Before we even crossed all the t's and dotted all the i's my brain was flourishing with ideas on how I wanted to change our now house. There was SO much to do since the previous owner had not done much updating.
We were fortunate enough that the house come with 2 newer furnaces, one to the basement and main level and another for the second level, a newer(ish) hot water tank and new shingles. So that alleviative some potential major dollar spending.
Exterior
We later came to find that all the wood exterior needs to be replaced since over the years and not being kept up properly has started to deteriorate and rot away.
The landscaping desperately needed some love and attention with pruning of plants and the fences needed to be replaced badly. Currently one side of the fence is being held up by a bush and another part with a gap that has a baby gate screwed to it.
Interior
On the inside just aesthetically for my personal design taste, EVERYTHING MUST GO! I would say the house needed a closing out sale. When we had companies come for window quotes and they were asking about casing options I would tell them if its not what it is now, that's what I want. For basic interior changes the upstairs toilets needs to be changed as they were original 3.5G tanks, so for economy we wanted to change them to the water friendly 1.3G. We needed to install some shut off valve under the sinks, replace electrical outlets near sinks to GFI outlets and all of the windows were original and desperately needed to be replaced etc etc. They were so bad that in the dead of our Alberta winter they were so frosted over you could not see out of them, or even open them. YAY FIRE HAZARD!
We have had many people ask why we did not just build a new home OR say "WOW! This is a lot of work". You can read about our reasoning's as to why we chose this house in my previous post: https://thatsso70s.blogspot.com/2018/10/house-hunting.html
What Was Done?
Before we moved in we replaced all appliances as we thought economically it would be better. Yes it was a big chunk of money to spend initially but we thought for the long run it would be better. The oven was an 40 year of Moffat that was not plugged in, so unsure if it would work, the fridge was fairly old looking and a little smelly, and the dishwasher was so loud it shook the floor. The washer and dryer were also replaced for water savings and efficiency features.
The Dream
On the main level I want to open the space up completely. Currently the layout is very 70's all rooms, very blocked up. We have 2 living rooms, one in the front of the house and I guess a sitting room at the back with a wood burning fireplace, a formal dining space, kitchen, and mud room area. I hope to have all of the walls between the living rooms, dining room and kitchen demolished. I really want an open floor plan as this aligns with my dream of entertaining dinners, and having a child friendly zone. I dream of being able to see each designated space some almost any place you stand. I want to see the kitchen from the living room and vise versa. I want to have a space large enough for a table take can pull out to seat 10 to 12 people. I want a kitchen island that and seat 3 stools and a pantry with pull out drawers. I want quartz countertops, a farmhouse sink or under mount sink, and a range hood cover.
The front of the house will have a comfy couch, TV mounted of the opposite wall, area rug and coffee table. On the opposite side the fire place will be worked on with additional build in shelving and cabinets on either side. There will be seating around the fire place which will be a perfect place for cuddling up with a warm drink and maybe a book, or to gather for game night. This seating will also be a great place for guest to sit and since it will be across from the kitchen it will be great to be able to communicate with I am in the kitchen preparing dinner or snacks etc.
The mudroom I am thinking about removing the double sliding doors, and creating a seating place with wall hooks for jackets and boots in the larger half then putting a door on the smaller portion, keeping it for cleaning supplies. I am currently lusting over cement patterned tile but am unsure if I should make the commitment. I love the way it looks but I am worried about how it will date over time. I want shiplap walls throughout the mudroom and bathroom. The bathroom will have the same flooring, either cement or porcelain tile with white shiplap walls, and possibly matte black fixtures.
For the second level we want to remove the double sliding doors in both bedrooms as we feel like they are a huge pain in the butt as you can only access half of your closet at a time and replace them with bi-fold doors. We will remove a wall between the master and 3rd bedroom to enlarge the foot print of the master. The 3rd bedroom is currently quite small and would only be able to hold a twin size bed pushed into the corner and maybe a small dresser, so for our needs its not needed. We need a larger master to fit our furniture and allow for additional space and storage. We will remove the currently closet making that entire portion of the bedroom the en-suite bath. Move the toilet over and replace the tub with a large walk in shower with double sinks where the closets are. Along with this remove all carpet and wallpaper, and update the stair railing.
Inspiration
Currently for our home I will be going off a modern farmhouse theme. I want our home to be welcoming and cozy. I want our guests to feel comfortable. Since we are homebodies it is important to me to have a home that reflects our personality and makes me feel happy. I am very much a person who is affect by their surroundings so having a comfy, warm, and welcoming home that is efficient and not too stuffy and precious is very important to me. I have written posts show casing some of my inspiration picture that you can read here:
Entry Way Inspiration
Mud Room Inspiration
Master Suite Inspiraiton
Kitchen Inspiration
Lauren xo
We were fortunate enough that the house come with 2 newer furnaces, one to the basement and main level and another for the second level, a newer(ish) hot water tank and new shingles. So that alleviative some potential major dollar spending.
Exterior
We later came to find that all the wood exterior needs to be replaced since over the years and not being kept up properly has started to deteriorate and rot away.
The landscaping desperately needed some love and attention with pruning of plants and the fences needed to be replaced badly. Currently one side of the fence is being held up by a bush and another part with a gap that has a baby gate screwed to it.
Interior
On the inside just aesthetically for my personal design taste, EVERYTHING MUST GO! I would say the house needed a closing out sale. When we had companies come for window quotes and they were asking about casing options I would tell them if its not what it is now, that's what I want. For basic interior changes the upstairs toilets needs to be changed as they were original 3.5G tanks, so for economy we wanted to change them to the water friendly 1.3G. We needed to install some shut off valve under the sinks, replace electrical outlets near sinks to GFI outlets and all of the windows were original and desperately needed to be replaced etc etc. They were so bad that in the dead of our Alberta winter they were so frosted over you could not see out of them, or even open them. YAY FIRE HAZARD!
We have had many people ask why we did not just build a new home OR say "WOW! This is a lot of work". You can read about our reasoning's as to why we chose this house in my previous post: https://thatsso70s.blogspot.com/2018/10/house-hunting.html
What Was Done?
Before we moved in we replaced all appliances as we thought economically it would be better. Yes it was a big chunk of money to spend initially but we thought for the long run it would be better. The oven was an 40 year of Moffat that was not plugged in, so unsure if it would work, the fridge was fairly old looking and a little smelly, and the dishwasher was so loud it shook the floor. The washer and dryer were also replaced for water savings and efficiency features.
The Dream
On the main level I want to open the space up completely. Currently the layout is very 70's all rooms, very blocked up. We have 2 living rooms, one in the front of the house and I guess a sitting room at the back with a wood burning fireplace, a formal dining space, kitchen, and mud room area. I hope to have all of the walls between the living rooms, dining room and kitchen demolished. I really want an open floor plan as this aligns with my dream of entertaining dinners, and having a child friendly zone. I dream of being able to see each designated space some almost any place you stand. I want to see the kitchen from the living room and vise versa. I want to have a space large enough for a table take can pull out to seat 10 to 12 people. I want a kitchen island that and seat 3 stools and a pantry with pull out drawers. I want quartz countertops, a farmhouse sink or under mount sink, and a range hood cover.
The front of the house will have a comfy couch, TV mounted of the opposite wall, area rug and coffee table. On the opposite side the fire place will be worked on with additional build in shelving and cabinets on either side. There will be seating around the fire place which will be a perfect place for cuddling up with a warm drink and maybe a book, or to gather for game night. This seating will also be a great place for guest to sit and since it will be across from the kitchen it will be great to be able to communicate with I am in the kitchen preparing dinner or snacks etc.
The mudroom I am thinking about removing the double sliding doors, and creating a seating place with wall hooks for jackets and boots in the larger half then putting a door on the smaller portion, keeping it for cleaning supplies. I am currently lusting over cement patterned tile but am unsure if I should make the commitment. I love the way it looks but I am worried about how it will date over time. I want shiplap walls throughout the mudroom and bathroom. The bathroom will have the same flooring, either cement or porcelain tile with white shiplap walls, and possibly matte black fixtures.
For the second level we want to remove the double sliding doors in both bedrooms as we feel like they are a huge pain in the butt as you can only access half of your closet at a time and replace them with bi-fold doors. We will remove a wall between the master and 3rd bedroom to enlarge the foot print of the master. The 3rd bedroom is currently quite small and would only be able to hold a twin size bed pushed into the corner and maybe a small dresser, so for our needs its not needed. We need a larger master to fit our furniture and allow for additional space and storage. We will remove the currently closet making that entire portion of the bedroom the en-suite bath. Move the toilet over and replace the tub with a large walk in shower with double sinks where the closets are. Along with this remove all carpet and wallpaper, and update the stair railing.
Inspiration
Currently for our home I will be going off a modern farmhouse theme. I want our home to be welcoming and cozy. I want our guests to feel comfortable. Since we are homebodies it is important to me to have a home that reflects our personality and makes me feel happy. I am very much a person who is affect by their surroundings so having a comfy, warm, and welcoming home that is efficient and not too stuffy and precious is very important to me. I have written posts show casing some of my inspiration picture that you can read here:
Entry Way Inspiration
Mud Room Inspiration
Master Suite Inspiraiton
Kitchen Inspiration
Lauren xo
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