
after making a down payment on the house, we will have a little under 3,000 dollars for renovation.

The bathroom will be the first project, because it is simply un-useable in the state it is in.

Home Depot pricing:

New Toilet: 130$
New Vanity (found on KSL): 375$
Tile for the whole bathroom: 120$
New tub: 300$
New fixtures: 75$

Grand Total: 1000$

That leaves a little over 1700 dollars to renovate the hideous kitchen.
Stay tuned for next week, when we are finally in the house, and I show you some pictures of the terrifying before state of this house.