In case you missed it, we moved! You can read all the details on our move in last week’s blog post. I shared one last full before and after of our beloved colonial home in the post. Today, I’m sharing a full tour of our new ranch home. Grab some coffee and we’ll dive in!
First, let me give you a little back story on this great house. It was built in 1991 by Jim and Barbara. They have been the only owners all of these years. This home is about an hour east from our previous house and is just minutes from Lake Lanier in north Georgia. Barbara passed away a number of years ago, but Jim lived here until last October. He was 93 years old. They took such great care of this home and while it’s very outdated, everything is in amazing condition. We’ve met all of the neighbors and they have raved about how wonder the couple was and how much they were loved. One neighbor informed us that Jim was the mayor of the neighborhood. I would say we have some big shoes to fill!
As soon as we walked in we knew it was the house. You could just feel that a loving family had lived here. It instantly felt like home. I could see Charlie and Audrey running around, family and friends gathered around the kitchen island, and Christmas mornings in the family room. It was meant for our family!
Here’s a little info about the house – It’s a brick ranch on a full basement. It’s currently 2,613 sq. ft and has three bedrooms and three bathrooms. We would love to increase the square footage over time by finishing in parts of the basement and maybe the attic. This would be far down the road, as it’s not a necessity.
We plan on painting the house this fall. We really like the brick, so we will be leaving it as is. The front door was a bit wild for my taste, so I’ve painted it a cream for now. You may have seen my story on IG about that last week. Josh and Charlie have since pressure washed the porch, side walk, and driveway. It’s looking so much better already. We are planing to eventually remove the over-grown shrubs and plant new things. The shrubs are older and have gotten way too big. For now we’re cutting them all back in the hopes to clean it up a bit.
I love the foyer. It’s hard to tell from photos, but its very wide and has nice high ceilings. The house has great wood work throughout, especially in the front rooms. In the next few months ahead I would like to add wainscoting below the chair rail, swap our the light fixture, and remove the wallpaper. The paper is more of a peach color in person. It’s dated and just isn’t quite my style.
It has oak hardwood floors in the front of the house that we want to extend into the family room and eventually the bedrooms. This is something we can do ourselves in the future.
The formal living room is to the left of the foyer. I’ve added a couple of armchairs, a sofa and an antique chest. We really want to put a piano in this room. Josh plays and we’re hoping Audrey will also take interest in playing. This room is such a great size for a piano and entertaining.
Past the formal living room is the dining room. The layout is very similar to our colonial. This dining room is a bit longer, which I love! We’ll be able to use all the leaves for our table at the holidays and still have plenty of space to move about. The upper portion of this room has the same wallpaper from the foyer. I plan on removing it and painting a warmer color on the walls and trim. I’m going to leave the sconces on the walls and add a little rub n’ buff to tone the polished brass down a bit. I haven’t decided on the chandelier just yet. I’ve removed the glass globes and it looks so much better already. In the mean time I’m going to use rub n’ buff on it as well.
The kitchen is a 90’s masterpiece. I can’t decide if I like the boarder around the soffit or the old appliances better. Ha! I want to so a lot in this room. I would love to remove the soffit, extend the cabinets upward to the ceiling, and purchase new doors for them. The cabinets are in great shape and are solid wood. I don’t think we need to remove them, because I’m sure they’re built better than most cabinets today. The layout is perfect. There are plenty of drawers and storage space. As far as function it’s an A+.
When we renovate the kitchen in the future I want to replace the counter tops, backsplash, sink, range, and wall oven. We would like to carry the oak hardwoods into this room as well. It currently has a vinyl flooring that is in good condition. Until we fully remodel the kitchen, I’m going tor moved the wallpaper and paint. I may even take the backsplash tile out and replace it with a 4″ bead board. We also plan on scraping the texture ceilings that are in the back of the house and the bedrooms. (We actually just finished scraping the ceiling in Charlie’s room this weekend!) I already have a light fixture for the breakfast nook that Josh is going to install very soon. There are lots of little things I plan on doing for now to make it feel more like home.
Off the kitchen is a small hall that leads to the garage. To the left is the powder room. It’s a pretty large powder room. It also has a nice size closet, perfect for storing cleaning items.
Across from the powder room is the laundry room/mud room. The back door leads to the back yard. We’re already getting so much use out of this room. The utility sink has been great for washing out paint brushes and for bathing Ruby our dog. We use this door the most for accessing the back yard, even though we have a second door off of the sunroom. I’m currently putting together a design plan and budget to redo this room. I like the idea of this being one of the first rooms we truly renovate, because we use it regularly and it’s small enough that it’s a manageable reno. Stay tuned for a future blog post on that!
Off of the family room is a wonderful sunroom. I’ve always wanted a sunroom. Growing up my aunt and uncle built a home and it had a sunroom and I always told myself I wanted one when I grew up. Josh loves this room as well. He’s already set up his desk and computer in the corner. We’ve put two armchairs and his grandmother’s antique chest in this room and I tucked my old European pine hutch in the corner. We have our morning coffee here each day. It truly is the most peaceful spot in the house. Not much needs to change in the room. The carpet will be replaced eventually and I want to update the light fixtures. I actually don’t mind the paint colors, but we’ll see how I feel in a month or two.
You know I love walls and separate rooms, but I’ve really enjoyed having this room open to the kitchen. This feels much bigger in person and is still very cozy. First on the agenda is the fireplace. I hate the mantle. It’s not the right size or style. Josh has promised me that we’ll build something new before Christmas. I don’t mind the brick, but I’d like to possibly cover the top half of brick and leave just the center around the opening exposed. I’m hoping to sketch out some ideas very soon and get started on a new mantle.
This room is Charlie’s room. He shares a jack and Jill bathroom with Audrey. We’ve already removed the wallpaper boarder, scraped the ceiling, and painted the walls. I’ll be sharing the progress on his room very soon. I still need to swap out the light fixture, paint the trim and add some shelving. I would love to remove the carpet yesterday, but it’s in great condition, so we’re going to keep it for now.
The kids bathroom is the cutest. I know it’s hard to see the details of the wallpaper, but it’s an adorable floral pattern. This bathroom is very dated, but I’m going to update a few things in the near future. We’ll change out the light fixture, faucet and toilet. I want to paint the trim and vanity and add new hardware. I’m also flirting with the idea of painting the tile floors. I don’t mind the hex pattern, but I don’t love the dark color. I would love to change the granite countertop, but that may need to be down the road.
Audrey’s ceiling is getting scraped this week and painted. Her walls are getting painted in the sweetest shade of pink. I’ll be leaving the trim white for the contrast. We’re going to be adding some built-in cabinets and shelves on one side of her room. I’m so exited to get started on it. I can already visualize this sweet little space!
Across from the kid’s rooms is the primary suite. This room is almost exactly the same size as our old bedroom. I love the bay window in this room. It over looks the back yard garden area and has a ginkgo tree just outside the window. It’s going to be the most beautiful view this fall. We’re going to scrap the ceiling and install picture frame molding, just as we didn’t in our previous bedroom. I have’t decided on a paint color just yet, but I did install the roman shades from my family room at the colonial in this room today. It’s already starting to feel more like home. It has taken me a minute to get used to the carpet. Again, I wish the floors were hardwoods, but everything takes time and at least the carpets are clean and stain free.
It has a great walk in closet! The shelving in the room is working for now. I would love to paint or add some fun wallpaper down the road. I’m sure we’ll bring in some drawers and more shelving eventually, but there are more pressing things currently.
The primary bathroom is a real treat! Again, it’s in amazing condition but it’s extremely dated. The sunken tub is my favorite! I can’t wait to gut this bathroom. The layout works, but there are five different kinds of tile, wallpaper for days and the fixtures have seen better days. For a quick update I think I’ll paint the tile floors, shower and tub. I’m going to remove the wallpaper, paint and install new light fixtures.
What’s that fancy front door in the bathroom – you ask? Well, that is a door to a little private porch area. I don’t know about you, but when I think about a toilet, I want a door with a large window right side it! All jokes aside, I really like the little porch. However, the door is super weird and the style is a strange choice for it’s location. We’ll be changing this very soon. For now, I’ve stuck a small hutch furniture piece in front of it that blocks the window completely. I suppose some longer curtains would also work.
This house has a full basement. The basement is absolutely huge! It has a finished room at the bottom of the stairs that we’ve turned into a playroom for the kids. I purchased paint over the weekend for the walls and trim. I don’t mind painted paneling. As of right now, it’s just too dark for this windowless room.
This is one side of the basement. It has a third garage door and wood shop area for all of our tools and projects. On the other side there is plenty of room for a guest room, bath, and craft room. We also have a small nook that where we’ve added shelves for kitchen items that we don’t use regularly.
This kids have loved riding scooters and bikes around the unfinished basement. It’s given them a space to play during the rainy days.
The yard is wonderful. It’s completely flat and has so many beautiful plants. So much of the yard is over grown. We love this pergola area, but the wisteria had taken over and was climbing the tree beside it. Two weeks ago Josh and I cut most of it off. What is left is dying and we’ll be able to pull it off next week a little easier. The pergola needs a little TLC. It has a great slate floor and a pond with working fountain. Josh emptied the pond and got the pump working. It’s so pretty and peaceful. I just love it! I plan on planting English roses on the pergola in the spring.
There is so much to do in the yard and the house. It’s going to take years to get it where we want it to be, but that’s half the fun. This house is going to require a lot of love and hard work. Just like our last house, we’ll be doing the work ourselves and taking it one room at a time as the budget allows. It would be great to be able to renovate everything at once, but this house has a lot of those “just live with it” spaces. I want to take my time and make the right design choices for our family. I’m willing to wait a little longer if it means getting better quality finishes. It’s not a sprint, but a marathon.
I can’t wait to share all the changes we make here. We’ve already done a few things and I’ll be sharing them very soon. Until then, have a great week, friends! 
You do have a project on your hands but I can’t wait to see the updates. I know it will be beautiful and cozy. 2600+ sq. Ft plus a full basement is a very nice sized home! I would rethink needing to add to it but use the space more wisely. You will just increase utility costs and taxes. I grew up in a family of 4 girls and a 900 sq ft home with one bathroom a full basement and somehow we did just fine. Put the money into travel and experiences with the kids. 😊 less is more.
I totally agree. You said that very well. Put the extra money into making memories not morerooms.
JUST BECASUE THAT’S WHAT YOU DID DOESN’T MEAN THAT’S WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO MARIE. WE ARE ALL DIFFERENT.
Hi Kim, no that’s not what I did…it was where I lived as a child. No choice…we didn’t have tons of money and homes weren’t that big anyway back then. She clarified that they’re not going to add on, just finish out the basement. Which makes total sense!
Thank you so much, Nanci! I should clarify. We plan on finishing more of the basement. We have family that lives out of town and we would love a bedroom for them to stay in when they’re here. My husband also works from home, so a future office would be very useful. The space is already there, so we would just be finishing it to utilize it to meet our needs. 🙂
Makes total sense!! Can’t wait to see it!
I love the house and the floor plan. When we moved into our current home most of the rooms had wallpaper. What a job! I am looking forward to seeing the magic you do in your new home. Congratulations!
Thanks Linda! Oh goodness, then you know exactly how I feel. Removing wallpaper is such a job. We had to remove it from so many rooms in our previous house as well. It’s not for the faint of heart.
How exciting! It’s perfect! You are one of my favorite blogs to read because you’re the most realistic! I love that you take time to update…like the rest of us! It’s refreshing to read a home decor blog that does that! So many possibilities…I always love your style, and am looking forward
to how you put your stamp on it.!
Thank you so much, Carrie! This normalization online of purchasing a home and having it completely renovated in a short time is ridiculous. I suppose some people relate to it, but I don’t! I hope you’ll find our projects here inspiring and helpful. I’m currently doing a lot of planning and not so interesting things like removing wallpaper. I hope to get to the fun stuff very soon.
Wow! The potential this home offers is incredible! With your style and great eye, it’s going to be amazing. I can’t wait to see all your vision come together. This will be fun to watch you work your magic!
Thank you so much, Shelley for your kind encouragement! We’re really excited to make it our own. I’m slowly starting to feel inspired and have an idea of where I want to go with it. I suppose it will take a bit of time to figure it all out.
Great house with good bones! We too are looking for a ranch and many are older. I’ll be watching!
Thanks Judy! She has good bones for sure. 🙂 Going from a three story home to a ranch has been amazing. I do not miss all of the stairs one bit!
Love the house. Lots of work but will be worth it. I’ll be watching!
This is absolutely beautiful. I can’t wait to watch it become more of what you envision. Congratulations!!!
Thank you so much Ruth! It’s going to take some time, but I’m looking forward to the journey.
I’m very excited to see the transformation of this property. I loved your previous home and have gotten so many great ideas from you. Thanks for sharing your journey with us.
I’m so glad to hear that Melanie! Thank you 🙂 I’m currently scraping ceilings, removing wallpaper, and cutting back over-grown plants. I can’t wait to get to the fun stuff!
What a beautiful home! Excited to see all your plans for your new home!!!
Thank you so much, Evie! We’re very excited to get this place in shape.
Congratulations on your new home. It will be fun to follow along as you put your magic touch in each space.
I’m happy you are able to write on your blog again.
Karen B.
Thank you, Karen! That means so much for you to say. I’m really enjoying having a new place to update and decorate. I can feel all the creativity flowing again.
This home has great bones and is going to be lovely as you make the changes.
Thank you so much, Sandy! We already feel so at home here. I’m excited to make it my own.
I can hardly wait to see what you do to your new to you home, I’m sure it will be stunning!
Thank you so much, Kathi!
I love this new home! It is spacious, has great bones and will be so much fun to decorate the way you want it. We moved into a ranch 2 1/2 years ago and I am just getting my last pictures hung. Painting and changing out light fixtures helped ours so much. We have carpet in our bedrooms here too and I have learned to like them. You have a beautiful home to enjoy, take the time to make it yours and enjoy each step of the way. PS, I can’t believe you and your husband tackled removing the textured ceiling. That is a job! We paid someone 7,000 to do ours.
Thank you so much, Lynne! After living in a three story home with tons of stairs, this house has been a dream. It sounds like you feel the same way about carpet as I do. I’m learning to live with it. I have a feeling I’ll be able to live with it for longer in the bedrooms as I will in the family room. I can’t wait for the say to remove it there. These things take time though. We’ll get there!
Scraping ceilings is such a messy job. We did them in our previous home as well and I hated it as much then as I do now, ha! I would love to hire someone to do it, but alas.
So lovely Amanda! Can’t wait to see how you transform the space. 🙂
Thank you so much, Olivia! I’m really looking forward to making it my own.
What a great house! As you say, lots of projects, but it is in such great shape that you can live with it until you get to it. Have fun! We did the same with a home we raised our family in, lived in it (& worked it over) over a 23 year time period ourselves. I found it incredibly difficult to sell it about 5 years ago, but we built a beautiful retirement home & love it here. Enjoy the journey!
Thank you so much, Kathleen! Making a home takes time. This house has great bones, so I’m excited to put our touch on it. I don’t think one ever finishes a home. There’s always something to do, something to tweak. I know that hard to be so difficult to sell you home of 23 years. I’m sure you’ll take a ton of memories with you. Enjoy your wonderful new home and have a great autumn season!
It looks like an amazing home. Moving into a home that has been well cared for and clean is wonderful. Can’t wait to follow along with all the updates you make.
Thanks Marijean! We already feel so at home here. This is the first house we’ve purchased that was move in ready. It quite like being able to just move in and work on it while we live here.
Only in the South do they build beautiful brick beautifully wood detailed homes. We are still in our home,in the North, after 40 years. It was built by the owner who had to move after 25 years due to health issues . We had to removed carpet from kitchen and both bathrooms,actually every room had carpet it was clean-think no children or pets had entered the home.Our 3 children and their families still come home to visit and sleep here. We love it.🥰enjoy the process and your small children while you can still tuck them in each night . Darla B
Thanks Darla! I do love all of the beautiful wood details. Wow, that’s a lot of carpet. Removing carpet is not a fun job. Looking on the bright side, at least it was clean. That’s always a plus. Thankfully the carpet here is also very clean, no pets or children before. That just means I’ll have to live with it a little longer. My kids actually seem to love the carpet.
It will be fun watching you turn the house into your own. The floor plan is amazing and the condition of the house is first rate.
Thank you so much, Cheryl! I love the floor plan. It reminds me a lot of my previous house, which is comforting. I still can’t believe how good of condition it is in. The previous owners took wonderful care of the house. I’m very thankful!
Oh, how I love a good blog post! This one did not disappoint! I can’t wait to see how you update this lovely house on a “real life” timeline and budget!
Aw, thanks Kari! before tours always so fun. Yes, the renovation of this place will be very much “real life”. Right not I’m spending my free time scraping ceilings, removing wallpaper, and cutting back over growth in the back yard. I’m anxious to share some of the fun stuff though.
I can see from the photos why you fell in love with it …..just perfect for your family. And you can see what great shape it’s in. Which makes it so much easier to live with while you make the changes you want.
Best wishes to you on your new project!
Thank you so much, Karen! Yes, it definitely makes it easier to live in when things are in such great shape. It’s actually the first house we’ve purchased that we haven’t had to work in for months before moving in. I quite like it! My husband and I have been joking that this is what “normal” people do, ha!
It’s beautiful! Can’t wait to see your special touch added to it! I could stay in your old butler’s pantry for days, but this will be so fun to watch. Congrats!
Aw, thanks Casey! I so miss my butler’s pantry. I’m still trying to figure out where to put a lot of my serving dishes and bar glasses. I would love to find a way to create something similar here, but we’ll have to see. As we settle in more I will have a better idea of how we use each room.
So much potential! Thrilled that you have a big beautiful outdoor space and am looking forward to seeing how you make this place your own. Blessings to you and your family!
Thank you so much, Joyali! We are enjoying the yard so much already. It’s so nice that Charlie and Audrey have a place to run around and play now. We’ve already had friends over and all of the kids have spent most of their time outside. I love it!
Love your new to you home – I like a renovation better than a new home and will be watching to see all the changes you make – such an adventure. All the best.
Thanks Cheryl! I completely agree. It took us months to find the right house. Dated fixer uppers were the only ones on my list. I wanted something that I could put my own touches on and wouldn’t feel guilty for replacing things. We love a good fixer upper!
Hi Amanda!
Im so excited to see how you transform your new home! Im always inspired after visiting your blog. Looking forward to being along for the journey ahead!
Lizzie
That means so much Lizzie <3 Thank you! I'm so anxious to share all the progress.
Congratulations! What a lovely roomy home and having a backyard with kids is so important. I know you will make it even more beautiful! Like others said, it’s nice that it’s well built, maintained, and clean so you can take your time making changes while you and your family,y enjoy living in it. Happy for you!
Thanks Vicki! We’re already enjoying the yard so much. The kids have been spending so much more time outside. It’s been wonderful! This is the first house that we have bought that we didn’t have to work on for months before we could move in. It’s amazing! I keep thinking we should have done this years ago, ha!
Beautiful home. Love your style. Can’t wait to see what you do with it.
Thank you so much, Heather!
Congratulations! I look forward to your updates and progress 💕
Thank you so much, Susan! I’m currently scraping ceilings and removing wallpaper, but I can’t wait to get to the fun stuff.
Wow, what a love home! Looking forward to seeing how you make it your own.
Thank you so much, Jill!
I can not wait to see what you do to this house! What will you do with all this room? It will be lovely just like your previous home, there is no doubt! Good luck on your new adventure and keep us posted on every little detail!
Thanks Paula! I’m so excited to have a new space to work in. The creativity is all coming back to me. We already feel so at home here. I look forward to sharing all our progress!
Congratulations! You are my favorite blogger and one of my very favorite Instagram accounts. You are such a talented interior designer, and your style is just warm and flawless. I’m so excited to see you make ya’lls new house a home! I also love when you share recipes. Your oatmeal creme pie cookies are one of my all time favorite deserts. 💙
Thank you so much, Summer! You kind works are so encouraging. I’m hoping it turns out as well as our previous home. We already feel so comfortable here. I look forward to putting my own touch on things.
I’m so glad you like them! Those are one of my faves too, especially this time of the year. They’re the perfect fall treat!
It’s wonderful !! So happy for you ~ a blank canvas for all your creativity. I will be watching and enjoying!
Thank you so much, Cindy! I’m already dreaming up all kinds of projects. I’ll be sure to share the progress. 🙂
Best wishes in your beautiful new home ! I love all your ides and truly admire your patience and discernment as you implement your plan for your family home . There is joy and fun in redecorating and renewing an older home to suit your needs and lifestyle. Go with all your heart …so many beautiful memories to be made ! I always think of you at Christmas when my grandaughters help💖hang my glittered Nutcracker and 12 days of Christmas 🎄ornaments …THANK YOU for helping me make a beautiful memory in my home…YOU ARE THE BEST !
This house is stunning. So much can be accomplished by just changing decor as you furnish each room, and so many things are a DIY. One of the best things is that it’s totally livable now so that you can take your time to make your choices as you go along, rather than trying to make a million decisions all at once. I’ve decided to follow your blog to watch your progress. I will say I envy your youth (in a good way) as it’s so much fun to start out in a new home with your whole life and family growth in front of you. Enjoy it to the fullest!
Your home is expansive, clean, and open with so many possibilities for usage and design. God bless you and your family every day in this house.
Hello there,
Just found your blog for the first time! I have spent the last 10 years here in England doing up our parents bungalow to retire in. Although our space is only 700sq ft, about average for a 3 bedroom home here! I’m envious of your space. As you say, are they ever finished, Im still tweaking after a decade!
It’s a wonderful home you have chosen, and I expect Jim was pleased to pass it onto a family who will cherish it as much as he and Barbara obviously did. I look forward to following your progress, and gaining ideas.
Wishing you and all your family a blessed journey on your renovation.
Congratulations! Such a joy, new beginnings. The home and yard are lovely. Can’t wait to follow along with your ideas and progress, in good time. : )