6 Months Later- This is no episode of Fixer Upper!

Wow friends! I can’t believe it’s already been over 6 months since we started our journey on our second fixer upper. Time flies when you’re having fun and working hard! Like the title says, this is no episode of fixer upper. When you buy a house like ours, where everything is outdated and literally broken you know that replacing or updating everything right away is not a possibility. There’s a lot of “living with it” that goes on when you take on a fixer upper. It can be a drain on your time, emotions and your wallet but it can also be incredibly rewarding. Nothing gives me quite as much satisfaction as taking an old, outdated, ugly house and making it beautiful and special again. So, let’s take a walk down memory lane and see how far we’ve come and what things we’re “living with” as they would say.

Here’s the entry way before we moved in-

 

 

The entry way today-

Things we’ve done so far-

• Replaced the gutters.
• Pressure washed the exterior.
• Painted the front door. You can read more about that here.
• Added some house numbers.
• Gave the existing light fixtures a facelift with some fresh black paint. With a lovely fern, the entry way is instantly more inviting!

Things we still need to do-

• Paint the trim and shutters on the exterior.
• Replace the roof.
• Eventually update the light fixtures.

The foyer today-

The things that we’ve done to the foyer-

• Painted the trim.
• Stripped the wallpaper on the stairs.
• Painted the walls in Halo by Benjamin Moore.
• Stripped the carpet on the stairs and painted them Graphite by Benjamin Moore.
• Painted the back of the front door in the same color.

Things we still need to do-

• Plank the ceilings.
• Paint the banister.
• Give the coat closet a mini makeover (currently on the to-do list. The wallpaper I have picked out is out of this world!)

 

Home office before-

This room has seen some changes but I’m not going to share a photo of the new space just yet. We’ve painted the walls and trim and hope to have a wall of built-ins in place be the end of the year. Fingers crossed.

 

Dining room before-

 

The dining room today-

You can see the full before & after of the dining room here.

What we’ve done so far-

• Planked the ceiling.
• Painted the walls Simply White by Benjamin Moore.
• Gave the brass chandelier a makeover with some chalk paint. I’ll be sharing that tutorial very soon 😉
• We’ve painted all the doors in the house Graphite by Benjamin Moore.
• We’ve put an 8×10 jute rug from Overstock.com down over the wood floor. The rug is currently hiding some terrible, dark stains in the hardwoods. Out of sight, out of mind.

Things we still need to do-

• Address the floors (repair or replace.)
• Install some bamboo shades.

 

The kitchen before-

The kitchen today-

The kitchen has seen some of the most changes. However, it was really affordable to make some big changes. You can find the full before & after of the kitchen here.

What we’ve done-

• Stripped all the wallpaper.
• Painted the trim.
• Painted the walls Dove White by Benjamin Moore.
• We’ve rearranged some of the cabinets.
• Replaced a few cabinet doors.
• Painted the cabinets Fieldstone by Benjamin Moore.
• Gave the laminate counter tops a makeover. (You can find that tutorial here.)
• Updated the appliances
• Took out the island cook top and counter top & installed a butcher block counter top.
• Installed a hood vent & built wooden surround.
• Installed shiplap back splash. (You can find that tutorial here.)
• Replaced all the cabinet hardware. You can find that here.
• Replaced old light fixture with two school house pendants.

What we still need to do-

• Find and install antique corbels onto the island.
• Purchase a bar stool.
• Replace laminate counter tops with butcher block.
• Install a tile back splash.
• Plank the ceilings.
• Install recessed lighting.
• Replace existing sink & faucet.

 

Kitchen nook before-

Kitchen nook today-

What we’ve done-

• Stripped the wallpaper.
• Painted the trim.
• Painted the walls Dove White by Benjamin Moore.
• Replaced the light fixture.
• Painted the doors and inner window trim Graphite by Benjamin Moore.
• Built a chalkboard.
• Hung shelving.

What we still need to do-

• Paint the pantry.
• Plank the ceilings.
• Fix or replace the hardwood floors. (The floor has some bad stains.)

 

The laundry room & half bath before-

This room looks pretty much the same with the exception that it got a deep deep cleaning! The sink doesn’t even work. It’s gone unfixed due to the fact that we’re moving the half bath out of the laundry room and relocating it to another place in the house. The laundry room will get a complete makeover hopefully after the holidays and new year. I’ve got big plans for this ugly space!

 

The family room before-

The family room today-

What we’ve done-

• Painted the walls Halo by Benjamin Moore.
• Painted the fireplace Peppercorn by Sherwin Williams.

What we still need to do-

• Plank the ceiling after we replace the upstairs air unit. The unit leaks into the living room if the condensations builds up. We have to make sure to go into the attic and empty the pan each day to prevent this… real like fixer upper friends! We also had to reseal the master bedroom shower after it rained into the living room one day.
• Plank the ceilings.
• Build a window seat.
• Paint and add bottom doors to the built-in bookshelf.

 

The upstairs hallway before-

 

 

This space is almost finished. I can’t wait to share the transformation with you. We’ve installed new hardwood floors upstairs as well as painted all the trim and doors. I’ve also created a gallery wall of our favorite family photos. It should be on the blog very soon.

 

The master bedroom before-

The master bedroom today-

You can find the full before and after of the master bedroom here.

What we’ve done so far-

• Installed new flooring.
• Striped the wallpaper.
• Painted the trim and walls Moonshine by Benjamin Moore.
• Painted the doors Graphite.

What we still need to do-

• Plank the ceiling.
• Replace the old ceiling fan.
• Finish both closet makeovers.

 

The master bath room before-

The master bath room is still a work in progress. The whole space is almost a gut job. It was a real matter of cleaning like our life depended on it! This is a space we’re “living with” for now. We hope to completely renovate it next year.

What we’re done so far-

• Stripped the wallpaper.
• Painted the walls.
• Painted the trim and doors.
• Painted the vanity.
• Replaced he cabinet hardware.
• Lined the cabinet drawers.
• Installed a bamboo shade.
• Resealed the shower.
• Replaced the sink faucet.
• Installed towel hooks.

What still needs to be done-

• Install new flooring.
• Refinish the garden tub.
• Re-tile the shower.
• Replace the vanity top & sink.
• Install new lighting.
• Replace the existing mirror.

 

Bedroom 1 before-

 

 

Bedroom 1 today (Charlie’s room)-

This was one of the most drastic makeovers in the house. The before and after is just crazy to me! You can see the full before and after of Charlie’s room here.

What we’ve done so far-

• Stripped the wallpaper.
• Painted the walls Moonshine by Benjamin Moore.
• Painted the trim and doors.
• Installed new hardwood floors.
• Installed bamboo shades
• Added a light shade.

What still needs to be done-

• Install closet doors. (All the closet doors to the spare bedrooms and hallway closet were taken down for some reason. We haven’t completely decided what we want to do in their place.
• Plank ceiling.
• Install new light fixture.

 

Upstairs guest bathroom before-

Upstairs guest bath room today-

This is all I’m going to share of this space today. It’s still a work in progress. It’s made a complete turn around and is looking completely functional which is more than I can say from when we got started. The truth is that between the three bathrooms in the house we only had one full working bathroom if you took a toilet, a sink and shower for each.

What we’ve done in this space-

• Stripped the wallpaper.
• Removed moldy sheet rock.
• Replace trim.
• Installed tile flooring.
• Installed a pedestal sink.
• Painted the trim and doors.
• Painted the walls Sea Salt by Sherwin Williams.
• Installed a new light fixture.
• Installed a bamboo shade.
• Replaced the bath tub hardware and shower head.
• Installed a new mirror. You can find our mirror here.
• Installed towel hooks.

Guest bedroom 2 & 3 are still underway. Bedroom 2 is being used as my office and craft room. That makeover is almost complete and I will be sharing the finished room with you very soon!

I know there are things that I’m forgetting but man what a crazy 6 months it’s been so far! Some days I look around and think, wow! We’ve done so much and other days I think, holy cow we have so far to go! I have to keep reminding myself that it takes time and money. It’s not something that I want to rush. The wait will always be worth it in the end and I’m so thrilled that you all have taken this journey with us. I can’t tell you how much your comments and emails have meant to me. I really have the best followers anyone could ask for. You all have encouraged me for sure! It’s amazing how much one of your sweet comments on Instagram can mean to me when I’m knee deep in tile mortar. Really, thank you! You guys are the best.

I hope you all stick around for the next room makeover that will be coming to the blog soon. We’re slowly completing each space. When you’re doing the work yourself on a budget you have to keep in mind that these things take time and that’s okay. Nothing ever great was completed over night. I feel so blessed to be able to take this diamond in the rough and make her shine once again. I hope to inspire and encourage you to not hold back from purchasing your own fixer upper or to put off those projects around your own home. You’re capable of more than you know!

Have a great weekend friends 🙂

 

 

You can see the complete before of our colonial here.