Dude, we’ve been here over three months! On one hand it feels like we’ve lived here forever, and on the other hand it feels like we just moved in last week (wasn’t it last week?!). We’re definitely surprised by how much we’ve knocked out since moving in (new flooring upstairs, a bunch of exterior upgrades, a half bathroom and a foyer facelift, some fresh paint in the bedroom, and a freshly lofted sunroom) yet some of the completely untouched rooms have us itching to bounce around to them soon. But enough chatter, let’s get to the photos. Here’s a time capsule of how our house looks three months in:
– The Front –
We’ve had some dangerous trees removed, replaced the old leaky roof, got a new coat of paint on the repaired siding/trim, and painted the front door a happy color. The yard is still spotty and weed-riddled – and we’d love to add some garden beds and more plantings to make things feel less bare, so we have a lot more to do out there.
Here’s a before just for fun (we thought we’d toss those in for areas that have changed the most).
– The Portico –
We removed the old slatted screen door and painted the cream-colored sidelights white (like the trim) along with painting the door. We’d still love to get a bigger doormat, a new light fixture, and add interest to the flat triangle of plywood on the front (we think framing it out with chunkier molding might help).
– The Garage –
The side of the house’s siding got repaired and repainted, and we’d like to paint the cream garage doors a darker color – either charcoal like the roof or black like the shutters.
– The Foyer –
We took down the dark wooden doors that blocked access to the kitchen, removed the wallpaper, painted all of that formerly blue trim white, and updated the walls with a fresh coat of paint. Then we hung a new light fixture and some art. We still have the staircase railing to redo (the spindles are blue)… not to mention some old carpeting on the stairs that we hope to replace with a fresh new runner. We’re also thinking about painting a subtle color on the ceiling in here.
Here’s a foyer before shot for old time’s sake.
– The Half Bathroom –
In here we’ve stripped the wallpaper, painted the walls and the trim along with hanging a new mirror, primed & painted the vanity, and hung a secondhand light and some art as well as upgrading the faucet. We’re planning a more intense makeover down the line once we save our pennies (maybe with some grasscloth wallpaper or a tiled accent wall?) but we liked that we could make a few cheap upgrades for the meantime.
Here’s a half bathroom before shot.
– The Dining Room –
The dining room is still full of blue trim and wallpaper galore. All we’ve done is drag in our furniture, but we’d love to update everything from the walls and light fixture to those built-ins in each corner.
– The Living Room –
So far we’ve primed and painted the walls and whitewashed the brick fireplace. We loved our first house’s den after all the brick, wood paneling, and trim was painted – and this room reminds us so much of that space – so next on the agenda is to paint all of the wood trim a glossy white. Coffering the ceilings and adding a soft blue tone up there is on our wish-list too.
It’s far from finished, but it feels a lot more like home than the salmon pink living room that we started with.
– The Office –
We’ve really only plopped some furniture down in here and organized our bookcase, but we’re planning to paint the blue trim, and we’d love to add some built-ins and maybe even a floating desk. Perhaps something like this?
– The Kitchen –
Before doing any major kitchen or bathroom gut-jobs, we like to live in a house for at least a year – just to see how we use a space instead of rushing into anything. We’re definitely taking notes about how we use this room and what’s in the way in the hopes of a makeover that’s open and bright along with being a lot more functional.
– Our Bedroom –
All of the rooms upstairs had old threadbare carpeting so in the bedroom we painted the cream doors/trim, laid hardwoods right before we moved in, and later painted the walls. We can’t wait to add some built-ins behind the bed (we think it’ll make those windows look centered), hang some window treatments, and shuffle some furniture around along with hanging art.
Here’s a before shot from back when we bought the house.
– Our En-suite Bathroom –
We haven’t done a thing to the sink nook, but we did take down the old glass shower doors and then we hung a nice high shower curtain in the bathroom to make it feel less closed in. Eventually we’d love to do a huge remodel to combine the sink nook and the rest of the bathroom for a more spacious and less chopped-up feeling with a double sink instead of a single sink in each space, separated by a wall.
– Our Closet –
Our closet is now packed with stuff and in desperate need of some organization. We’d love to add some built-in drawers and shelves to pack it with function and that old carpet has got to go! We’re planning to carry the tile from the bathroom reno in there so the whole “off-the-bedroom wing” has seamless flooring and feels less choppy.
-Upstairs Hallway –
We ripped up the old carpeting, painted all the blue doors/trim, and laid new hardwood floors in a mad dash before moving day. Still need to paint those blue spokes on the bannister along with the walls and ceiling in the hallway.
This is one of the areas that has come the furthest so far, so here’s the before.
– Clara’s Room –
We painted all of the blue trim in here and then we laid new hardwood floors and moved in Clara’s furniture from the last house. We can’t wait to paint the walls, get an overhead light fixture, and hang some art. We also have a feeling that a few things in here will get tweaked and shifted around, so it’ll be fun to see where everything lands. We’re still in that switching-stuff-around phase for sure…
Clara’s bedroom originally had old carpeting like our bedroom, but this before photo was taken after we ripped it up.
– Spare Room / Possible Someday Nursery –
We painted all the mauve trim and then we laid new hardwood floors. After that not much has happened – we just plopped down a few random objects in here and called it a day. We’re not planning to do anything in here until we’re sure how we’ll use this room (so if we have a baby on the way, it may jump onto the to-do list at that point – but for now it’ll just stay like this).
This room started out with more old carpeting and pink trim and doors.
– The Guest Bedroom / Craft Room –
Once again we painted the trim and laid new hardwood floors and then just dragged our furniture in here. We did hang the curtains from our last house’s dining room in here, just to make it feel a little more finished, but we still have to paint those stripey walls and figure out some long-term furniture things.
Here’s the before.
– The Hall Bathroom –
So far we’ve only hung some faux wood blinds for privacy and dragged in some bright accessories to happy things up. We also hung the shower curtain nice and high, which helps to cover up some of the broken shower tile.
– Laundry Nook –
The blue trim is now white and the old carpet is hardwood flooring but that’s as far as we’ve gotten. We’re saving up for some new appliances and down the line we’d love to add cabinetry to the nook and maybe even bring in some sort of frosted doors to block the sound (and then maybe even add a tiled accent wall in the back?).
– The Sunroom –
Since moving in, we’ve stripped the old carpet away and we’ve taken down the old broken doors to create an indoor-outdoor space that no longer fogs up and seals us off from the deck. We also lofted the ceiling and got some electrical work done (more on that soon!) and we can’t wait to add light blue beadboard on the ceiling and tile the floor to create a room with this vibe. Maybe even with an outdoor fireplace…
Here’s the before shot from when we moved in.
– The Back Deck –
We got the dangerous tree outta there (we thought it was charming and sweet but the inspector and an arborist friend of ours said it had to go) and got the siding/trim painted. Then we patched the hole left by the tree and stripped and re-stained the deck.
It was in rough shape when we bought the house, so it’s really nice to have reclaimed such a great outdoor space.
So there you go. We’ve stopped doing monthly recaps (woops, we fell off that train when we moved) but it’s definitely nice to have posts like this to freeze time for a second and capture exactly how crazy (and exciting) it was after 90 or so days of getting settled. Do you guys ever snap photos or write blog posts or make Flickr albums to remind you how your house looked at a certain moment in time? Our House Tour page is always getting updated with new “progress” photos, so posts like these are the ones that we look back at and say “holy cow, remember that?”
Jennifer says
We painted our garage and front door a dark charcoal and just love it. It adds a lot of depth to the house. It was looking washed out before with the white doors. I say go for it!
YoungHouseLove says
That sounds awesome!
xo
s
Michelle says
Every day, I read your posts and the blogger in me tries desperately to figure out how you host so many gorgeous photos yet have a super fast loading page! This post truly blew my mind with so many photos. Seriously, what is your secret for photo optimization magic?!? A girl’s gotta share her secrets ;)
And, this goes without saying, but the house is getting more beautiful everyday – I am OBSESSED (hence my daily reading of the blog!) with your projects and all you are able to accomplish and share with us readers. I just re-painted my front door this past week. I followed your advice to the tee and it turned out amazing! #beam
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Michelle! Our secret is that we use amazon.cloud to host all of our photos. It’s the opposite of cheap (we pay more than our monthly mortgage payment to host our site) but we know it’s important for you guys to be able to see everything without super long load times. You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear that it’s loading so well for you that it makes you wonder how we do it. Seriously, I read your comment out loud to John and he’s beaming now too. NERDS! Haha!
xo
s
Jessica Moroney says
Soo, your dining table still looks like that???? I was excited to see this 3 month post, but as a regular ‘house tour’ viewer, I was disappointed to see that it’s just the ‘progress’ pics…I would love to see your current dining room, and where is that big beat up greeny buffet, that was at your entrance in house #2?
The progress is amazing though, and I’m loving the colour on the bedroom walls, perhaps Clara can have a new colour soon? I’m hoping for something light and bright like her very first nursery!!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Jessica! There are about three fewer things on the dining table these days, but we thought reshooting the same room with such a slight change was kind of silly. I can’t wait until we make some real progress in there though – in which case I bet we’ll take no fewer than 168 pictures for you guys! Haha! As for the green buffet, that’s actually in the dining room too, it’s just on the wall opposite the built-ins, so it’s not visible in that shot. And as for painting Clara’s nursery, that’s next on our list! I feel you on the light and bright thing, and we’d love to have some fun with the ceiling too!
xo
s
Christina says
My 3 year old, Sofia and I, were just admiring all the great work you have completed. Sofia loves the master bedroom and the sunroom. I have to agree. I’m so excited to see the finished rooms. Sofia asked if we could move there, then promptly dropped the subject when she saw Clara and her pink ball. She has asked if she can bring her purple ball to play with Clara and her pink ball! Oh, to be 3 again!
YoungHouseLove says
That’s so sweet! Send Sophia Clara’s love. She loves to play ball… and purple is right up there with pink for her these days.
xo
s
Janelle says
I love posts that show your amazing progress! How wonderful! All of that hard work and good taste just blows my mind. I’m a long-time fan and always show your projects to my husband. :)
Anyway, I revisited the “House Tour” section and I just have to ask, have you ever been contacted by the previous home owners with feedback? I was just curious since your blog is such a public forum, if they had ever shared how amazed or nostalgic your home renovations made them.. Maybe it doesn’t work like that for other people.. In the same vein, have you ever revisited your previous houses? If so, what was your reaction?
Just being nosy. Please feel free to disregard. Hope all is and remains well with your beautiful family.
YoungHouseLove says
We did hear from our first house’s early owners and it was amazing! https://www.younghouselove.com/2009/08/our-young-houses-old-history/ We also were friendly with the folks who sold us our second house (although they weren’t the original owners) so it was really nice to know their story and hear from them cheering us on!
xo
s
Erin says
The house is looking great!
Have you seen the Cavallini Les Bicyclettes Wrapping paper @ Paper Source? Its a 20″x 28″ sheet for 2.95 and wold make a great wall print! I’m an avid reader of your blog and feel like I know you guys- in a non-creepy way, and the print reminded me of you guys! Here’s the link if you want to check it out..
http://www.paper-source.com/cgi-bin/paper/item/Cavallini-Les-Bicyclettes-Wrapping-Paper/3650.041/9781619922020.html
YoungHouseLove says
In love. It’s awesome. Thanks so much Erin!
xo
s
Erica says
I have a Facebook album (and a blog I don’t keep up with!) that I use to chronicle changes to my house. My house was not in great shape when I bought it 4 years ago, so going back and looking at those photographs with the ripped up carpet and vent through the shower is crazy! I look back at them and want to cry sometimes because of all the hard work I have done. One big example is the hardwood floors that my dad and I refinished ourselves! I am so glad I have those pictures! One of these days, I want to make a scrapbook! :-)
YoungHouseLove says
I love the scrapbook idea! Someday I want to make a photobook of each of our houses with every project chronicled – like the blog but way less words and almost all pics and labels. I feel like they’d be so much fun to look back on!
xo
s
Linda says
It’s amazing how much you’ve accomplished in 3 months! I love everything, but my favorite is the now open sunroom—it looks so beautiful already. Thanks also for sharing your paint colors! I’m terrible with creating a “flow” on my main floor so this was very helpful!
Dee says
Those huge, beautiful, green trees don’t look dead. Just say that you wanted a better frontage and chopped them down. No fabrication necessary.
YoungHouseLove says
Not only did we go by our inspector’s rec, we consulted an arborist. Two were too close to the house and discovered to be completely hollow when we cut them down and one was infested/rotten (with visible signs of rot all over the base when you got closer). It was an expense we never would have taken on right away if it wasn’t safety based – maybe two years in we’d have done it if it was just a cosmetic thing!
xo,
s
Christina Miller says
Great progress. The work looks so refreshing. The previous owners REALLY like that blue huh? Keep up the work bringing this house to life!
Lynda says
IF you decide to get rid of corner cabinets in your dining room, please email me. We live in Richmond. I grew up with cabinets like that and would love to have them.
You make me exhausted looking at your improvements.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Lynda! We’d love to work with them but just adapt them and paint them – but if that changes we’ll let you know!
xo
s
LeAnn B says
Wow! Love what has been accomplished in three months! Can you come live with me?? You must sit back after writing this and go “whew! We did that!” (high fives all around!). I would still be unpacking… Also wanted to comment that I love when you add in the “like this” photos. It’s great to see the possibilities!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks LeAnn! We just started doing those more since moving to this house. Seems like an easier way for people to visualize where we’re going with stuff!
xo
s
Hannah says
Everything looks great! I discovered the joy of before and after photos myself after my wife and I finished redoing our front porch: http://thehomesteady.typepad.com/my-blog/2013/09/the-big-reveal-our-new-front-porch.html Thanks for the inspiration! I love reading your posts and realizing that regular people can make these kinds of positive changes to their homes too.
YoungHouseLove says
What a charming space! And that Samson is adorable.
xo
s
Karen says
Hi Sherry!
Question: Do you guys plan on staying here for the long haul, or when you finish renovating, will you sell and purchase a new one again (to remodel)?
Just curious!
Thanks.
YoungHouseLove says
We hope to be here for a very long time. This has been our dream neighborhood for seven years, and we’d love to see Clara grow up here (great schools, neighborhood full of kids her age, etc). We’re definitely in this for the long haul.
xo
s
Rebecca says
This all looks so incredible! What an amazing transformation from BLAH to modern. As a kitchen designer + planner, I think its smart to wait until you know how you USE your kitchen (despite the fact that it is probably the first space I would tackle due to my profession). You will realize where you want the dishwasher, the garbage, how much pantry space, where the natural light comes in, etc.
One more comment: I really, really, REALLY love the contrast of the beams against the white in your living room with the modern rug and finishes. I know I won’t have much sway so I can say for the benefit of contrast, PLEASE DON’T PAINT THE BEAMS!!!
(with love)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, thanks Rebecca! There have certainly been lots of please about what to paint and not paint in there! I promise we won’t do a thing until we’re 100% sure.
xo
s
dkl says
Look at all that outside space and the deck puts you right out in it. This has me itching to see what you are going to do outside with the garden. What I would give for that much garden area. Probably low on your list but fall is a good planting time.
Katie says
Things I’m loving about this post:
~ The triple window in the guest room, sooo pretty
~The open-ness of the gawwww-jes sunroom/covered porch
~Pretty much EVERYTHING about the updated foyer.
you guys are rocking the renos in the new place, but slow-down! lol, you’re gonna burn through all the projects, and I need my daily dose of YHL for years to come!
Ruthie says
I’m just going to say I don’t recall seeing your laundry nook before, lol! Your old nook was so happy and bright that I am anticipating you guys going all crazy in that space. Hahaha.
Catherine says
Congratulations on your progress to date! It’s certainly nice to have a 3-month recap – it must be so satisfying for you to see the dramatic changes that have been made :) I’m looking forward to the rest of your inspiring journey!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Catherine!
xo
s
vickik says
It goes without saying that you have down a fabulous job with you new house in 3 months time and accomplished so much. Yowzer – when do you people sleep? But I have a question for you. I noticed that you do not complete many of the spaces. Example – in the living room you painted the brick & walls but didn’t finish the wainscotting. In the upstairs hallway you have beautiful floors, painted trim & doors but didn’t finish the walls or ceiling. I’m one of those people who have to finish every aspect of a space before I can move to the next to get a sense of accomplishment. Just wondered what your thoughts were on that? Keep up the good work!
YoungHouseLove says
I think one thing that keeps us motivated and excited about DIY is bouncing around. Sometimes we’re more excited to skip to another room and hang some art or a light instead of painting for ten projects in a row, so breaking things up seems to keep things more exciting.
xo
s
Angela says
3 months? You guys are amazing! Love how you keep it real. It’s looking great.
Kelley says
I just want to say you two guys have done more to your home in 3 months than we have done to ours in 13 years! Holy smokes! We just started to get the ball rolling again our our ever growing, super huge, exhausting to-do list. After seeing what a beautiful job your doing it’s made me even more motivated. Thank – keep up the good work.
Kelley says
Gah! I was so excited I couldn’t even type apparently – “Thank you” is what I meant to say at the end there:)
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Kelley!
xo
s
Ellyn says
My favorite transformation so far is the back patio and taking out the glass sliding doors. Totally awesome. That project is the one I’m going to be watching the most as it’s such an awesome change! And removing the roof is so darn cool.
Ellyn says
I meant ceiling not roof.
YoungHouseLove says
I knew what you meant ;)
xo
s
Angie says
I saw this on Pinterest and immediately thought of your fireplace. It looks great with the whitewashing, but I can see this in your space:
http://pinterest.com/pin/78179743504961803/
YoungHouseLove says
That’s so much fun! We eventually want to put a gas fireplace in there so I wonder if a wood surround is to code. Something to think about for sure!
xo
s
Margaret says
Wow! You guys have done more in three months than I have in three years of being in my home, lol! Talk about lighting a fire under my butt! :) Lookin’ good!
Emily says
Awesome work, youngsters! (As usual!) I just have to ask: are monthly recaps gone forever? *tear* I have to admit, every Friday I’ve been waiting for the post to kick-start the tradition from where it left off in the spring! (It’s never too late to look back!) :) :) have a nice weekend!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Emily! I think for now we’re happy to do more informal recaps like this one and the occasional Listy McListerson post, but who knows if we’ll change our tune later on. In the esteemed words of Justin Bieber: never say never!
xo
s
Cara says
So, are you cool with unsolicited advice? Oh wait, I’ll just call it “hey, here’s an idea!” because its not actually advice. Anyway. I’ve been noticing a lot of renovations recently in my area that include this easy but great looking garage door update. They don’t change out the door at all, but they add hardware to it that makes it look more like an old fashioned door of some sort. It’s instant fancy-pants. There’s one just up the street from me, and the doors looked just like yours beforehand. Every time I drive by I think how nice it looks and that it would work really well with your new house. Something like this http://www.coachhouseaccents.com/. But they did two handles and no windows, and it looks better than this ad.
YoungHouseLove says
Love that idea! Thanks Cara!
xo
s
Meleah says
You all have been busy! It looks great!
Bobbie says
Everything is looking top notch!! You two (well, and Clara & Burger) are so good at this! Though I’m moving at a snail’s pace you are my inspiration.
Bonnie @ The Pin Junkie says
You’ve done so much in such a short amount of time! The house is really looking great! I especially love the foyer! I think you’re really smart to live in the house awhile before making big changes in the kitchen. Can’t wait to see what you’ll be working on next!
Grace says
It looks like you have a Pottery Barn light (Olivia Star Pendant) in your foyer. I recently bought it and cannot figure out how to shorten the chain. If you have the same one could you give me some tips? The chain is so hard I can’t bend it!
YoungHouseLove says
Ours is actually from a local lighting outlet, but the chain has these ends on each side that can be twisted loose so you can adjust how many links are in the middle. Maybe yours has that too? Or you have to use a wire cutter for it? Just be sure not to cut the wire too short in the process.
xo
s
LeeK says
Good job, only thing I would have done different would be the front porch columns. Too thin to visually hold up the weight of the porch. A common mistake but easily fixed.
that porch would look a lot better with 10″ columns. I am a home designer and I see top heavy porches all the time with spindly columns. Photoshop in some beefy columns and you will see a huge difference.
Just a suggestion of course.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the suggestion Lee!
xo
s
Margot says
Oh my word! Your home is gorgeous! I love your style and decor. Do you mind me asking where you found the rug in your bedroom? I love it!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Margot! It’s from a Joss & Main a few years back. The maker is Safaveih I think!
xo
s