We love being able to look back at the empty photos of our first house, because while they’re definitely bittersweet, it’s so much fun to reminisce. They’re a great reminder that a house is only a house, and it’s the moments that you’ve shared with the people (and the chihuahuas) that you love that really make it a home. So we wasted no time snapping empty photos of our second house. And although I thought “without furniture all these rooms will pretty much look the same” the funny thing is that none of them do. So it’s nice to know that we left our mark on this sweet home of ours.
Here’s the dining room/office before:
And here’s the empty after.
Here’s the office all empty (wish I had a before picture from this angle).
Here’s the frame hallway all cleared out.
And we can’t forget what the kitchen looked like when we moved in.
A lot has changed in there for sure.
Here’s a before photo from the other side:
And a clean and empty after.
Here’s the laundry room before:
And the room as we left it.
A lot of people asked us what we sold with the house, so the short answer is “all the stuff you see in these pics.” Apparently it differs greatly by region, but in our area it’s typical for anything that’s “attached” (light fixtures, curtains, blinds, open shelving, bathroom mirrors) to stay with the house unless it’s otherwise outlined in your listing/contract from the start (for example, we indicated that we wanted to take the curtains in the playroom, guest room, and dining room with us in our flyer but everything else stays). We didn’t want to strip this house and leave it with a bunch of boob lights and naked windows, and every home has a different layout/number of windows anyway (so I’m sure if we took our blinds they wouldn’t fit our new windows anyway).
Even the light fixtures might not work as well since they were selected for the rooms/spaces in this house. For example, our new house’s laundry area doesn’t have an overhead light – so we’d much rather know that our clothespin chandelier lives on in this house’s laundry room. In our area it’s also typical for houses sold as “turn-key” or “move in ready” to come with all of the appliances. A fridge from one kitchen might not even fit into the nook in the next kitchen, so we don’t mind leaving them – especially because we love buying “fixer uppers” instead of “turn-key” homes for a lot less money (which means we can afford to upgrade the appliances there).
Anyway, back to the before and afters. Here’s the living room as it looked when we moved in.
And here’s how it looked when we left.
Here’s the sunroom before.
And the sunroom after.
Our bedroom changed a lot too. Wish I had a before photo from this angle.
We do have this before shot of the sink nook…
I wish we had a shot of the hallway as it looked on move-in day, but at least we snapped an after to remember it by.
Here’s Clara’s room as it looked when we got here.
And here it is as we left it (Clara came with us though).
And of course the guest room looked a little different…
… after the dark teal paint (and crown molding) came into play.
Our biggest regret was not refinishing all of that old orange oak and faded brown parquet in the same rich mocha color as the cork floors in the kitchen. Oh man, that would be delicious. I’d bet money that the new owners will do that… (fingers crossed for a house crash someday!).
Oh and here’s a closer shot of the frame hallway. Look ma, no holes.
All hail spackle, king of DIY!
We’re going to miss this house of ours. But we’ll never forget all of the amazing things that happened here (three Christmases, all three of Clara’s birthday parties, writing and shooting our entire book, watching Clara crawl and walk for the first time). Lots of memories to take with us for sure. Now somebody get me a tissue.
Psst- We have a pretty funny picture comparison on Young House Life today too. Holy cow, time flies.
Lauren Nicole says
Smart thinking writing Clara into that deal so you didn’t have to leave her behind with her bedroom. She’s a keeper!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha!
xo
s
Emily says
Y’all did that house right! My favorite was the frame wall! It really helps change my perspective when looking at an empty home. I wonder if the previous owners ever looked and your blog and smiled knowing that house was loved just as much as they did.
Steph Nelson says
SO clean and SO nice!! I wish all homeowners left their house in the condition that you guys did/do. :)
I am betting that your closing is today and the new owners will be moving in over the weekend. (???)
These posts have been flying by, thanks for sharing all the details with us!!
XO
Steph Nelson says
OH, did you take Clara’s light?
YoungHouseLove says
Anything you see in these pics stayed, so it stayed – but I explained a bit more about that in the comments if you scroll back :)
xo
s
Priscilla says
Thank you for this post. We sold our first house that we lived in for 4 years and we’re moving out of state tomorrow. My daughter was 2 when we moved here and we had another daughter since living here. It’s very hard for me to say good bye to our home, but like you said – it’s the memories we made in it with our family. Now someone please pass me a tissue.. ;)
Angie says
Whew, I’m more than a little jealous of the new owners. We’re moving into our first house next week, and it’d be amazing to have beautiful light fixtures, white cabinets, and all those other updates you all did during your time there. But at least this way, we’ll get to use our own taste to replace the 1970’s lights, vanities, vinyl, etc.
Mary | lemongroveblog says
Lots of memories for you guys, I’m sure! What a wonderful home your leaving for the next family!
Kim says
I think I’ll miss the nursery curtains the most, even though we hadn’t seen much of that room on the blog lately. They are so sweet in there with the pink walls, so I’m glad they are staying.
Abby J. says
I love seeing all these before and afters! We close on our Very First House today and we had the empty house walkthrough this morning. I’m totally going to snap some pics this evening with the empty house before we start moving in and ripping out.
We had a consultant come with us on the walkthrough to talk about electrical changes in the kitchen – we’re starting demo and complete kitchen reno before we move into the house at the end of the month. So exciting!! (Maybe a Reader Redesign is in our future in a couple of months?:-) )
YoungHouseLove says
Good luck Abby! We’d love to see pics!
xo
s
Kim says
So, do you think the “new house” will be your forever home? (No pressure on that question at all, ha.) It seems crazy that DH and I got married just after we bought our new house in 2004, and now we have two kiddos there. It’s gone through so many changes — two guest bedrooms to a nursery to two kids rooms, changing an office to an office/guestroom, completely remodeling our outside and kitchen (complete with living in our master bedroom as a studio apt for 13 weeks.)
I don’t know what would/could move us out of this house.
I think it’s the treehouse that DH worked on for a year of weekends that really is making us stay here forever. :)
YoungHouseLove says
It feels like it could be, so we look forward to setting down some roots. We learned never to say never though, because you don’t know what life will throw your way :)
xo
s
backrow girl says
Hmmm… I see that the “before” pic of the sunroom contained a lot more snow than the “after” ^_^
Sorry, couldn’t resist!
It’s very awesome how much different the rooms/spaces look, even without the dramatic knock-out-a-wall changes.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha! Snow does not convey.
xo
s
MMingo says
Wow! Just WOW! The changes you made are incredible! You should be so proud that you have given someone an awesome home to move into. I’m jealous, wish it was me! All the best in your new home…I can’t wait to see what you do with it :)
Megan says
You left Clara’s capiz chandelier?! I thought for sure you would snatch that up! You certainly did leave your mark. It was fun looking back.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, if you scroll back through the comments I shared a bit more about why we left that this time :)
xo
s
kyle says
OMG you’re leaving the capiz chandelier in Clara’s nursery?!? And the curtains?!?! My heart just broke a little.
Megan M. says
I just discovered your blog about 3-4 months ago and after scouring as much of it as I could, (with out being a complete couch potato or stalkerish!) I left a few hints to the hubs that I wanted your book for Mother’s Day (ok, maybe not hints, just an out right request). He got the hint and I love it! I can’t wait to see what you guys do with the new place. (As a side note, I love the corner hutches in the dining room, they’ll be great once they’re white…are you keeping them?)
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Megan! Yes, we are planning to keep those and alter then slightly to be more our style. Here’s hoping it works out like we hope!
xo,
s
Angeline says
I am so happy to hear I’m not the only one that looks back at empty photos of old apartments. Our last apartment before we moved from CA to FL was by far my favorite (which is saying a lot after 10 apartments in 12 years), and I took a ton of pics before and after our stuff was moved out. So much fun to reminisce of that pretty space!
Ashley says
Wow – goodbye house! The new owners are very lucky! You did such an amazing job on it!
Annie Lee says
Did you leave a secretly hidden note behind, or is a link to your blog sufficient for the new owners?
YoungHouseLove says
We left a secret note! Still have to upload those pics…
xo
s
Jenna says
Congrats, guys! You did a great job on that house and I’m looking forward to seeing what’s in store at the new place! You’re awesome!
Heidi P. says
:( So sad! *sniffle sniffle* You left some good marks. Good marks indeed.
Libby says
Hmmm…the bear is back, and he just exploded out of your dining room. Kind of cute, actually. We know you’re trying to track him down, so here’s the link: http://www.100bcmoments.com/nature-wildlife/?utm_campaign=ss2013connect&utm_medium=floating&utm_source=casale_california&utm_content=floating_bear&utm_term=heavy_international_travel
YoungHouseLove says
THAT BEAR!!!
xo
s
Sally says
Wow it makes it so clear how little you actually did to the house. It was apparent in retrospect you guys didn’t care too much about this place.
YoungHouseLove says
In our first house we redid the kitchen, gutted a bathroom, made Ikea built-ins in the bedroom, and paid to get a patio laid, a doorway widened, and the floors redone. In our second house we laid a patio ourselves, built a deck ourselves, and gutted the kitchen along with hanging crown molding, opening up a wall between two rooms, building a pergola, adding built-ins to the laundry room and office, updating three bathrooms, rebuilding/tiling a fireplace, and adding french doors along with board & batten. We definitely loved this sweet house of ours.
xo,
s
Sara says
WOW, I sure hope Sally was being sarcastic. I can’t believe how rude some people can be.
I must admit I LOVE this house and will be sad to see it go, but I may be equally excited to see you transform the new one. Best of luck!
Jen says
Yes Sally, I see what you mean. I could hardly tell the difference between the before and after shots of the kitchen. o,O
chattycath says
Thanks for that view of leaving your home. I am doing the same – downsizing from my family home of 25 years I am beyond sad – and hoping for the best in my new smaller space. With this lifestyle change we will move closer to retirement and will have more time and money to enjoy it. Still bittersweet.
What is one tip you can give for helping to detach?
YoungHouseLove says
I just remind myself everything comes with you (the ones you love, the memories, your furniture and art and personal items, etc).
xo,
s
CourtneyL says
This may be weird but is there anything you absolutely do when you first move in? Like my brother just bought a house and the first thing he did was get a new toilet seat and change the locks. I seem to be obsessed with the shower head in every apartment I’ve ever been in. Seriously, I think I’ve changed every last one of them after the first few showers.
YoungHouseLove says
That’s a fun question! We change the locks and usually remove all the old stuff (like dusty curtains, old stained rugs, etc). I think since we get fixer uppers there’s lots of that stuff! Oh and we usually take doors down since they seem to be everywhere, like between the kitchen and dining room or the foyer and the living room.
xo,
s
Liz says
You guys did an amazing job on your house! I am so inspired! Can’t wait to see what’s on deck for the new house! More exclamation points!!!!!
Robin Grey says
Hey, y’all! So excited about the move and I can’t wait to see what you do with the new place. I have a question for you. We’re in the planning stages of a kitchen remodel. How did the white Corian hold up in the last kitchen? Are you still in love with it? Are you or would you consider using it in the new house? I love the look of it, but I’ve got to say, I’m more than a little scared of it.
YoungHouseLove says
It’s great! We loved how clean it looked. Just wiped it down each evening (and didn’t have any staining or scratching).
xo,
s
Amy says
I would think anyone buying a home you guys lived in is pretty lucky! Great job—before-after-in between!
Darcy says
Oh, I feel so sad!! I think the two things I will miss most about your house, is of course, that gorgeous kitchen and your office — the built in desk, but mostly the stenciled walls! I loved them so much — I had never liked stencils, but I was converted in that moment!! LOL!
I hope the new owners love you as much as we all do!
{Deep Breath} And now, I am officially excited for the all the new house adventures! :-) Can’t wait to see what project you start first!
lindsey g says
I am so sad about the curtains in the living room and Clara’s room. Please keep in touch with the new homeowners, and if they dont want them I do!!!!!! ;(
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yeah we left a note that said “if ever you don’t want something we’ll come get it!”
xo,
s
Joy says
It was so much fun watching you and your sweet family grow..and upgrade your home.. You will have so much fun in the new one also… Cant wait!
Mark Davis says
As a home builder, I’ve seen homes both empty and full, it is rather quite a difference what a few things can do.
jenn says
are you guys itching to start on any rooms yet? :) i know i am!!
YoungHouseLove says
Can’t wait!
xo,
s
Maureen says
Just a question that I don’t know if anyone else has asked… were there any posts of other projects that you had done for the house that you won’t be posting now since you are in the new place?
Also, for the millionth time just want to tell you guys how inspiring you are and I cannot wait to see some new home projects!!!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Maureen! We don’t have any posts about the old house that we held back or anything, so now that moving week is over and we’re slowly getting the new house organized we can’t wait to dive into projects there :)
xo,
s
Erin says
*sniffle* Ok, why is this making me weepy?! I don’t even know you guys, and I’ve never been to your house! Yet here I am…all emotional.
Can’t wait to see what new memories and magic you make in the new place, though!
Jeanna says
So I realize you did some repair work when you bought the place, and have done a lot of the wood flooring upstairs. But now that you are actually moved in and are unpacking, what are you itching to do to improve the place first once you can take a breath?
YoungHouseLove says
Get rid of some wallpaper, get some light blocking blinds and remove the sunroom rug and the big metal cage/doors on the master shower. Can’t wait!
xo,
s
agustina says
big, big difference! When we bought our home I think they had left only the stove and one light bulb….and an incredibly amount of shelves brackets in every corner of the house!!! when we left our former appartment we sold it with light fixtures, some bathroom storage furniture and even our telephone line, but that is very uncommon!
Tirsa says
Thanks for sharing this bittersweet moment with us. You leave behind a lovely home. Looking at your pics made me feel so nostalgic. Almost two years after moving, I still miss our old house. It was so hard to take one last look at it all empty. Maybe what made it so hard was the 10 years I had spent there. As someone who had moved so many times before, it felt like I had (finally!) deep roots in that place. Oh well, live continues and we love the “new” place too. Can’t wait to see how you transform your new place!
Mary says
I too always take before and after photos of both the house and the garden…and I include my growing daughter as well. The pictures are bittersweet as I love each house as I’m in it and love to see all the work that I completed with each house.
Can’t wait to see the progress in the new house. I can see so much potential!
FRECKLES CHICK says
Aw hell. That pic of Clara looking so grown-up, ready to move on to the next house is making me weepy. I’m about to do the ugly-cry.
Hope y’all are getting settled in, happy weekend!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Freckles Chick!
xo
s
EB says
Looking back at the “before” pics of your first house – that one ALSO had some blue trim! what a riot that house #3 is the same – is it a sign? :)
YoungHouseLove says
Totally a sign!
xo,
s
Erin says
Speaking of Book #2… Might you guys be willing/able to just make a hard copy of the content on your blog? I would totally be down to buy that! Picture it: a glossy book sitting on the coffee table, you pick it up, thumb through, look at all of the pretty, glossy pictures, and… BAM! Inspiration hits you IN THE FACE! You could even make it a series, with one book for each house :-) You could also include a buying guide, featuring your fave products and retailers (can we say endorsement $$?) Seriously, though. Check out some of the reviews of Book #1… Other people would buy a hard copy of your blog content, too! No pressure ;-)
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Erin! The only issue is that it would be 20000 pages long! Haha! It also gets sticky to ask folks to pay for something they can get for free online (while some folks like you might love it, to us it feels icky to charge for something that has been free for years :)
xo
s
mary @ bgjournals.com says
we need a before and after of miss clara (age wise that is, she’s always been precious) :)
YoungHouseLove says
Check out Young House Life today ;)
xo,
s
Annie R says
So exciting! It’s amazing to me that you can still see the mark you left on te house with the rooms completely empty! So sweet how much love you have shown this house! I also love how great you guys are about leaving the house so clean and ready to go for the new owners- it’s so thoughtful because I’m guessing you wouldn’t have *had* to do that.
Also- I didn’t realize that you left the laundry room the yellow color when you painted the kitchen!
Excited to see what you tackle first in the new house!
Janel says
Dang it, Sherry…I got all teary and I don’t wear waterproof mascara! You got me when you talked about Clara and her “firsts”. :-(
#sportingtheraccoon
#dangitSherry!
YoungHouseLove says
Totally not crying over here. Nope. Just got something in my eye.
xo,
s
Maria @ Inspiration Affirmation says
I am so happy for you four. Whoever bought your house is very blessed — not only is it beautiful, but can you imagine all of the positive and happy energy that they are walking into? Wishing you all the best in your new home — I know that we all can’t wait to follow along!
Olivia says
Sniff… goodbye, house!
Heather says
I was doing ok until I got to that picture of Clara and got all choked up. So funny how attached we readers have gotten to your sweet family even though most of us have never met you! I’m so excited to see the new house progresses now!
Melinda says
I’m very surprised you left so many light fixtures and curtains behind… especially in Clara’s room. I always feel very attached to drapery and light fixtures! (Probably because it takes me months and months to commit to these items that can really make or break a room!)
Also… what does all this moving business mean for your “Sue the napkin” color pallette? Are you going to do something totally different in the new house… OR stick with turquoise, green, gray?
YoungHouseLove says
I think there are colors that we just love and will always have in the mix, but we’re excited to try something new. Just like our first house and second house are more like relatives (but not twins), we think this house will look like “us” but we won’t straight up clone anything. It’s fun to see how a new space can evolve as you go :)
xo
s
Sherri says
Unlike most of your readers who are teary for what you are leaving behind, I find that once I leave a place, I move on and am not sentimental. It’s exciting to do things differently because there are always new ideas floating around and each home has its own personality. So I for one am looking forward to how you will change and “grow” your creativity muscles. Btw, Clara just couldn’t be more adorable. She is such a pretty girl and has that tall thing going on where she will always look fabulous in anything she puts on!
Kelsey says
Wow! It is amazing how you transformed that house (especially the kitchen!) I cannot wait to see your new house bloom!
Jennifer says
Just curious–If I have the timing of your new home purchase sorted out correctly, I’m assuming that you already knew you were moving by the time you decided to buy the sunroom and office’s roman shades. Why did you decide to buy them if you knew you’d just be leaving them with the house? Did you think it would help sale the house?
YoungHouseLove says
I know it might sound a little nuts, but we love seeing a room through to completion. Like how some people like to cook a great meal only to eat it (or sew a gorgeous quilt, only to give it away). Since DIY is our hobby, we just love taking a room from before to after, even if we’re selling it, we know it’s there – and that we left it better than we found it. It just sucks to feel like you’re stopping short of that after, so it gave us a ton of satisfaction to polish things off (and it probably didn’t hurt resale, so that’s nice) :)
xo
s