We've lived in our Denver house for nearly five years now. It has required a fair amount of work (tearing out an entire subfloor, putting in new carpet and new hardwoods, painting, tons of small repairs etc.), which has actually been kind of fun. Other than laying the flooring, we've done everything ourselves--and by ourselves, I mostly mean my husband. Maybe that's why I think it's been fun.
In all seriousness, it is highly fulfilling to take something that's been neglected or just desperately needs an update, and make it better. The house itself is really pretty great--5 bedrooms in a fun and popular neighborhood where that is hard to find. Lots of natural light. Lots of character. I love my home.
And I've been quite amazed by how much you can improve something with some simple paint or new light fixtures. No need to drop lots of money to make a good change. I don't have a crafty or aesthetically-creative bone in my body, but I have to say I'm really pleased with what we've done. It's not fancy or magazine-worthy , but it's home.
So I thought I'd share some before and after shots. Nothing too exciting, but who doesn't like peeking into other peoples' homes?
Most of the before pictures (all except for the ones where parts of the house are torn up) are from before we owned the house.
Living room before:
Living room after:
Kitchen/dining area before:
Kitchen/dining area after:
Master bedroom after:
Main-floor bathroom:
Schoolroom before:
Schoolroom after:
Kids' bathroom before:
Kids' bathroom after:
Basement main-area before:
Basement main-area after:
My big-girls' bedroom:
My boys' bedroom:
My little girls' bedroom:
Our guest bedroom:
Most of my furniture is either thrifted, from Craigslist, or IKEA. (Remember, I'm not fancy.) Some of it is old and repainted (like the bright yellow dresser in the living room and the two white nightstands in my bedroom, all of which used to be fakey-pine, and the aqua piano in the schoolroom that was originally dark brown.) One of my favorite finds has been our dining room chandelier--$12 from my neighborhood thrift store + some spraypaint!
I admit I'm already excited to get into our new place and start making some changes. The home itself is pretty much turn-key, so we can focus our attention on fun stuff like painting the kitchen cabinets and islands and putting in new drawer pulls and knobs. I already have lots of ideas (loving Pinterest these days!), and while I'm no decorater, I've discovered that making my home the way I want it actually has a huge effect on my day and general outlook. Which may not seem like a huge revelation, but it actually kind of has been for me. It'll be nice too because some things here I never did finish (little girls' room, basement main-part, etc.) because we decided to move, and I'm looking forward to finally getting to do what I want. On a budget. Because I'm cheap like that.
So there you have it. Our home for the past five years. I'm going to miss it!
