11.21.16

We did have one small project that we wanted to do in the kitchen, but we kind of ran out of money before we could do it:  installing a tile backsplash.  (It's pretty pricey and the installation is really expensive) Several friends said it was easy to do, and when one of them (Margaret) even offered to help and to loan us her tools, we decided to give it a try.  No time like the week before Thanksgiving to rip apart your kitchen, right?  :)


Before pics:

During pics:

After pics:

I absolutely love it!

All told, it took about 21 man-hours and cost just over $200.  Totally worth it.  :)

6.25.16

And we're done!

I guess we were officially done on 6/8/16 (almost exactly 4 months after we started the remodel), but this has been my first chance to post the final before-after pics.


I'm a little disappointed in the "before" pics I took as I realized I didn't capture all the things that were bad about the house before (like the whole back side with peeling paint and warped siding), and didn't take pictures of the living room/entryway either.  Oh, well.  Take my word for it--what we have now is definitely an improvement.  :)

But here are the side-by-side before and after pictures I put together.

Siding and windows and soffits/gutters/downspouts

Siding and windows and soffits/gutters/downspouts

windows, patio door, siding--this one shows the most accurate colors (pink to brown)

patio! the before shot is actually after they'd put in the patio door, so ignore that ;)

Door and window and stoop and sidewalk removed--replaced with flowers; siding replaced

window, door, stoop and sidewalk; new siding on front and side

siding replaced; trim and garage door painted

Doorway widened; door removed; paint; cabinets

cabinets and countertop, paint, floor, appliances, window taken out

stove, floor, cabinets and countertops, window gone, sink and faucet, dishwasher

sink, paint, cabinets and countertops, window/patio door, floor

cabinets and countertops, floor, paint

cabinets and countertops, window/patio door, paint

cabinets and countertops, floor, paint

Cabinets and countertops, paint, floor

carpet, paint, curtains (and furniture rearranged)

6.8.16

Look what we have:

Do I love it? Not really, because we didn't want carpet at all. But it's amazing how much better carpet looks than plywood.

Other than a little bit of decorating, this remodel is DONE!

6.7.16

Yesterday they installed the vinyl in the entryway. The order (delivery) had not included underlayment (luckily the installer had some in his truck) or quarter round for trim (luckily we had some left from the cabinets--just needs to be painted). Though it wasn't our first choice--or even our second--I think it looks pretty good.

Tomorrow (theoretically) the carpet will be installed and we will be done. Dare I hope?

This weekend we did a lot more yard work. The sand is settling nicely on the stone path. I re-set more of the rock wall. I got a bunch of awesome perennials from my friend Nancy's garden, and we spread (I think) 14 bags of mulch.  

Here's a bonus photo of my garden:

5.30.16

Today we all worked like crazy on the outside of the house. 

Our old patio was made of flagstone, so we kept those after pulling them up for the paver patio.  When we came up with the idea, we thought, "we'll just throw down the stones to make a walkway around the house."  Ha ha ha! It's a little more involved, including digging down before placing the stones, and working them like a puzzle to make a winding path.  Greg did an awesome job! (And Trav helped with some of the bigger stones, as I couldn't even pick one up with him)

From the front:

I ended up re-setting almost all the rock wall, between needing to move it, and the old one being grown in/over by weeds.

Both of the girls planted flowers for me. Cara had helped pick some out on Saturday and Mira picked others on Sunday. We started mulching, but all our backs hurt too much. There'll be time this week to finish that.

 

I planted some hostas and some annuals on the north side of the house. Then we took some of the sod we'd ripped out to make the stone path, and laid it to make a mini garden. I'm hoping that between the sod, the grass seed the patio guys put down, and the grass left behind, that it'll look okay in a few weeks.