Our latest project is a 1910 house in the historic Church Hill District. Prior to the rehabilitation, this house was an absolute eyesore, as you will see (I'm not joking about the sunglasses!)
As with our other renovation projects, we knocked out walls, exposed brick, added closets, restored salvageable architectural details, and added all new heating/cooling, plumbing and electrical systems. We are thrilled with the way this house turned out, and are beyond happy to have this very lengthy (and over budget) renovation behind us!
Interesting side note: the paint color combinations that adult people might describe as "ALICE IN WONDERLAND ON CRACK!", "POSITIVELY ATROCIOUS!" and even "UGH! NAUSEATING!," a pair of five-year-old and six year old girls might describe the same color combinations as "SO BEAUTIFUL!" and "IT LOOKS LIKE ICE CREAM!" Yes, these were actual exclamations of people, big and small, as they meandered room to room soon after we purchased the house. Perspective, people.
And now for before and after photos.
Kitchen Before:
Kitchen During Renovation:
Kitchen After:
Kitchen Before (Hello 1975 Disco Kitchen!):
Kitchen/Living Space During Renovation:
Kitchen/Open Floor Plan After:
More Before Shots of the Kitchen:
The breakfast bar is where the pink wall in the following photo used to be.
Kitchen After:
WARNING!!!!! Squint your eyes for fear of being blinded by unhealthy doses of bright & fugly!
Living Space Before:
We knocked down the two interior walls separating the Green living room, Pepto Bismol dining room and Brady Bunch kitchen and added headers to open up the space completely.
Living Space During Renovation :
Sadly, the original heart of pine floors could not be salvaged upstairs due to many coats of linoleum and glue, so we installed new oak hardwood.
Living Space With Open Floor Plan and New Flooring After:
Downstairs Hallway Before:
AAAAAAAAAAH! Too. Much. Green. Just too much!!!!
There was only one tiny bathroom in the whole house, and it was located upstairs, so we added a half bath on the first level where a huge mud room used to be. There is still a mud room near the back door as well, it is just smaller.
Downstairs Hallway/Bathroom After::
Downstairs Mud Room Before:
Downstairs Half Bath After:
The only item I salvaged from the house (beside a claw foot tub) was this old mirror that I absolutely loved. It was originally hanging on the mantel in Barbie's Dream House Dining Room. The wooden frame was in great shape and only needed some touch up stain, and when I had the glass replaced, the repair man told me the glass said it was circa 1888, older than the house itself!
Mirror Before:
Mirror being taken to the glass man for glass replacement:
I decided the perfect spot for it was in the new downstairs bathroom, above the sink.
Mirror After:
Upstairs Landing After:
Upstairs Hallway Before Renovations:
Upstairs Hallway During Renovations:
Upstairs Hallway After:
Upstairs Hallway After:
Upstairs Hallway Before:
This photo makes me dizzy!
Upstairs Hallway During Renovation:
Notice the window is gone in the next photo. That's because we added a wall to close off the small trunk room at the top of the stairwell in order to make a walk-in closet with entry through the master bedroom. (Don't mind the kid angrily eating the lollipop. Not only are there places she'd rather be, but she's probably just mad because she unwittingly inhaled a bunch of lead paint particles.)
Upstairs Hallway During Renovation:
Upstairs Hallway After:
Bathroom Before:
Bathroom After:
Bathroom Before:
Bathroom After:
Claw Foot Tub During Restoration:
It's old. Made in the USA circa April 28, 1914 to be VERY specific.
Claw Foot Tub After:
Bedroom 1 After:
Bedroom 1 Before:
Bedroom 2 Before:
Bedroom 2 During Renovation:
Bedroom 2 After:
Bedroom 2 Before:
Bedroom 2 After:
Fireplace Before:
Fireplace After:
3rd Bedroom Master Before:
3rd Bedroom Master During Renovations:
3rd Bedroom Master After:
3rd Bedroom Master Before:
3rd Bedroom Master During Renovations:
3rd Bedroom Master After:
We revamped the floor plan in the upper landing by sealing off the door to the trunk room from the hallway at the foot of the stairs in order to convert it into a walk-in closet accessible through a new door in the master bedroom.
3rd Bedroom Master/Trunk Room before:
Master Bedroom with New Door to Walk-in Closet After:
Trunk Room Before:
Walk-in Closet After:
Exterior Before:
Exterior During Renovations:
We still have to paint woodwork and do some updating to the exterior, but the chimneys have been capped, soffits and metal roofs replaced, and the porches have been restored. Much better!
Exterior (in progress):
We also added new steps and railings.
Porch During Renovations:
Porch In Progress:
Rear Exterior Before:
Rear Exterior (In Progress):
So there you have it! Aside from Riley and Lyla being disappointed in the desecration of their beloved color scheme and claiming they liked the house better before, Brian and I are elated to have mostly completed the renovation-FINALLY! Thanks for having a look.
