I’ve been hesitant to post too much about our house renovation. I don’t want to come across as “Look at all this amazing work we have put into our house” because, well, we’re not doing that. Our contractor and designer are doing that. They’re the ones at the house multiple times a day, handling all the unforeseen problems, creating an amazing floor plan, etc etc. We’re just footing the bill.

Which is the other reason I’ve been hesitant. I also don’t want anyone to think that I’m bragging or showing off that we have found this diamond in the rough. God put this house in our path, and also gave us just the right people at just the right time to help us. Even though I joked about this house being our “Isaac”, I know in the core of my being that God provided this house… this town… this new life. It’s why Abraham called Mount Moriah “Jehovah-jireh”: God will see to it (or He Provides). If you have some free time, read Genesis 18:1-15, 21:1-7, and 22:1-19. Goodness, I love that story. It makes me thankful that my God still provides for me even when I laugh at Him in unbelief.

Back to the renovations.

Here’s the house as of three weeks ago; nothing much has been done to the front. As you can see, we are expanding the left side of the house where the wrap-around porch was located. This will give us the extra space for the dining room. The skirt of the house will be the checkered brick pattern between the foundation columns (see right side). We’re keeping the spindles and other Victorian/Gingerbread architectural details. The house will eventually be an off white with white trim and a dark door, window frames, and roof. 

Before and after of the porch.

Inside, to the left, the two bedrooms have been cleared out, and to the right, the two bedrooms, bathroom, and kitchen were cleared out.

The floor plan will have a dining room, living room/ open-concept kitchen, laundry, and playroom on the leftside of the house, and the bedrooms on the right.

Here’s standing in the front door, pre-reno

Here’s standing in the middle of the left side of the house, looking towards the front door. Breakfast nook is in the right foreground and the porch expansion is in the right background. Front door is on the far left, hidden by framework. The picture was taken almost exactly where my kitchen island will be located.

Turning around, here’s the back part of the house. It used to be an enclosed porch. It’s the best view of the backyard that I have on file. The rest of the kitchen, back door/mud area, laundry room, playroom/sunroom will be here.

Outside to the left will be the driveway and carport. That’s a crepe myrtle, fyi, which I have sworn to my aunt that I will not butcher, as many of them are. One of my most vivid memories as a child is seeing my mother and landscape-architect-aunt bemoan and weep over maimed crepe myrtles, causing me to pray that I would never commit such a crime against any flora. I digress…

Side note: see the pile of bricks on the right, in the shadows? They found stacks and stacks– a full pallet’s worth— hidden under ivy in the backyard. Add the bricks from the fireplaces, we have enough to shore up the foundation and brick in a patio.One of many pile o’bricks.

Outside shot of the back porch. The roof line posed some drainage issues, but our brilliant contractor and his team found a solution. I’d go into detail, but I have no idea what it is.

Pre-reno back porch

 

 

Here’s the framework of the bedroom side of the house. The hallway is between the two bedroom’s— Gracie’s and No-I’m-Not-Pregnant-But-Lord-Willing-If-He-Wants-To-Bless-Us-With-Another-One’s *takes a deep breath* room. We’re adding on to the back of the house for the master bed and bath.

I had been hearing from multiple people about our amazing hardwood floors… they were covered in sawdust so I spit-cleaned a spot (I’m still a lady– I didn’t spit directly on the floor!) They really are gorgeous… and they’ve never been sanded. That fact didn’t mean anything to me, until I was told that old wooden floors are sanded down throughout the years, so they eventually become too thin to use. Our floors are over 100 years old and are thick enough for another century of use (slight hyperbole).

 

It’ll be a lot easier to post pictures once walls start going up and I know what I’m looking at (this has taken an hour so far because I keep loading and captioning pictures, only to realize it’s a completely different part of the house).

Thank you for all the encouragement and well-wishes you have given us since the announcement of our move and home purchase! I’m excited to have a place to show some good Southern hospitality in a few months. Can’t wait to have y’all come visit us. I’ll have a pot of coffee and some store-bought baked goods ready for whoever wants to stop by.