Our Home: Before & After (Part 1)

Last November, Jason and I decided to start looking at places to buy. The lease on our apartment was up in February, so we thought we should start the search process. 

We quickly realized we probably started looking at the worst time of year, as the holidays are not prime time to put your house on the market. The market was sparse, especially since we were only really looking in two different cities. We did find a few places that we really liked, but alas, they did not work out in our favor. 

At the end of January, one week after we found out I was pregnant, a place came out on the market in one of the neighborhoods we really wanted to live in. Our realtor was out of town in Europe, but she was able to arrange for one of her realtor friends to show us the place. We were adamant about seeing it right away since a previous home we loved (and saw on the second day) had already been snatched up the day it came on the market! 

So, we got in on the first day and were the first to see the place. It definitely needed a lot of work, but it was exactly what were were looking for! Prior to seeing the place, we already had our offer written up (and a letter to go with it to try and convince the owners that we should get it). We didn't want to loose another place. 

A few days later, we found out that we were one of three contending offers. They needed to do a financial background check and ensure that we were qualified. The next day, we found out our offer was accepted. Yay! 

We closed escrow in the middle of March, but moved in with my parents instead. We wanted to fix up the place first and living there was not going to be feasible during that process. Our goal was to get in the first weekend of April so that I would then have my Spring Break the following week to unpack and organize. 

The process was definitely not fun at times, as I felt nauseous through the whole 'mini-remodel'. I would be exhausted and sick after work, but we would spend our evenings running around to Home Depot, Lowes, Carpet One, paint stores, and granite stores...to pick out all the fixings for our place. But, it all got done...and just in the nick of time to get us in when we wanted. 

Here are the before and after pictures of the kitchen, family room, and master bedroom. We are still working on the office, nursery, and bathrooms, so those pics will come as we fix those rooms up more. 

Kitchen Before

Kitchen After

In the kitchen, we kept the original cabinets and just had them painted out and put on new hardware. Jason demoed the tile counters, which were replaced with granite. A new stainless steel sink and faucet replaced the originals. We put in a new dishwasher because the original did not work. (We will hopefully replace the other appliances within the year). The lanolin tile floor was replaced with engineered hardwood. We also added molding along the peninsula and pantry cabinets.

Family Room Before

 

 Family Room After

 

 

 

In the family/living room, we (Jason) ripped out all the original carpet (smelt like cat and old lady...plus Jason is allergic to cats), and we put in engineered hardwood floors throughout. The entire house was a butter yellow, which we had painted out in Wise Owl. We also painted out the oak French doors to match the kitchen cabinets. New baseboards were also put in throughout the house. And, we made sure to get rid of the nasty curtains the previous owner left us and had blinds installed instead. One of our next projects is new windows (hopefully sometime before the baby comes or in the early Fall). Would also love to add crown molding...but that can wait :) 

Hallway Before and After

The hardwood runs down the hallway, too. On the left is our washer/dryer, but one of the doors was missing on the closet, so we had the second door put in. We also re-painted all the doors in the house and replaced the original knobs from brass to brushed nickel.

Master Bedroom Before

 

 

Master Bedroom After 

 

 

We replaced the carpet in our bedroom and had the yellow repainted to gray. The lovely brass wall lamps that the previous owner left for us (because 'they are so nice to have') were also taken down.  

More to come in the next months. The nursery is our next project to tackle.