Humble Beginings

Lately I've been going over old project photos, trying to evaluate what to include in my web portfolio and what to leave on the shelf.  During this process, I've come across photos of my husband and I's first house and have had fun reminiscing.  It was a total fixer-upper when we bought it, but we were young, had no kids and were full of energy and optimism.  We put so much of ourselves into that little house--making it something comfortable and homey.  The funny thing is, that while I loved my cozy little house, I never felt it was worthy of my portfolio and so didn't take many photos of it.  I did a horrible job of documenting the transformation from "yuck" to "sweet," and I'm kicking myself now.

Pre-renovation kitchen: old, but not-so-charming!

This was the house on Inspection Day: bad carpet, falling-apart front door,
 and underwhelming fireplace surround.

Scary basement:  this is what it looked like for the first year we lived there.

When we bought it, we jumped right in fixing it up.  We had the hardwood floors refinished, added new base and crown molding, a new front door, some new windows and painted the whole upstairs.  Then, over time, we spruced up the kitchen, did a full remodel of the upstairs bath and re-landscaped the yard.  Eventually we completely finished the basement, adding a new family room, a 3rd bedroom/office, a full bath and a laundry room. (The house didn't have a dryer when we bought it!)  I produced all the permit drawings and acted as my own general contractor.  It was the largest project we've personally undertaken and while it was exhausting, the finished product doubled our living space and allowed us to stay there as long as we did.

While all the renovations felt satisfactory, I never got around to really "decorating" the house and adding new furniture.  Most of what we had were thrift store pieces, hand-me-downs or things left over from our single days.  Consequently, I never felt like my house looked like a designer lived there.  Silly me.  We were busy being parents, working, and I always assumed there'd be a time for proper decor later.  If there's a lesson I've learned in all of this, it's enjoy what you've got right now and don't live life so focused on what's around the corner.

What we "assumed" was around the corner, was a major house addition.  We always thought that as family grew, we'd add up, creating a new second story.  The house and location had potential for killer views of West Seattle, Elliott Bay, and the Olympic Mountains.  Additionally, we loved our neighbors and the proximity to downtown Seattle.

Instead, just after the birth of our second son in 2010, we decided it was time to sell and get a bigger place.  The whole thing was a whirlwind experience and I was mentally, emotionally and physically exhausted--taking care of an active 2-1/2 year old while tending to a new (fussy) baby, moving out, getting the house cleaned and ready for listing photos, trying to get settled in our new house, etc.  I was so focused on the taking care of the kids, that I feel like I never got to officially say 'good-bye' to the house.  I remember cleaning it on photo day (between baby feedings), doing a quick sweep of the house to make sure things were presentable, then rushing off to be home in time for lunch and naps.   I didn't take any photos of my own and all I have now are photos ordered by the listing agent. They aren't the best, and they definitely look like real estate photos, but I'm thankful I at least have those.  Looking back, I feel silly for not taking pride in my house as it was, wondering why it didn't seem good enough for my attention at the time.  

This is what the living room looked like when we moved out. When we refinished the original oak floors, I had a light stain added to make them more of a Walnut color.  The new base molding was a huge improvement, as was the the new trim added to the fireplace facade.  The living room was a good size for such a tiny house and I remember moving the furniture around a lot to try to figure out the best arrangement for the room--enough space for adults to sit comfortably, but also open area on the floor for kids to play.  

The improved kitchen: new flooring, painted cabinets with new hardware, granite countertops, marble and mosaic tile backsplash, new plumbing (I loved the wall-mount bridge faucet!), and paint.  We switched the locations of the range and fridge and added a custom spice shelf to the left of the range to finish the exposed side of the appliance.  

I had fun with this TINY bathroom.  We splurged on limestone basket-weave floor tile and added a bead-board wainscot to the walls.  I replaced the original (weird) vanity with a petite, period-appropriate pedestal sink and added a vintage cabinet for storage.  The cabinet was a great find!  It was the perfect color when I bought it, nicely distressed, and raised up on legs to keep the room feeling open and airy.  I had my husband cut the back legs off of it and screw it into the wall for a more built-in look.  I hope the new owners of the house love it as much as I did.

No longer the scary basement!  We put in cork floors (love and want to use again), lots of built-ins, a gas fireplace for those cold  NW evenings, period-style wall sconces, wainscotting and crown molding (why NOT make a basement feel pretty?),  and added a window.  My husband got his new TV and we had the room wired for surround sound.

Simple laundry room, but clean with lots of storage.  This is the listing photo--I SO wish that I had styled this room and done my own photo shoot!  My current laundry room doesn't even come close to being this nice!

This is the back yard we worked so hard on.  We had it re-graded, had new sod laid, added the raised, stone patio, and built the low retaining wall.  Fun fact--the retaining wall was built out of broken concrete, left over from the basement remodel job.  The large concrete slab steps were also re-purposed material.  The fence was new and professionally built and helped to screen off the alley-access parking space we added.  The landscaping was done by my husband and I.  

My "new" house is a total fixer too, and when I see the photos of that old house, I think about how much I'd love to have those gorgeous hardwood floors NOW, the beautiful, old solid-wood doors, the plaster walls and the coved ceilings (I'm a sucker for old-house details), the fun crystal knobs on the doors, and the oasis-in-the-city backyard.  Those were the good old days!  Instead, I'm sitting here with shag carpeting that's seen better days, popcorn ceilings that are begging to be scraped, a kitchen that needs a full, gut-job overhaul, and a monsterous backyard that's more than I can handle.  What were we thinking?!?  :-)

Little by little, we're tackling home improvement jobs here, but things move slower with kids underfoot.  In this blog I'll share with you the frustrations and the celebrations, but as I begin, I thought it fitting to start with a nod back to the "good old days!"