After yesterdays first house vs. current house comparison, this comment from Jess definitely got our wheels turning: “I think its an unfair comparison to put 8 months of work at the current place up against 4 + years at the old. You should have compared current photos from this house to what your old house looked like 8 months after you moved in there!!” Well, that’s probably not quite fair either, since we’ve definitely learned a ton in the last five years of homeownership (and also spend a lot more time doing house stuff these days since this DIY diary of ours is our job)… but we’re game! It’s Friday. But oh boy is this walk down memory lane going to amuse you. Just picture us quietly cringing over here as we bare all.
See, eight months into owning our first house, we still didn’t even know how to properly paint trim (I painted all of it in the entire house with flat paint only to learn it should be semi-gloss and then had to redo it all – and yes, it was torture). But the beauty of this post is that it’s a good reminder that houses take time. And sometimes they look crazy. Which is probably why some of the completely unfinished rooms in this house don’t make us want to cry as much as they did in our first house (back when we thought homes were supposed to be done the week after you moved in). Now we know better. So just for fun, here’s how our first house looked around eight months in (which was only about eight months before we started this ol’ blog to track the progress of our big kitchen renovation for friends & family members). Oh and you can scroll back to yesterday’s post if you want to peep the final first house pics (or compare this roundup to our current house’s eight-months-in progress). Just didn’t want to bog this post down with 50 more pics and crash the site like I did yesterday. Oops.
Front Yard, First House (8 Months In):
Our front yard was kind of just a forest when we moved in. But in eight months I did manage to clip all the trees that completely blocked the view of the house from the curb so neighbors could sneak a peek (yes, there really was a house back there). Project Tree Trimming was one of those let’s-surprise-John-when-he-comes-home-from-work projects that I did with a lawn chair and a branch cutter. And yes, the mister was shocked to actually see the front porch from the street.
Front Porch, First House (8 Months In):
This was a few weeks after I clipped up the branches. I took a saw to the fully slatted wood screen door and cut a big “window” in it just to break things up. Then I painted it yellow and hung an embarrassingly lame twig and faux lemon wreath from Target. Oh yeah and that thing hanging next to the door was left by the previous owner. It was a wood plaque that looked like a cutting board with a pineapple and the word “Welcome” painted on it. Very country cottage-y. But I loved that thing for a good year.
Living Room, First House (8 Months In):
Oy. That’s really all I can say. The sofa was a hand me down from a family member. The iconic college dorm coffee table was an Ikea find. Everything is way too small and way too far apart. There’s a square of faux-stone linoleum in front of the door. It’s all sorts of horrible. Living with this room for a few years taught us that creating two zones in the long-ish space (a dining area and a living area along with a console by the entryway) filled the space in a more functional and not-crazy-sparse way.
Kitchen, First House (8 Months In):
We were pretty active in the kitchen within eight months of moving in. We got all new appliances (Frigidaire from Lowe’s, which we carried over into our big remodel about eight months later) and painted the cabinets (Brown Bag by Glidden), replaced the hardware (with cheap Ikea stuff) and painted the faux brick backplash (Wishes by Glidden). It still looked like a hot mess in there, but it was our mess. Come on, you know you like those awkward serving spoons hanging from the metal range hood that’s not actually over the stove.
Dining Room (Future Bedroom/Nursery), First House (8 Months In):
We had lots of fun with this room, even though it wasn’t very functional (a room that barely accommodates four people does not a dining space make). We actually built that table ourselves (using a thrift store pedestal base and a giant piece of wood screwed in from below and then painted glossy black). I also spray primed and painted the old chandelier white (it used to be brass) and replaced the long pointy fire-shaped bulbs with modern round ones. But my favorite little adventure in there was painting the area over the chair rail with tiffany-box blue paint, and then using chalk to draw subtle leafy branches on the wall. Crazy yes, but lots of fun (I even used a spray fixative from the craft store to keep it from rubbing off). More on that project here.
Our Bedroom, First House (8 Months In):
Yikes, this room was baaad. Much like the living room everything looked really sparse. And yes, that’s a printer/fax machine hiding on the floor in the corner. Freelance copywriter from home = actually faxing things pretty regularly. But there’s no excuse for having it on the floor in the bedroom. And the too small art and too low bed with nothing else going on to fill things in around them kind of kills me. Thank goodness for living and learning.
Oh yeah, this bathroom phase is like looking back at photos of a really bad haircut in ninth grade. I thought painting the trim black around the window could look really cool and Domino-ish… but no. Not happening. So I painted it white again and removed the swag (which was actually a pashmina that I still wear to this day – and giggle when I remember its past life). Ah, much better.
Guest Room, First House (8 Months In):
So… eight months in meant we painted the room but that’s it. Still no bed for guests. We were saving our pennies and focusing on other areas, but we eventually got a full sized bed as a hand-me-down a few months later. Hooray for sleepovers.
Den, First House (8 Months In):
Bad news bears. Seriously, everything from the white bedsheet that I actually stapled to the underside of the desk in the corner to the crooked-looking painted paneling but unpainted brick makes me cringe. About a month later we painted the two brick walls the same color as the two paneled ones and it started to move towards the room that we know and love (but it still took a while to work up the energy to tackle those beams).
Laundry Nook, First House (8 Months In):
This is a terrible shot of the space that would someday become the laundry nook because it’s aimed at the floor, but I was terribly proud of the peel & stick vinyl tile that I laid down over grody old yellow sheet linoleum (that always looked dirty no matter how hard I scrubbed). Of course about a year later we’d remove those bifold doors to open the laundry area up (and to avoid door wars between the bifolds and the door to the sunroom) and add wood flooring throughout the entire hall, half bath, den, and kitchen. Oh but you might notice that I put little glass knobs on the bifolds to make them more palatable until those later phases. It’s the little things.
Half Bathroom, First House (8 Months In):
We knew that giant boxy sink vanity needed to be switched out for a smaller pedestal sink to make the tiny room feel a lot less crowded, but eight months in we were pretty scared to take that on (a little googling revealed that we had to cut into drywall to find studs to secure the back of the sink basin) so we put it off a few months longer. But we did paint the walls the same tiffany box blue that we had in the dining room (with flat paint, which was a bad call, btw- now I always use semi-gloss in bathrooms & kitchens) and replaced the toilet (it was avocado green when we moved in). And I replaced the knobs and the grungy old fabric on the window shutters (but later removed them entirely because natural light was much needed).
Sunroom, First House (8 Months In):
We actually did a fair amount of work in eight months in here. We got that wicker daybed as a hand-me-down and then got a hand-me-down twin mattress for it (and used regular old twin sheets from Target to cover the mattress and make that odd little skirt in the front). We also used a cheap-o lack table from Ikea to create the scrabble table (we just topped it with a larger tabletop that came with the thrift store pedestal that we used to make the dining table). We also stained the concrete floors a color called “tuscan gold” – which I later grew to hate because it was a bit too orange-y in direct sunlight (so we painted it a glossy chocolate color to tie it into the hardwood flooring throughout the house).
Patio, First House (8 Months In):
This patio was labeled as “needs replacing” during our inspection, so we knew it was on its last leg but thought we could live with it for a little while. But when my mom visited a few weeks before our backyard wedding and said she feared for guests’ safety (and pictured them all breaking their ankles on it) we decided to spend some of our saved-up “house fixing fund” to pay a pro to redo the whole thing over the course of three days (since it was just a few weeks before the wedding and we feared a giant half-finished disaster if we took it on ourselves). Knowing just how hard laying a patio is from doing the one at our current house, we’re still very happy we hired that one out so we could plan the rest of our wedding without that monkey on our back.
Back Yard, First House (8 Months In):
During our walk-through I glanced through the window in the old dated dining room and saw this. And I nearly lost my breath. I remember thinking “all this could be ours?” – I just thought having all this space would be awesome (the deep woods beyond the planted part was also part of the acreage). At first we loved the park-like setup above (and kept it pretty much exactly like this for the wedding (you can see how we set things up here), but eventually we grew tired of weeding the long pea gravel path and pruning the bushes and trying to use the tiny patches of segmented grass for incredibly mature things like extreme frisbee and chasing the dog, so we eventually craigslisted the gravel & bushes (folks dug them all up and hauled them for us in exchange for them being free) and we laid down some grass seed for a nice flat grassy yard in front of those deep woods. And Burger thanked us repeatedly for the trouble.
So there you have it. The state of our first house around eight months in. Thank goodness for the whole learn as you go, trial and error thing. It might not be the quickest way to a complete makeover, but I’m telling you – there’s something to it. Eventually you get there. Heck, it’s still the exact method that we use today (we just know a bit more about what we like and what type of paint should be used on trim and in bathrooms). So rejoice if your house is only a shadow of what you long for it to be. That stuff takes years, at least it does for us. So just keep trying things and learning about what floats your boat and eventually you’ll get there. Oh and don’t forget to enjoy the ride.
Carla says
This is a much more balanced comparison. I didn’t really understand yesterday’s post. This post reminds me that your home will probably be completely different than where you’re at today in the next few years. It’s lacking the warm glow that your completed first house had and feels clunky and awkward. But today’s post helped bring home the point that you’re still learning how to work with the design challenges of the new house, which makes for good reading whenever I visit your blog and gives me something to look forward.
Iomay says
Yay! I love this post and seeing how far you’ve come! Definitely feeling the mix match of first home furniture.. we were just there 6 months ago ourselves! :)
linda says
oh dear!? i have to totally disagree with you! where is it written that trim has to be semi-gloss? is despise any shininess in paint whatsoever…. and we purposely paint out trim in FLAT paint! i absolutely love it! the only room with any sheen to its paint whatsoever is the bathroom and it’s only eggshell since it’s the bathroom we use all the time… the 2nd bath is most definitely FLAT paint also! all of our doors: FLAT white… LOVE LOVE LOVE them! our crown molding looks like plaster with the flat paint versus some shiny piece of wood up there!
i have to admit.. i’ve always cringed when i’ve read that you use semi-gloss paint in your house…. :o)
but i still love you guys!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- that’s so funny! If you can dust it all and it looks nice and white, more power to ya! I had the worst time with my baseboard and trim chronically looking dirty and chalky and once I did the semi-gloss thing (which I later read was “the industry standard for trim and baseboard) I find that I can swipe them with a microfiber cloth to remove dust and years later they still look freshly painted!
xo,
s
betty in munich says
I’m sure someone has already asked, but what happened to the wicker daybed in the sunroom? It’s kinda cute….
YoungHouseLove says
We craigslisted that after a good year or so of enjoying it (when we got a West Elm daybed as a wedding present).
xo,
s
emily @ the happy home says
this is so exciting to read. we’re planning to buy our first house in about a year, and i would definitely feel the pressure to have it be perfect in a week. i have to be OK with the fact that it will look like a college dorm for at least a year post move-in!
Kimberley says
I cannot tell you how great it is to see your process for this. We aren’t quite homeowners, but just getting started and we have been feeling horrible about the fact that we have little furniture in our house! Now I know that it takes time and a lot of learning to get your house “just the way you want it.” Thanks for sharing!
Barbi says
I wonder how the old house looks now, 8 months after the new owners claimed it as their own :) Honestly, I don’t know if I could look, considering how much you loved it upon parting. After a major remodel, I saw the house I grew up in and it was a little unnerving. Still, it might be interesting!
YoungHouseLove says
We’d definitely love to house crash them (the ball is in their court, so we’re crossing our fingers we get invited back)!
xo,
s
linda says
ok….. i’ll give you that…. the baseboards do take more than a swipe with a microfiber cloth :o( i have to take the magic erasure to them at times…. but i still love my flat paint!
and stay safe this weekend! hope you are all prepared for irene!
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh you’re smart to think of a magic eraser, I just used to scrub with a wet cloth and want to cry when it still looked so dirty. Haha. Thanks for the well-wishes when it comes to Irene, we’re preparing for her arrival right now! Haha.
xo,
s
twelvedaysold says
Loved this post! My husband and I rent a duplex, and there are too many of your bare room/things spaced far apart that are like our current house. Also, not pictures in the bedroom. No wonder we only go in there to sleep.
It’s definitely encouraging me to fix up our rental and not get stuck in the rut that we can’t do anything about it!
liz says
These posts give me such hope! Thanks for helpful reminder that making a home your own really does take time.
Amber says
I have been thinking about doing my livingroom the same way as your first home (including a dining area). My current dining room is very similar to your first one. It has never felt “right” as a dining room, and because of that I never eat in there. My livingroom feels very uneven in space the way yours did before you added the table area. I currently use it as a tv room, and is the first thing that you see when you walk in. My questions for you would be… Could you imagine turning a small area like your previous diningroom next the the kitchen into a den? I also noticed that to make room for your table that the couch under the front window was uneven. Did having the side tables next to the couch help keep things balanced? I always thought it would not look right if it was not directly underneath, but your pictures looked great.
YoungHouseLove says
The problem with that window behind the sofa was that it wasn’t centered on the fireplace, but the only way the room looked right was eventually centering the sofa on the fireplace (which meant the window would be offset, but once we added long curtains and side tables and filled in the rest of the room it made a lot more sense. But anyway, as for the adding-a-den-where-your-table-is question, that would totally make sense! Breaking a long room up into different zones for the way you live is totally the way to go!
xo,
s
Jennifer says
Dont forget you also have a “baby” to add to your new house and it’s 8mo of projects. Takes a bit longer!
We have that faux brick in our new kitchen. It’s one thing I plan to get rid of ASAP. Any suggestions? Or if you want to come over and do it for us, you know for old time sakes..;)
I love these last 2 post bc you seem to be on my time in real life, but on the blog it seems like you can whip through a house in no time. Makes me feel better about my 5 yr plan!!
Thanks guys!!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- it’s true. The one year old factor does throw in a little added curveball. Although I have high hopes that in a few years she’ll be an awesome little helper. Haha. As for the faux brick removal, you can just pry them off the wall with a crowbar or flat head screwdriver and skim coat the wall to smooth things out (just ask the pros at Home Depot what you’ll need to skim coat). Or you can just paint them like us and they’ll disappear for a while until you fully remove ’em. Good luck!
xo,
s
Sarah says
I love that you weren’t out-of-the-womb, home improvement experts! We have been in our home just over a year and I get frusterated that it’s not “perfect” yet (and neither are my DIY skillz). It is nice to see it took you time, too.
Angie Butcher says
I feel so much better about my house! I was feeling like a total dimwit but it is so good to know that you learned and didn’t start out with everything coming out perfect the first time. I’ll keep at it!
Vicky says
Thanks for this post Sherry!! My boyfriend and I just bought our first house 3 weeks ago, and I am so anxious to get going on decorating, but afraid to do the wrong thing. Like you said, I feel like our house needs to look perfectly finished, like, yesterday! But I know that is not the reality of things. Your little reminder to “enjoy the ride” was great to hear. We are looking forward to having fun along the way, and hopefully ending up with a house that looks as great as yours and Johns someday!
Samantha @ http://shewfits.blogspot.com/ says
This post makes me feel SOOOOOO much better about my house. It was a brand new construction but very cookie-cutter inside and out. We’ve been working on making it standout a little better. It is a work in progress. Thank you so much for your post!
Alisa says
I’ve been at my current (and first) home for 8 months, and I must say, it makes me feel much better to see that we all have humble beginnings. It’s inspiring to see the transformation you made in your first home and even in your second! It gives those of us who still have lots to do hope!
Melanie says
Totally off-topic. This just looked like something that Clara might need! ;p
http://www.amazon.com/Gymnic-8006-Gyffy-the-Giraffe/dp/B001UGZ58A/ref=pd_sim_t_4
YoungHouseLove says
That’s so much fun! She does love giraffes…
xo,
s
Lydia says
This is a great post – it really makes you realize that you don’t need to get everything done in the first year of living somewhere – that can help save both the budget and the sanity!
As an about-to-be-new-homeowner, I just need to get “just enough” done in the next few months to host a great housewarming/holiday party come December!
Susan says
Haha, I love this post. It makes me feel so much better about my house and its potential!
shanda says
That’s funny – I have that exact same patio furniture now! And yes, pineapples are the universal sign for welcome, especially in the South. It was only the rich that could afford such an extravagance during the colonial and into the early republic years, and so when entertaining pineapples were used to not only show off wealth but to welcome visitors. Pineapples have a long and rather interesting history in relation to our nation’s history. Next time you go to a flea market or antique shop, look for pineapples on furniture and accessories.
YoungHouseLove says
So funny- I’ll have to keep an eye out!
xo,
s
Ashley says
Wow, this,post made me feel a LOT better about the current state of my place. We moved in a little over a year ago, and a couple of rooms are finally coming together. Of course, we haven’t done a thing in the rest of them. We’re allowed to paint, even though we’re renters, but it makes actually painting all those rooms seem like a waste when we’re just going to have to paint them white again. :-(
Anna says
This is such a fantastic post. I loved seeing your “style” (or lack thereof) before you became famous bloggers :] We are renting and hoping to buy in a couple years. Our place is very sparse, unpainted and full of cheap IKEA furniture. I can’t wait until we buy, but it’s great to see this and realize that our place won’t be our dream house the day we move in, and that’s OK. Looking forward to all that’s ahead for you (and us, eventually!).
Rachel says
Thank you for this post. Your first house was so beautiful in its finished state, and it can be hard sometimes to remember those “befores.” We’re newlyweds getting ready to purchase our first home. I feel better seeing this and knowing that your old house wasn’t beautiful overnight. You guys are the real (super-inspirational!) deal.
Myia says
Love the idea of spray painting the brass dining room chandelier and replacing the faux flame light bulbs! I have one just like it in my dining room. It’s always kind of bugged me cause it doesn’t really mesh with my vision for the space.
That will definitely go on the “honey-do” list after all the hurricane madness is over…
Charlotte says
WHOA! I am working on my second house and this has inspired me to revisit my own first dining room, 6 months in…buttercup yellow walls, a tuscan-themed walmart painting (of a window??), and the $100 5-piece wrought-iron walmart dinette rounded out the 15×15 1919 brownstone’s formal eating space…$4 home depot blinds accentuated the 12 foot ceilings! Trust me, it was a humbling experience! Thanks for sharing!
kyla says
Hey kids, did you see this on MSN today?
http://realestate.msn.com/blogs/listedblogpost.aspx?post=53308b4f-a81e-4133-aea9-a2bcb57dad8a>1=35009
Ranches Rock!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yeah- so interesting, right? Go ranches!!
xo,
s
heather says
After reading all about the houses, the start of the blog etc got the business nerd in me pondering something. I understand this might be too business-personal so feel free to delete this comment and not post it. At all. No offense and I apologize profusely if I have caused offense. (I’m happy to be told to go to hell. I don’t divulge certain aspects of how I run my business either, completely reasonable and understandable, no offense taken.)
A blog business structure is something totally new in a business world. When it comes to income and expenses, do you ever count any upgrades as an expense? It seems like a weird gray area but considering the nature of YHL as a business, I’m curious. Most blogs have a variety of different topics, but with yours solely being on renovations it peaked a “hmm” within me. Due to the lack of independence though (unlike a business structured to renovating a home for someone else) I couldn’t help but finally ask.
I am what you get when you cross a business guru with a costume designer. A chick who writes, crafts, thinks about profit and loss statements and gets genuinely intrigued by learning about different business structures.
YoungHouseLove says
We have an amazing accountant who advised us that if we counted improvements or projects as business expenses then when we sold our house we’d owe a nice big chunk to the government since we’d be considering our house to be a business location and not a primary residence, so we don’t write off any projects at all, just so if/when we sell, the entire house is our personal home and not billed and taxed like a business. He said it never works out well for folks in the long run (since they owe a big chunk of money when selling), and we trust him a ton. So yes, we write off things like printer paper and other small “office supplies” to run the business, but no DIY supplies or house purchases. We’re actually glad it works out that way because it keeps everything that we do the same as other homeowners out there. We save our pennies and tackle things whenever we can afford them, just like everyone else. Haha.
xo,
s
heather says
If anytime is the right time for a slow-clap, now is it. You guys just went up about 10 (arbitrary albeit) points in my book for actually answering that. I was 99% certain no way. I’m seriously impressed.
So thank you. That is exactly how I would have set it up too (or told someone else to) when I was in tax. I was curious about it because of the business tax implications versus private residence. I’m sure you two are 100% aware of the awesomeness that is saving housing renovation receipts, and what project they were for, for the cost basis (and recognizing less profit = less tax) when you sell your home (dependent on the threshhold).
Anyway, thanks again. I really honestly expected a super nice way of saying “not a chance”. My business nerd is happy. :)
YoungHouseLove says
Aw, you’re welcome. We’re basking in the slow clap over here. Haha.
xo,
s
Ashley says
THANK YOU for doing this post! This is perfect timing because my fiance and I just moved into our first house, and I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed at all there is to do. It’s nice to be reminded that it’s an ongoing process and that it doesn’t have to look so finished and perfect right away. You’ve taken some of the pressure off, for the moment. Now I can breathe a little. :-)
Leslie says
This was cool!
Hey, so I’m sorry if you get asked this all the time, but I’ve been wondering… do people recognize you a lot when you’re out and about? Do they get starstruck? Ask you lots of questions about home improvement projects? Try to kiss Clara’s cheeks? Just curious :)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, I don’t know that we make anyone starstruck, but we do meet readers around town a lot. It’s fun. Especially in Home Depot and Target and Ikea (since we kind of live there). The funny thing is that on one really asks us any home questions, they just say hi and we’re all awkward and then we go on our blushy way. Haha.
xo,
s
Stef says
I stumbled upon your site though pinterest and I am SOO glad I did! My boyfriend and I are in the process of buying our first house (We close in Oct) and I already have a list of things I want to do. He has never done any type of home improvements though so I plan on using your site as his “textbook” Our house is a brick ranch much like yours so its nice to see what it can be after a little hard work. Thanks for the inspiration!!
Stefanie
Anne says
oh! thank you so much for sharing! this is so inspiring, as always- but maybe especially so, because it shows that you two didn’t just instantly have a magical ability to whip up a gorgeous looking home. it’s a wonderful reminder that with practice, trial & error, and a lot of elbow grease and creativity, really amazing transformations can be made!
thanks again for sharing your life with all of us strangers- obviously we all really appreciate it!
Csilla says
We’ve lived in our house 2 years now and it is nowhere close to where we’d like it to be (with a to-do list a mile long)… Thanks for the reminder that it doesn’t happen overnight! You two are an inspiration!
Maureen@This (Kinda) Old House says
I, too, will thank you for this post. I have to constantly remind myself that we bought an older home, and that I can’t expect that everything will look polished and new instantly. We have lived in our house for almost 7 years, and are just now making some major redecorating changes. We were able to live with everything the previous owners did, because they really did do a lot of updating. But, alas, it is time to put our stamp on the place. I am enjoying the process and trying to keep my patience as our house will take years to complete also. Thanks again guys, you are TRULY inspiring to me.
Susannah says
This post is GREAT and makes me feel a whole lot better about how our house looks 15 months after moving in. Your current house progress truly puts our house to shame. But it’s so great to know that you learned so many of these things by just trying them out and learning from mistakes, etc. I couldn’t love your blog more, and I thank you for the DIY inspiration. I have gotten so much braver since discovering you!
Melissa says
I just did a post yesterday on the decorating progress of one of our rooms over the course of a year! I got a kick out of it today reading your blog today. It takes times to transform a room, yet alone an entire house. Check out my changes over 11 months http://www.theduplexdiaries.com. It’s amazing how the room develops over time.
YoungHouseLove says
Love it! What a fun post!
xo,
s
shannon says
loved this post!
and i miss that little old house of yours. everytime i see a picture of it (after the 4 years you loved it) i feel like i want to save it for later inspiration.
what a fun walk down memory lane with y’all.
Suzanne Supplee says
Thanks for keeping it real. I love what these sweet pictures say, the journey they reveal, the story they tell.
Ryan says
I’m a newer follower and this is one of my favorite posts so far! As a newbie to this home DIY stuff I loved seeing how you two started out on your house : )
Jennifer says
I love this!! This makes me feel so much better about the state of our house. My fiance and I just moved into our first house three months ago and everything is builders’ grade. This reminds me to have a little patience and let things evolve. The house will look like “us” in no time.
Rebekah says
This is such an encouraging post! My husband and I have had our first house for about 3 months now, and I’ve been so impatient to decorate/paint/remodel and at times felt frustrated with our seemingly snail’s-pace progress. It’s good to know that your first home was a work in progress as well and it’s great to see how much your styles/tastes have evolved over the years.
Melissa says
so impressed you had all of the photos from 8 month in your first house! :) and so fun to see the transformation… you both are so talented!!!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, I used to be so organized with pics back then. Now with a baby, not so much. Haha. I have to get back to my labeled monthly folders for house pics- right now all of the progress ones from the pas eight months are tossed into one big folder on my desktop. Craziness!
xo,
s
Nicole Hyatt says
So, have you ever kept track of what it cost you to transform your first house to complete? It is so cute and your new house is looking so great too! Thanks for all the inspiration.
YoungHouseLove says
I wish! We were not organized enough to keep every receipt over the 4.5 year span, but some larger projects like the kitchen and new roof and patio and new appliances along with some extensive tree work remind us that it wasn’t ten dollars or anything. Haha. Just take it one day at a time and try not to remember you don’t have to do it all at once!
xo,
s
Tabitha says
Happy Friday, J & S! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ey-VNes5YQs
YoungHouseLove says
Wooooot! Friiiiiday, Friiiiday. Love it.
xo,
s
Louisa T. says
Ya’ll batten down the hatches and take care! I know it’s gonna be a scary next day or two. Know that everyone out here is thinking about you guys and saying a prayer for your safety.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much Louisa! We’re trying to prepare as much as we can and crossing our fingers that we make it through ok (and don’t lose power for a week or something- yikes).
xo,
s
Nadine says
Quite awed by all your good work in both houses. Congratulations!
One question has been nagging me. I’m impressed to see you use quarter-round at the base of your walls, I’d like to know what kind of paint you recommend using on them, that makes them pretty and sturdy (mine were so consistently ruined by cleaning ladies hitting them with the vacuum cleaner that I’ve given up and removed them, but might reconsider with proper advice). Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Random secret: we didn’t paint the quarter round, we just had it refinished darker when we refinished the floors in a rich mocha color. That way they hid dirt and didn’t get scratched or dinged up as obviously. Here in the new house much of our quarter round is wood toned as well, so we’re thinking we might leave it that way for the same reason! Especially since Clara runs her cars and toys into it all the time!
xo
s
JC says
Thanks for this post! What great inspiration to see your gorgeous home from the starting point. We are roughly at this “8 months” point, although it’s been 3 years since we started our project.
This proves there is light at the end of the tunnel! ha
Keep up the great work:)
p.s. I love the “projects” section!
kendal says
Love this post! Thanks for being so honest about your mistakes and inspiring the rest of us with the courage to go for it, and keep trying until things are perfect- or as close as possible for the time being! After all, everyone has to start somewhere. You guys always present things in a funny, positive way and I love reading about your adventures. :)
[email protected] says
The pineapple is somewhat of a historic symbol. They are popular in Virginia where John & Sherry live. Here is a little snippet: http://www.history.org/visit/christmas/dec_pineapple.cfm
And this is totally random, but I find myself wanting a “random post generator” for YHL. I realize y’alls to do list is epic. I think I’ve read all the posts but every now and then you link to one I haven’t and it’s a happy day. :) I can see many weekends being wasted away clicking such a button.
YoungHouseLove says
I actually love that suggestion. Off to talk to my tech team (aka: John). Haha. When you’re in a post, there are a few squares on the bottom for related posts in our archives that might fill the void while we work on it. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
alg says
Quick ?? — Is the chalk fixative wash-offable in some way?
I’ve been planning to do a very similar chalking process on my office walls, but want to make sure it’s safe for renters.
In the past, I’ve sealed chalk art with simple hairspray, which kind of secures the chalk & washes off when you want to undo your project, but you can’t really touch the chalked/hairsprayed areas too much or they will smudge :(
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, I just painted over it and it was fine, but I’m not sure it would have washed off. Is there any way you can repaint that one area where you do it, just to be sure?
xo,
s